How to handle herpetic whitlow outbreak?
July 14, 2010 6:37 PM Subscribe
Herpetic whitlow is out of control this season. I am going to set up a doctors appointment soon to ask about being on preventative acyclovir, but how do I handle it in the mean time?
I first started getting the little blisters on my hands in the summer of 2003. I have gotten them every summer since, and this year half of my fingers are infected. They flared up weeks ago and have not gone down.
I'm scared it will spread to my genitals or eyes at this point (I already get outbreaks on my mouth, which is probably where it originated from). I'm worried I will spread it to others (I work as a cashier). I feel like wearing latex gloves or bandaids will just lead to questions and raised eyebrows.
Is there anything I can do to treat them? Lancing is discouraged as it leads to infections, and from personal experience, is unhelpful as the blisters simply come back. I have a 5 day supply of acyclovir to take three times a day, but I'm unsure if it will be useful, as it is long past "first symptoms" stage.
Help.
I first started getting the little blisters on my hands in the summer of 2003. I have gotten them every summer since, and this year half of my fingers are infected. They flared up weeks ago and have not gone down.
I'm scared it will spread to my genitals or eyes at this point (I already get outbreaks on my mouth, which is probably where it originated from). I'm worried I will spread it to others (I work as a cashier). I feel like wearing latex gloves or bandaids will just lead to questions and raised eyebrows.
Is there anything I can do to treat them? Lancing is discouraged as it leads to infections, and from personal experience, is unhelpful as the blisters simply come back. I have a 5 day supply of acyclovir to take three times a day, but I'm unsure if it will be useful, as it is long past "first symptoms" stage.
Help.
I have had this whitlow crap before, so I feel for you. Try lysine supplements. They don't seem to work for everyone, but they work quite dramatically for me. Even after the infuriating boils have surfaced. I can almost hear a trumpet flourish as the lysine goes to work.
I also have worn (and frequently changed, and kept dry) band-aids over the sores. No one seemed to think anything of it.
posted by Coatlicue at 8:52 PM on July 14, 2010
I also have worn (and frequently changed, and kept dry) band-aids over the sores. No one seemed to think anything of it.
posted by Coatlicue at 8:52 PM on July 14, 2010
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Unfortunately there really is virtually nothing you can do once a lesion has fully surfaced. Keep your hands clean and dry and let them run their course. If you can avoid it, don't wear band aids -- they'll trap moisture and slow the healing process.
posted by telegraph at 6:48 PM on July 14, 2010