I know there alot of kinds of Herpes? I've heard that HVS 1(Herpes Virus Simplex 1)can cause a sore throat and that you can get the HVS 2 too but here's the problem. My cousin gets a sore throat and if feels like a knife cutting and strep throat. She gets big white looking sores that look like cancer sores in her mouth and also sores on her gums, tongue, back of mouth and in the throat. Her doc told her that she has dormant(not active) herpes but almost everyone one has this kind of herpes. She went to the doc again a few more times to have blood tests and what not to see what the other sores in her mouth are since the herpes(and he didn't tell her what kind it is) are dormant. The tests said the other sores were nothing and she's tired of being told by docs it's nothing. She's wondering if her birth control pills are causing these sores and sore throat as she started taking them 2 months before she started getting the sores. She had to start taking birth control pills because she was bleeding all the time. I'm wondering if she has HSV 1 that was dormant and now it's active and or could she have two types of herpes or something? But I don't know so I can't help her. Any suggestions? She has never been premiscous and she has been married a long time. Could she have gotten this from drinking from someone's cup or something? I have the HSV 2 so I don't know alot about the HSV 1 or other herpes.

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Okay, first of all your cousin's doc is not giving the most accurate info about the herpes (not uncommon among doctors, unfortunately). No one can know if herpes (any type) is in a dormant state, since the herpes virus goes in and out of a dormant state all the time. When it reactivates it sometimes produces a visible outbreak (blisters, rash, redness, etc.) but not always. Sometimes it becomes active and the person could be shedding the virus but not know it because there are no symptoms to indicate that it's active. So it's misleading to say someone's herpes is dormant just because they're not getting visible OBs.

What you describe sounds more like canker sores which are not typically caused by any kind of herpes virus. In fact it's not known for sure what causes canker sores. Do an Internet search on them and you'll find info about them.

I have no idea if your cousin's birth control pills have had any effect on these sores. She'll have to talk to her doctors about that.

There are actually 8 types of herpesvirus, although only 2 types of herpes simplex virus (HSV). Other herpes viruses cause things like mononucleosis, chicken pox/shingles, roseola and Karposi's Sarcoma. However, having one type of herpes does NOT make you more susceptible to getting any other type. And in the case of HSV-1 and HSV-2 they can actually provide a bit of resistance to getting the other type.

As far as HSV-1 versus HSV-2 is concerned, they are almost identical. HSV-1 is most often found around the mouth area and breaks out in the form of cold sores usually. HSV-2 is most often found in the genital area and symptoms typically are blisters, redness, rash, tiny sores, etc. It is possible to get either type in any location, but they seem to prefer (be most at home in) the locations I've mentioned. HSV-1 tends to be somewhat milder in its symptoms than HSV-2, and getting one in the other's preferred location can often produce milder symptoms, but this can vary greatly with the individual. And it's possible to still have either type and yet not get any symptoms.

I also want to do a bit of my usual rant about the myth that if you have herpes you must be promiscuous. It is true that the more partners you have, the more you increase your chances of getting herpes or other STDs, but it is not therefore true that if you have herpes you must have had many sex partners. You only need to have sex with one person one time to possibly get this.

And as much as 30% of genital herpes is actually HSV-1 caught from receiving oral sex from someone who has HSV-1 orally. A huge majority of the population (50-90% depending on your source) has HSV-1 orally, usually caught in childhood through non-sexual contact with family and friends. So please don't make the assumption that you have to be sexually promiscuous to get this.

Okay, I'm done. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif I hope all this helps.

TheOneInFour

TheFourInOne, Thanks for answering. Her doc said at first she had the herpes in her blood stream but it was dormant and then next time she went in for another sore, they said the test came up negative. The docs can't tell her why she has the horrible sore throats and all the sores. Could some of the sores come test negative some times? Now I have the HSV 2, so I had my sores biopsied on my behind. She said she never had a biopsy and I told her I think she may have to. She said that would hurt.

I had a big sore in my mouth for over 10 yrs but it wasn't herpies. I had it biopsied(the dentist numbed my check where the sore was) and it ended up being an immalgum tatoo. The dentist said when they were putting a filling in or something, that's probably how I got it he said. Well, I'm thinking I could have got that even from the nose surgery I had had because they do go in your mouth when having nose surgery. Taking the sore out to biopsy it didn't hurt at all until the meds wore off and it hurt very, very little, way less than it did when I had the sore. I didn't think to tell her that she could go to the dentist to have her sores biopsied and that they can numb her up. I will.

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Shouldn't she go back to the doc and ask him what kind of herpies it is? I'm sure she will. Can the other type of herpes, other than the HSV I or II, in your mouth too(gums, throat, etc)? Don't you think it's a vague thing for the doctor to say, "Almost everyone gets this type of herpes" and he didn't tell her what kind?

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Canker sores can't get in your throat and on the gums can they? I've had cancer sores throughout my life and those aren't a herpes, right? Anyway, I've only gotten canker sores on my tongue. I'm allergic to tomatoes, I think that's what causes my canker sores.
In the throat sounds like Herpes Simplex I to me, just by what I've heard. But heck, I'm learning new stuff every day.

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Well here's my story. I have a female relative that has hsv 2. She has had it exactly 1 year. After her first outbreak she didn't have another one for 8 months, without taking meds. Just a few months ago she woke up with the worse sore throat of her life. The next day she went to the doctor. She did a throat culture. It came back positive for strep and a few days later she had an outbreak. She was on meds for 10 days for the strep and it went away. About a week later she got the sore throat again. She went back to the doctor for another throat culture, this time it was negative. So the doctor said it must be her herpes flairing up and put her on valtrex. Her sore throat did go away but we're afraid the doctor will think it's herpetic every time she has a sore throat. I guess I'm a little confused, arn't the side effects of herpes swollen lymp node? Cuz she did have swollen glands in her neck along with her sore throat. Now I'm wondering does anyone else with hsv 2 ever get a really bad sore throat?

Could someone answer "Dazed and Confused"'s post. Her story sounds alot like my cousin's! By the way, this is ShaBaby59, I can't remember my password for that username so I have to use ShaBaby.

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ShaBaby

so can anyone tell me if I have herpes and I see the same sores on my tonsils is that herpes too? a strep test was negative

What is the relationship between sore throats and herpes. I've recently begun to final accept that I have herpes (as if I had a choice) and every time I have an outbreak it seems to start with a sore throat the week before. One time I took antivirals at the first sign of my sore throat and never had an outbreak and the sore throat never got that severe. However when I've waited to go the doctor for my sor throat, strep tests come back negative and antibiotics do not cure it. When I have these throat infections my lymph nodes in my throat get very swollen(my right one almost always is) and I get this lump in my throat that feels like its blocking my air passage. Do I get a herpe OB due to my immune system being down or is there a different connection?