The Dreaded Cold Sore

About fifteen years ago, I noticed a slight swelling of my upper lip. It was an odd sensation that I couldn’t stop running my tongue over because I didn’t hit my lip. I didn’t understand what was going on.

By the end of the day, I had a noticeable bump on my lip, and my first reaction was this was some sort of pimple. I mean, it kind of hurt like a pimple, so that’s what it had to be, right?

Of course, after a little research I discovered that it was a cold sore, something I’d never experienced in my entire life. Where it came from, I still do not know, but once that first one showed up, it became something I regularly had to deal with.

Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus. Here is the United States it’s estimated that twenty to forty-five percent of the population have the virus, so the odds are pretty good of you sharing a drink or kissing someone who could transmit the virus to you.

Sadly, there is no cure. Instead, the fourteen-day healing time can be reduced by an over-the-counter drug called Abreva, which does seem to work, but is also bright white. It’s really noticeable when you are walking around with a big glob of white medicine on your lip.

For the longest time, I was suffering from five-to-six cold sores a year. Besides the embarrassment of having this hideous thing on my lip, which was thankfully masked somewhat by my facial hair, I could no longer kiss my wife. I had to be even more dutiful in washing my hands, changing out my toothbrush, and washing my pillowcase. Basically, a cold sore is an added aggravation to your daily life, and I tried everything I could to get them under control including taking Valtrex and even lysine, neither seemed to make much of a difference.

Eventually I began focusing on triggers. While stress was a factor in the appearance of my cold sores, so was dry lips. I noticed regular chapstick brands would only make things worse, so I began applying Vaseline to my lips throughout the day as well as before I went to bed. I also became more careful with my lips, making sure they weren’t rubbing against a rough pillowcase or blanket, and these two changes helped tremendously. I went from five or six flareups a year, to having none the past three years.

But earlier this week, I was chatting with a co-worker when I noticed my lip felt swollen. The cold sore always comes out in the same spot, so I knew what was coming. Medicines like Abreva only work if you apply them early in the cold sore cycle, and I usually keep a tube with me at work, but I recently threw it out after it expired. So, I stopped by the grocery store on the way home, and once more, I’m dealing with the embarrassment of this white medicine on my lip, coating my lips in Vaseline, and waiting for this stupid thing to pass.

The worst part of this? I wanted to change out my pillow to a bigger one, but when I went to sleep the bigger pillow was too fluffy. So, I just grabbed my old pillow in the middle of the night, which no longer had the pillowcase on it. I’m pretty sure I slept face down at some point in the night, and I’m guessing that friction from a rough pillow was enough to aggravate this cold sore into showing up.

I know I’m not alone in dealing with these dreaded cold sores, but man are they pain in the lip.