TeenHealthFX - Answers - Herpes HSV1 Hypochondriac

Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Question
Published: August 3, 2000

Dear TeenHealthFX,

I recently started dating this guy - we've been seeing each other for almost 3 months now and we kiss and hug and cuddle, but nothing more than that. I'm writing because this morning, I woke up to discover 4 small red bumps on the insides of my lips. They don't hurt, don't itch, and don't even feel any different from anywhere else on my lips. They're about the size of a fair sized pimple (I don't know what else to compare it to) and none of them bother me at all except for the fact that they're there. They kind of look like popped blood vessels I guess, anyway (I'm kinda obsessive about things (I couldn't stop thinking about them and wondering if I could have gotten them from my boyfriend or not. I normally take vitamin B 12 pills for anemia (as well as multi-vitamins with extra iron) but because it's summer, I've been absent minded and haven't taken them for over a week now (I read something about how that may cause sores). I'm just hoping with all my might it isn't oral herpes. I know plenty of people who get cold sores, but I've never actually had one. All in all I'm kinda freaked, wondering if I could've gotten them from my boyfriend or if it's something more or less serious. What's more, do I TELL him? I think we're on the verge of breaking up, anyway, due to the age difference (he's going off to college while I'm a junior) so things are already super-stressed. Sorry this is so long - please help.

Signed: Herpes HSV1 Hypochondriac

Dear Herpes HSV1 Hypochondriac,

TeenHealthFX hears how upset you are about the thought of having herpes. TeenHealthFX cannot diagnose you over the Internet, so please, for your own comfort, read the information about herpes below and then see a doctor. As far as telling your boyfriend, you can share that you have the bumps in your mouth and are worried but try to avoid telling him he gave you herpes until you've checked with a doctor and you have a more reliable answer.

Here is some general information about herpes:

The difference between types I and II herpes is not absolute. For the doctor, the distinction doesn't matter a great deal since a determination between the two types plays no role in diagnosing and treating people with herpes infections in everyday practice.

Herpes infections tend to recur in more or less the same place. Such recurrences may happen often (for example, once a month) or only occasionally (for example, once or twice a year).

Herpes recurs because of the tendency of this virus to establish itself in the nerve collections (called ganglia) under the skin. The following can bring about a herpes outbreak: menstruation, fever, systemic (body-wide) infection, ultraviolet radiation (like a sunburn), stress, changes in the immune system, trauma or unidentified causes.

Canker sores are small and quite painful and can be confused with herpes. They are found on the inner cheeks and lower lip as well as on the tongue, palate, and the covering of the gums. Cankers typically appear inside the mouth where herpes itself rarely develops. The exception is in severe primary attacks of herpes.

The hallmark of herpes is grouped blisters on a red base. These blisters dry up rapidly and leave scabs that last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the severity of the infection. This pattern has important implications for the many people who fear they have herpes but don't. If something totally goes away in a day or two or if, on the other hand, it lasts for more than a few weeks, it can't be herpes!

Herpes infections feel dry and crusty and they sometimes itch. Some patients have a "prodrome," which is the occurrence of certain symptoms before the actual condition becomes fully evident. The prodrome to herpes infections typically involves a burning or tingling sensation that precedes the appearance of blisters by a few hours or a day or two.

Herpes can be spread through air droplets and through direct contact with the fluid from the blisters. It is not easy to catch herpes from towels and washcloths. Additionally, once the blisters have dried and crusted over (within a few days), the risk of contagion is significantly lessened.

Some people with herpes shed low levels of the virus even when there is no visible evidence of herpes on their skin. There is little or nothing that they or their contacts can do about this. Although the likelihood of transmission from invisible herpes is low, there is still some risk of contagion.

Herpes is mainly a clinically diagnosed condition which means laboratory tests are often neither necessary nor useful. Swabbing the blister in an attempt to culture the virus in the lab is only productive in the first couple of days before the blister has a crusted over. By the time the culture has grown, generally 3 to 5 days, the condition has usually healed.

So see your doctor or you can go to a teen health center where you can be seen without your parent's permission and on a low/no cost basis. They can help you determine what the bumps are in your mouth.

If you live in Northern New Jersey, please call the Adolescent/Young Adult Center for Health at (973) 889.6350. If you live outside of Northern New Jersey, please call your local Planned Parenthood.

Signed: TeenHealthFX