Herpes Simplex Eye Disease

Family, Education, Health and Pets
101
Any virus. Common sense. I don't get the anger in case people do not display obvious symptoms, since, honestly, how can they know when they are being really contageous. But with open sores (just like chicken pox), one has to have a certain regime to not expose others to this.

The thing with babes, for example, is nursing. With regular flu, mine was quite well protected, no idea how that worked, but with Herpes, the reaction was so over the top, even antibodies in my milk didn't make it easier. The crap was she had about 50 extremely painful sores all over her little mouth, inside, the fevers were 40, no willingness to eat since that hurt her so bad. The only thing was to dope her with painkillers and wait it up, praying to not get dehydrated. Horrible 2 wks. Was I cranky with my friend? Not really, although what she did was stupid. Sure, kids can get it anyways, but honestly, if somebody does have a sore, keep away from kissing, smootching, rubbing your eyes and other people's faces. Acyclovir works really well, but only the nicely concentrated one (I didn't give it to my little one, she was too young).

102
Clearly. But your point is only really valid for small children/babies because an adult would be a fool to kiss someone with a visible sore, without a visible sore neither party would know anyway, and catching it as an adult is irrelevant because it's largely inevitable.

103
I get your point, there isn't really way to tell, sure. I wouldn't try to blame those who are infectious and do not display symptoms. Altough, to be honest, most people who do get cold sores actually do know a day or two before it pops up. I am just pretty used to hearing "I won't smootch you much since I think I am getting a cold sore"

104
Also, while your baby might have been protected from the flu virus but not from the herpes virus, keep in mind that children die from the former but not from the latter.

105
I think while it is inevitable, we do mostly have it, it is still really good to know, how to manage one's immune system and know one's body. These things are not mysteries, it does not just show up. The constalations are known - if you immune system is in some way in distress, sun tanning, not sleeping, stressing, lacking some vits, then you get the whole flair up, and it repeats, or you get the yummy zoster that paralyzed me for a month. Over-exhaustion, or, for chicks, it can be hormonal. Some women's immune system has a little window, depending on their cycle. So, protection is available, I know it sounds stupid, but do not do risky things in that window, for example. If I had a cold sore, I wouldn't even want to meet up with a girl who is going through in infertility treatment, for example. I think we all take responsibility to certain degree. Some don't mind restricting themselves, some couldn't care less for walking around with cold sores kissing everyone.

But it is true, I think I would only blame people who were obviously in contageous phase and didn't mind infecting me.

I wouldn't say flu is harder on kids than herpes when they are tiny. Kids die of complications, so it really depends on their immune system, which is a big unknown at that stage. And, while mortality is one thing, long term side effects (caused by encephalytis, eye inf, etc.) are major concerns, too.

But, let's not hijack, I think people with sores just usually know how to behave, it is too bad when the bad combo happens - "recipients" happen to be in a vulnerbale state and "donors" are actually unaware of being infectious.

106
To be quite fair, I would be, and heck, have been , royally pissed at people who knew they had the flu and came near me anyhow and passed it along. You see, when I am sick, I STAY HOME unless it is completely unavoidable.

Some folks may shrug and say "Ah, it's just a cold" or "Ahh, it's the flu, people get that all the time" but for me, it is more. If I catch it in winter, it almost guarantees I'll be coughing until spring. As it happened this passed "cold & flu season", I caught it within a week of having surgery last November and still had lingering coughs right to February.

As I said early in this thread, it is one thing to not know you're at a contagious stage, then the only thing I could do is say "aw, shucks, life sucks"... but to have a sore (or know some other way that you're contagious) and kiss someone anyhow, that's simply uncaring.

JLP hasn't said and even though MN's statistics show that it is possible to never know you've got it until after you're in an intimate situation with someone who is in an infectious stage (so automatically attribute it to them), I would think that the odds of having been infected all along and "only just" becoming symptomatic after coming into contact with someone who has it "too" are likely pretty low. I assume, perhaps incorrectly, that JLP attributes it to a specific encounter as that is the most likely source, not because she's into casting accusations willy-nilly and I (again, perhaps incorrectly) infer from that she knows (somehow) that the person in question was at a contagious stage.

If it were truly just a simple crap-shoot whether you ever catch it or display symptoms or not (as some of ya'll seem inclined to want to make it seem), we would not have the warnings against risky activities that we do. If it were truly THAT mysterious how to avoid either catching or spreading, I'm sure the message would be more along the line of "if you get it, you get it, if you don't, well you probably will sometime anyhow."

It honestly strikes me as extremely odd though how often they continue to show condoms as some safeguard against herpes as I know full well that condoms are hardly a protection from quite a few "sexually transmitted" infections / infestations. I was given a lovely batch of crabs by a live-in bf in my early 20s, believe-you-me I got tested for all sorts of things then. I'm sure though that medical knowledge 20yrs ago was not the same as it is now but still... if you can have it on your thighs, back, buttocks, groin, lower belly (or anywhere else really for that matter), a condom really isn't going to do much so far as herpes is concerned.

Perhaps I imagine this wrong but surely you do not need to see it to know that you have an active sore...?

I've seen pictures of sores inside the mouth, those can be felt, can they not?

So... it is fairly "easy" if someone only has sores someplace not visible, for them to know but still keep their partner in the dark, right?

107
I was away out of the country for the Easter holidays and have just come back to this. I started to multi-quote and then decided otherwise, but will try to attempt to answer some things mentioned.

I never have had Herpex Simplex 1 in my life, yes it is possible not to have ever been infected. I caught it from someone that had sores on his mouth but did not indicate to me he was infectious. Call me stupid, but since I've never been confronted with Herpes nor have been near anyone with it I know little about it. The contact was not from "air kisses".

I know when I have a cold or the flu (the only infectious diseases I have) I alert someone before they get near me "I am sick and can be contagious, it is probably best not to get near me". Sound familiar?

For those who doubt why I have brought this to the attention of the EF it is because I do NOT want anyone to go through what I am. I was at the Dr's last week when I first posted this, again today and have another appt in 2 weeks. I kindly invite any doubters to come with me and see how much fun this is. The pain makes me scream, I am not paid when I miss work and am at the Dr's, I'm paying a fortune in bills but this is nothing to the loss of sight and a future transplant.

Again, I would like to thank those that posted kind wishes; as of today the virus is still active in my eye and there is additional lose of vision.

108
Have read through the posts (but not so carefully) and don't think anyone's mentioned that particularly on the facial area and hands, herpes simplex can remain active for several hours and infect any tiny (like from shaving, or say your plucking your brows). I was told by Dr. to never be to careful -if you get an outbreak on your lips, then get out the anti-bacterial liquid and give your face and hands a wipe with it. Also, even though the topical creams (like Virucal) don't cure they do kill off surface virus (thereby reducing chance of spread).

Lastly... if you're going to the dentist and whether you think you have herpes or not, lather those lips with Virucal or just plain old petroleum jelly. Your dentist may think you're coming on to them (or you've got a jelly fetish) but when they're pushing down on your lips with utensils, mouth dams, etc. it's a perfect opportunity for breakout madness.

Just my 2 Pence.

109
In the course of more than 35 years as a dentist and oral surgeon, I have "pushed down" and otherwise manipulated lips close to 100,000 times. I have not heard a single complaint concerning a herpes outbreak because of that. Of course there may be a certain number of unreported cases, but it doesn't seem to be a major problem anyway. However, keep on greasing your lips, no one will take exception to that.

110
So you snogged someone with visible cold sores?

111
mmmm....it's what I look for in a snogging partner. Tasty!

112
I do not "snog"; I was in a relationship with this person which makes having this even worse for me.

Please stop being total *EDIT* (yes, I am not pleased with either of your attitudes) and grow up, losing eyesight is not fun and games. God forbid either of you catch a disease from your significant other or anyone else for that matter. I do not understand why, but for some reason, you two seem to take some kind of delight in what has happened to me and that is disgusting.

Economisto please close this thread or EDIT Mathnut to do so. What was meant to be a warning about a contagious disease has now turned into an immature hahaha-athon.

113
I apologise for my flippant remark. Allow me to rephrase. Irrespective of whether you were in a relationship or not (although I'm not sure I read the specifics) how could you kiss someone (or come into contact in any way) with open sores that you could clearly see. I say this because I know loads of people who have sores at one time or another and both they and I are insanely careful not to come into contact with each other directly or more commonly, indirectly. I understand how crappy the sores are, but the method of your contraction really doesn't seem to make sense. Did you not see this person's sores? Did you see the sores but thought you'd be OK to kiss them? Do you find these sores attractive or at least not unattractive? Again, apologies for being flippant but I really don't understand how it happened, or in any case, how it was your partner's fault.

114
I've had herpes simplex since I was a child, along with 90% of the world's population.

What's your point?

115
I think her point was that as it got in her eye, it's pretty serious, and she has a right to be upset that she wasn't protected from it by someone she trusted.

Just because a lot of people have it, it doesn't mean those of us who don't should be indifferent to catching it. And should I ever catch it, I would prefer that it be an accident, not from someone who knows they are contagious.

116
Economisto, the question you should be asking is why did this person not warn me he was contagious nor be responsible in his behaviour. I did not know what I was doing was dangerous, but he did. If your partner makes you ill, hurts you, is it your fault?

I invite you to come to my next appt week after next and I will have the Dr explain to you about Herpes Simplex Eye Disease and my case.

I was in the 10% that never had the disease... I think you are having a hard time understanding that. Example: Childhood Diseases- most of us have had them, except Mr P of L-P never had caught one and at 30 did and as an adult male to catch what he did was devastating.

****

Please let's get back to the disease.

Thank you kslausanne for your comments and understanding (and again everyone else).

117
I think you are missing my point: herpes simplex is one of the most common diseases in the world. 90% of the world's population has it . I find it extremely hard to believe that an educated, sociable adult would be unable to recognise a cold sore when s/he sees one - and even if s/he didn't recognise it, surely s/he would be reluctant to snog someone with a hideous weeping blister on his/her lip?

As the Romans might have said: caveat osculor.

118
You can't possibly say that with any certainty.

All you can say is that you never exhibited any symptoms.

There are several posts on this thread which explain that in great detail. Before you start getting annoyed with those who are seeing this objectively, perhaps you ought to read them?

119
Just to point out that it is actually impossible for herpes to travel through a condom. So a condom is 100% effective when it covers said areas. Although one can get herpes sores in a multitudes of places on ones body...genital herpes is found largely....in well....the genital area.

The use of condoms certainly does help greatly in the prevention of HSV or HPV.

I personally don't think condoms should be used for the prevention of STDs. If you are worried about contracting STDs from said person then you probably shouldn't be sleeping with them in the first place....call me old fashioned

120
I understand very well. I also have the internet.

It may have been very small, more like a zit or small red bump. Maybe it was dark, or she had taken off her glasses. It's insulting to suggest that the OP does not have the awareness to avoid something so openly disgusting. The point is that the person violated the rules of common decency, not to mention her trust.

Anyway, it caused serious damage to her eye, and that's terrible. So we should all be more mindful of what we might pass along to others, and give them the choice to take the risk or not, regardless of how many people carry the infection. It's common sense.