Stress. Why am I so susceptible to it? Friday’s Halloween party celebrations were cut short when I started feeling a tell-tale tingle on my lip in the afternoon. Crap. I haven’t had a cold sore for well over a year. I felt worse and worse as the day progressed. I left the party as soon as I could and rushed home to get my anti-viral prescription filled. It had expired, but luckily my doctor was working late and able to authorise a new one. I took the drugs and then basically spent the next 72 hours lying on our couch. I’m not sure if it’s the virus or the medicine, but I just feel so horrible and dizzy and sore. The glands in my jaw were swollen and tender. On the plus side, the antivirals stopped me from having shooting neuralgia pains going up my whole head. The drugs worked quickly, and by Monday I was starting to feel myself again. The sore is already healing, enough that I’m not too self-conscious about it. Man, could they just hurry up and cure this already? It SUUUUCKS.
M-H
November 2, 2010 — 1:20 pm
Kris I have had one virus, with ongoing issues with asthma, bacterial infections and now croup, for over a bloody month. I have taken every drug and non-drug remedy I can find. Five doctor’s visits. 10 days off work out of 22 working days Sometimes you just have to suck it up and realise it takes time to get better.
Rachel
November 2, 2010 — 2:39 pm
My Hubby is also a cold sore sufferer but also hasn’t had one in ages. He got one last weekend but it healed really quickly this time around. Like 1/2 the usual time. He thinks the outbreak is effected by stress but he also seems to get them at the start of the summer, when the UV heads into the extreme. Got much sun recently?
Josh
November 2, 2010 — 3:56 pm
Don’t worry about the cold sore… I didn’t even notice it until you mentioned it to me. 🙂
LynS
November 3, 2010 — 11:34 am
Kris, we’re all subject to stress. Don’t let the self-help books fool you into thinking life can be stress free… always. I think worry expands to fit the time available, so just make sure you worry about sensible things.
And cold sores…as a life-long sufferer, stress is certainly a contributing factor as it affects your immune system, but I’ve found another factor is rapid changes to humidity which means they happen more often with changeable weather such as we’re having just now and plane travel.
Kris
November 3, 2010 — 1:56 pm
It’s more that I seem to be particularly susceptible to physical manifestations of stress. I’ve also battled stomach issues (duodenitis) for years that are stress-triggered. And my masseuse at Broadway can attest to the level of tension I carry in my shoulders. The funny thing is, I actually do plenty of exercise too! I’d hate to think what I’d be like if I didn’t. 🙁