appearance

[leebee]

Without trying to get too personal or invade too much, what do outbreaks tend to look like? My first outbreak looked like a textbook herpes case and followed it exactly...from the lesion to the blister, crusted and went away. Now, however, I have a couple little raised areas that never hurt or bother me, they are skin colored and just change in size and don't really seem to ever totally go away. Also, around the outside area my skin is red in areas like little dots but not raised. On my thighs I have lots of little red dots that look like ingrown hairs and itch. I'm thinking that could be exzema on my legs and my doctor didn't know. I feel like I'm sounding a little neurotic but I really am paranoid about spreading it to other areas. My face has been burning, itchy and red in places lately along with my eyes as well. Can anyone shed some light with similar experiences?

Thanks!

[faithful]

check with your doctor

2 things you should have a frank discussion with your doctor about:

1. warts

2. Molluscum Contagiosa

especially if they don't resolve on their own

[leebee]

I went to my doctor today and she said they didn't look typical for either of those so she biopsied one and will let me know in a week. Here's hoping that she calls back and says its nothing...

Thank you for your response! I feel kind of silly freaking out about the little things but you really never know.

[BoxofRain]

Its not silly at all. I have had present on my skin the exact symptoms as you explain (the redness and tiny little dots that are not raised that itch on and off) this is the way i experience herpes outbreaks.....the rash is in the top part of my pubic hair and has been there almost every days since i was diagnosed over a year ago. I also get tiny cuts near the anus but they come and go, while the rash remains continuous. If in fact the same "rash" like symptoms you are experiencing are the virus then it is contagious in those areas and it is actually how a lot of people experience the virus at times. I have never had a blister or anything like it, just the continuous "rash" and on and off the little cut like feelings in the separate area. I have some theories about it and amount it to the virus being active on the skin and showing symptoms but not making it to the later stages...almost as if it is just lingering there on the skin.......or that the virus is activating and retreating very quickly on the skin and the redness and itchiness that occurs with it sometimes are key to alerting you to the virus multiplying on the skin, which is in fact a type of outbreak. Not everyone will get blisters and those who do may not always get blisters as their outbreaks. I hope your biopsy sheds some light on this situation. If you dont mind, let me know the results. ....Im interested to find out if that is what in fact is causing your "rash" like symptoms.....if its something else maybe it would be some insight into what else this rash I have could be, as my doctors are not sure, due to its extreme duration on me. Are you taking any meds?

[leebee]

Yes, I'm on suppressive Valtrex and don't really know if it is doing anything or not.

I will definitely share the results! I'm hoping it is nothing but wouldn't be surprised if she said it is just an outbreak that has lasted since I was diagnosed. It just seems to me that the minute things start looking better it gets worse right away...I don't know what to do to control it, really.

Anyways, I will keep you posted and try to shed some light on this confusing matter.

[Caliope]

boxofrain - when you describe your symptoms they seem to me to be a hypersensitive type reaction similar to an allergy. I would estimate that your immune system is trying very hard to fight this off to have this constant reaction.

leebee and boxofrain - I know that I'm lucky as the antivirals work for me but when I did not know what I have was hsv I had a constant itch on the right side of my genitals for many years and then after a particularly bad bout of the flu it then moved down to the right hand side of my anus. To this day ob or no ob I get periodic itching only on the right side. The tingling has stopped and the severe back pain that once accompanied these symptoms has gone away with the Acyclovir.

When I had ob's that were more classic and they were only on the right side of my genitals. I had one that looked like i'd been burned with a cigarette just the outside was raised and rough and painful. The second classic ob was 3 small blisters (smaller than the head of a pin) grouped together that never opened, never scabbed and went away in about 4 days soon to be accompanied by a welty rash that never blistered, never scabbed and went away slowly over 2 weeks. The welty rash occurred only after I decided to shave the area so I could better observe if there were blisters. It was painful and tender.

I experience periodic bouts where my genitals feel like someone is stabbing me with hot needles. Sometimes it feels like I'm being pinched hard but again no blisters or classic symptoms.

[leebee]

Boxofrain, do you get the red dots anywhere else? I have found little red spots around my pubic region and one or two of them look like little pimples. However, there are many other little red spots on my upper thighs and now calf area. I am going to the dermatologist next month to try and figure it out but I didn't know if you ever got those symptoms any other places than your pubic hair area?

[BoxofRain]

Ive seen the little dots on the area right outside where a bathing suit would cover...upper thigh area, but not a lot, mostly its limited to the pubic hair region on top. whats also weird is that I have seen a few similar looking dots on the front part of my right ankle... and it hurt there and gets very sensitive sometimes... dont know if its related but it was after i took a bath one time when i had symptoms of hsv and the area on the ankle where it occured is where i have an old scar the size of a quarter from an accident when i was younger.....the skin there is much thinner and ive often wondered because every now and again i get pain only on the scar, seems to get more red, visible dots appear sometimes and feels like pulsing/tingling there every few months for a day or two...sometimes 3 days...weird because never had this happen till after the hsv so maybe just a weird coincidence, who knows

[faithful]

Having HSV makes me wonder about anywhere there is an itch, a red bump, a tingle....and they say smoking pot makes you paranoid!

[leebee]

I know! I have a pimple on my face and of course I think its herpes and going to infect my whole face...talk about paranoid!

I feel as though I have a constant outbreak...sore legs, sometimes tingling or itching and small kind of bumps that look like i have goosebumps but only 2 or 3 of them. That makes me paranoid as well...I wish that I knew for sure what my outbreaks were or if this was even an outbreak (!) so I could figure out what triggers them.

[faithful]

I know, I scared the crap out of myself by googling pictures...yeeesh, if you haven't done that yet...DON'T. Fricken SCAREY! Those are worse case scenarios. I read about it being able to be almost anywhere, but I think it mostly depends where you first came into contact with it. I feel like I'm afraid to touch myself anywhere just in case I touched somewhere I shouldn't have. And because it's all very new to me...I'm not even sure exactly everywhere I've got it. Apparently I've had it for over a year now so LORD ONLY KNOWS WHAT I'VE TOUCHED!!! Anyway... I know that my first outbreak was triggered by stressing, so hard as that sounds, do whatever you need to do, to try and not beat yourself up about it, come to terms with it and stay sane. Talk with whomever you can, even if it's only on here. Talking with someone who's been dealing with it, lets you know there's hope. Write, it's very cathartic. Flush it if you're worried someone will find it. Distract yourself with something fun, take on a new hobby or something.