Cold Sores

Hi N.!

Sorry I'm a little late, but I have put Vick's Vapo-rub on as soon as I feel one coming on - I seem to get them at the right corner of my mouth - but it seems to zap them. Put on as often as you think about it, like the Chapsitck suggestion.

Good luck!

A cold sore is the herpes simplex virus, which is contagious, but not everyone breaks out from it. If your child is still pitting items in his mouth, daycare is not a good idea because the virus can be passed that way... as for taking care of the symptoms, I have found (on myself anyway) that carmex relieves the pain/stinging just as well as any of the over-the-counter over-priced cold sore medications. Good luck.

i babysit for a 4 year old who has used abbreva for over a year now because she gets cold sores so bad.

N....What kind of daycare are you at...a family in home daycare or a center? Can I ask which daycare you are currently attending?

Hi, I feel for you. My daughter is now 17 however has gotten cold sores (severe) since she was about 3-4 years old. Here are some tried and true remedies .... get him on Lysine (check with your doc/pharmacy for dose at that age)and ABREVA is AMAZING!! It works better than the 50 dollar Zvorox, which is not approved or wasn't when my daughter was young for anyone under 16! Once they get a little older and can tell you when they feel an onset my doc gives her an antibotic like cyclor(sp?) to take right away .. seems to help her too. But she SWEARS by the ABREVA it is like a lip balm found in the pharmacy area and it costs about 12-13 bucks. Good Luck!!

Dear N.,
Many years ago a boyfriend gave me a cold sore. I had never gotten cold sores before. Since then I have found out that they are highly contagious and a form of herpes. You never get rid of them they are always there just dormant. If I am under stress they will reappear. Mine take up my whole bottom lip and are very painful. I have found that if I take a daily dosage of the amino acid L-Lysine I very seldom get them any more. However, when I do get one, at the first sigh of itching or swellin, I increase my dosage of L-Lysine and it is not as severe. Also applying Pure Aloe Vera from the plant or a Aloe Vera gel without alcohol, "Fruit of the Earth" is the brand that I use, is very soothing. Oh, also L-Lysine is most effective when taken on an empty stomach. These are very natural cures that do not involve drugs or risking putting something on your child's lip that he may rub into his eyes. Also you can purchase Aloe Vera juice in health food stores. I also noticed that Terry's Naturally cares a natural lip balm for cold sores but I have never used it. Good luck and make sure her husband does not kiss you or the child when he has an outbreak.
B. T.

I am not sure if you can use it on your son I would check with a pharmacist but there is a medicine called Abreva that you run on it that works well. Hope you find something... also yogurt is suppose to help. Good luck!

I don't know if over-the-counter medications (like Abreva) are approved for children. You might want to ask your pediatrician or the pharmacist.

You could try Vitamin E. Just buy the soft capsules and prick it with a straight pin and squeeze some of the Vitamin E out and apply it to the cold sore. It helps keep it moist so it doesn't scab and bleed and the very small amount is not harmful to ingest.

I don't have any suggestions about daycare, though, sorry.

I have never heard of a fever and sickness with coldsores. I have gotten them all my life. I use zilactin (sp?) Some use camphor Phenic (sp?). I have used both, but all solutions are painful. Just watch the citric acid of what he eats. There is no reason the daycare shouln't allow him there with a cold sore. I also have worked in daycare, even with a cold sore and never had any problem. They are nuts! It is just a bodies way of getting rid of toxins, just try to keep him from scratching and picking at it because then it can get infected, and could become impantiego. That is the only time you need to worry about it. Just don't let him share food or dishes with anyone, ie, don't drink from the same cup as him.

Abreva is supposed to shorten the length of the cold sore- I personally use Camp phenique- or how ever it's spelled- but check with the Dr on what is good for kids. A cold sore is herpes- I am sure the day care is just being cautious, but you may need to find someone- like an in home daycare- who might take him- or try Bergan Sick care- they might take him too as long as there is no fever.

Hi N., I just wanted to add one thing. As everyone has mentioned, cold sores are bery painful!!! I have had them as long as I can remember. I always take some ibuprofen the first few days until it starts to scab. It does 2 things: most importantly it helps the pain and it also helps with the swelling becasue it is an antiinflammatory. The key to using Abreva: put it on as soon as you can. Eventually your child will be able to tell you it burns and feels tingly. That is when you want to start treating it! When he is older ask about Valtrex. Good luck to you and your son!
C.

We use Tea Tree Oil, it dries them up and they do not ooze at all or just small amounts. the sore just kind of miss that part and goes right to a scab I use an q-tip to dab it on the sore, it seams to work best if you can get it on as soon as you can feel the sore staring. The first day I put it on about ever two hours or so, just like you would put on Chap Stick, and then we mix it with a gel-based lip-gloss just a couple of drops and use it until the sore is gone. You can find tea tree oil at most stores in the vitamin isles or wild oats.

My son never get bad just raw or dry flaky skin...I apply OceanGel to his. I got it with my nasal spray, it told me to put it on my nose to avoid it from getting red and sore but I never did. Instead I use it on my son. I never heard of someone having to stay home from daycare becuase of it though.

I SOOOOO feel for you. My daughter contracted it from daycare and her first outbreak was insanely AWFUL!! It lasted 2 weeks! She does get them from time to time and unfortunately I caught them from her. My doctor gave me a prescription for Zovirax cream and told me to use it on her too. So AS SOON as I see a spot brewing I put some on here and it really cuts the duration of the outbreak from about 10 days down to 2 or 3 and she doesn't break out so bad she has to miss daycare. I don't know if a doctor would prescribe it for kids or not but we've had NO problems with it. If you can get your hands on a prescription of that, I'd recommend it. The tube lasts forever and it's kind of expensive but way less than missing a day of work AND paying for daycare.
If your child won't eat and has a lot of pain during a break out in the mouth, there is a lidocaine gel they can prescribe. It tastes kind of tropical and numbs the mouth gently.