how to help genital herpes sores scab?
Posted , 2 users are following.
I've havng surgery in my groin area in 8 days and the surgeon said the lesions have to be gone but it seems to take forever for them to scab. Anything I can do to help? Or shouldn't be doing?
I've been having symptoms for 5-6 days. At first, I just felt like I was going to have a cold. I had a fever for the first two days at night and it was burning does there on the second night. I had lumps at the top of my groin and it hurt to pee. I went to the doctor on the third day and he prescriped be some antibiotics and a cream. I had to take off my pants without him asking me for him to finallyagree to look (yes, he's a moron). He still gave me the same stuff.
over the week end, I felt it was getting worse. No fever but it was redder and more painfull down there. the lumps in my groin were getting bigger and more painful when I moved. So I went to another clinic where the doc said it was probably herpes and that the first doc probably gave me a yeast infection on top of it because of his medication.
so I've been on this second doc med (cyclovir twice a day) and a veginal cream + an antifongus I took once. it's been two days and it doesn't seem to get any better. it still burns a lot and sores don't seem to be close to scabbing like they say they should. I've been taking baths two or three times a day (it's the only place I can pee, it's too painfull otherwise) and putting petroleum jelly to help -but it only does for like 20 minutes) does that preven them forsacbing, as it soften the skin? what should I do? Or not do?
thank in advance. I really need this surgery.
0 likes, 4 replies
FelizCastus so06472
Posted
Is this your first outbreak? Sounds like it is. Were you swab tested to confirm that it's herpes? Which type is it? If not, you should have it confirmed. Honestly, if I were you and it's definitely herpes and your first outbreak (brand new infection), I'd postpone the surgery.
Surgery in the same area can trigger more herpes and potential complications. You're lymph nodes are already swollen and that can take a while to subside. Everything is currently inflamed, and in a week, you're still going to be sensitive even if healed just in time. New infections can be easily retriggered.
The meds won't do much if you took them late, and you will need to take them continuously for days before, during and after your surgery as a prophylaxis. Ask your doctor and surgeon about this. You can soak in a sitz bath of Epsom salts once or twice daily to encourage the lesions to dry out and heal. Also apply topical zinc oxide. But I'd honestly look to postpone the surgery.
so06472 FelizCastus
Posted
thanks for your answer. it will be a mess to postpone the surgery (as well as a 1000$ loss) so I'm a bit hesitant but I will really, really look into that. Also, I read that great stress on the body (such as a surgery) and trigger a new attak so I thought it would be best not to wait, since I just had one. Can it restart already? Or does the fact that I could be taking meds later on will prevent it?
this is my first ob yeah. I might have been a carrier without knowing it, it came out of nowhere so I don't know what to do or change to prevent it to happen again. The second doc I saw is specialized in ITS, she took a swab and an urine sample. Results on the 14th. so if I understand well (english isn't my first language), the meds she gave me aren't that effective since the sores were already there, correct?
I will definitely go buy some salts tomorrow, I got about a dozen sores all around the area but also clusters of many around the lips. I can't walk properly, burns all the time, so much I can't breathe correctly sometimes. It is possible that the sores just go away slowly without scabing like you see in oral herpes? Because it's been open ulcers since saturday.
thanks again and sorry for all those questions.
FelizCastus so06472
Posted
Since your outbreak sounds quite bad and there are swollen lymph nodes, it sounds like you were recently infected. Did you have sex or receive oral sex a couple of days to two weeks before the outbreak? In any case, if confirmed to be herpes and if the surgery is non-critical, look into rescheduling it. Perhaps the surgeon will waive the penalty fee if you have good reason to delay it, and honestly, a new infection of herpes in the very area that requires surgery is pretty good grounds, imo! It's not like you are asking to delay it because you want to go on holiday, etc.
Surgery is major trauma, so you can certainly trigger another outbreak despite this one clearing up just beforehand. In fact, before full antibody production (4 months), you are more likely to trigger another outbreak, as your body hasn't gotten to grips with the virus yet. If you take the meds as prophylaxis (you will need to confirm the dosage, but I believe it's the same as for episodic treatment, started a few days before surgery), that should hopefully prevent another outbreak.
However, you need the area to heal and calm down first. There have been many women on here who tried to have sex (not surgery!) right after a first outbreak cleared and it was very painful, in many cases resulting in another outbreak. Best thing is to confirm that it is indeed herpes, which type (although type doesn't really matter so much in this instance, but good to know), and see if your surgeon can waive the penalty fee on grounds that you have a bad infection and need to fully recover.
If he will not waive the fee, and especially if the surgery is critical, don't stop taking the meds, look into increasing the dosage ahead of the surgery, and hope for the best!
P.S. The meds are most effective if taken before or at the very start of an outbreak. Vaginal sores do not necessarily scab. They behave more like canker sores in the mouth and slowly fade/heal. Sores on regular skin are more likely to scab.
so06472 FelizCastus
Posted
thanks for your answer once again. It's reassuring to know they might not scab so I won't wait anxioulsy for it to happen. Got epsom salt this morning, we'll see. I had protected sex with a new partner about 3 days before the first symptoms. He gets tested regularely and he's negative, but I've learned since then that it doesn't mean much in the case of herpes...
as for the surgery, it's not surgeon fees (surgery is free), it's a money loss from work since I took my vacations as a time off and can only cancel part of it.
I'll ask the doctor when I get my results if she can either prescribe me something to take everyday until after the surgery or what else I can do.