Hello,
In November 2010, I was unofficially diagnosed in the ER with herpes simplex. I say unofficially because they couldn't technically find anything wrong with me even though it was obvious something was going on. I presented with extremely dry lips, little white bumps on my lips, extremely painful mouth and throat (not like the typical sore throat you get with a cold), headache, fatigue, weakness and nausea. They tested me for mono and it was negative. The doctor said that if I developed more little white bumps over the next 36 hours, it probably was herpes simplex and gave me a prescription for acyclovir to fill if that happened. I developed 6 more the next day.
Since then, I've been getting random viral outbreaks. My symptoms aren't just the typical sores. Some are kind of strange, but then I don't know much about herpes simplex, so maybe they're normal. My outbreaks can include any of the following symptoms and I've put * next to ones I've been experiencing this time (either presently or over the last few weeks):
*-Pain in my glands in my neck, throat and armpit areas.
*-Severe pain on one tonsil with the feeling of there being a scab on it.
*-Pain in my mouth and throat (different than a sore throat feeling).
*-Extreme weakness
*-Feeling totally exhausted
*-Joint pain
*-Muscle pain
*-Nerve pain in my forearms
-Cold sores
-Canker sores
-Styes
*-Skin inflammation in the genital area
*-Sores in the genital area
*-Feeling really cold
*-Loss of appetite
*-Really dry lips (using Herpacin chapstick is the only thing that sort of helps).
*-Pain around my eyes
*-Burning and pain in my gums
*-Pressure and irritation in my eyes
*-Headache
*-Naussea
*-Sores on my ears (a dermatologist once thought they were pressure sores, but they come and go and behave just like cold sores)
*-Pain above my belly button (different than when my ulcer bothers me; it hurts when I swallow food and it passes through the area and it sometimes hurts to touch)
The nerve pain in my forearms and pain above my belly button are the newest symptoms to my usual string of symptoms (nerve pain started last summer, pain above my belly button started early this winter). My primary doctor checked out my belly pain last time I had it and couldn't come up with anything. It eventually went away.
I always know when any of these symptoms are due to a viral outbreak because the corner of my mouth with tingle and twitch, or my eye will twitch, about 3-7 days before symptoms start.
I can get outbreaks every 3 months to every 3 weeks and sometimes it's like they never end. They can last 3-10 days or like my current one, go on for weeks.
I was originally told to start acyclovir whenever I felt an outbreak coming on, but I really don't feel like it does anything and taking it 5 times a day is a hassle.
I'm wondering:
-What kind of doctor should I see about this? My primary is an infectious disease guy, but he usually just brushes things off. Would my gynecologist be a good person to see and be able to help me understand and address these symptoms?
-Is there a different antiviral I can take and anything we can do to prevent and minimize outbreaks?
-Why do I get so many different symptoms and why do my outbreaks vary so much?
I used to just deal with it, but every time things seem to get worse and I feel really crappy right now. I'm tired of this.
Thanks!
