Sarah, 39, is a mum of one and legal secretary from Cardiff in Wales.
Sarah says;
“Cold sores have blighted my life for 18 years and have at times made me feel very low as they make me feel dirty and embarrassed and my immune system feels depressed when I have one.
My first cold sore outbreak was in 2001 when I was 21. I’m fairly certain that I caught the virus from a little girl who was a friend of the family. I remember her being around me while I was doing my makeup and she had a few visible cold sores.
I didn’t see her use any of my make up but I have since learnt that cold sores can be passed on through touch alone and there would have been no need for her to have actually used the makeup. She may have just scratched or touched her sores and then held my make up or brushes to have passed it on to me.
Within a few days, I noticed a ‘spot’ on my lip while at work but wasn’t aware it was a cold sore. After work I popped into my local chemist where they gave me a cream to use which instantly made my lip to swell up and become very, very sore. The next day I went into Boots and spoke to a pharmacist and showed them my lip.
At first I was told I’d had an allergic reaction but after multiple outbreaks over a period of a few months it was later confirmed I had cold sores.
From that first outbreak, I have suffered with cold sores every month or so, usually around my period, for years. I have seen a few doctors who have prescribed similar cold sore creams to the one that gave me an allergic reaction but due to my initial allergic reaction I was too scared to use them and just suffered.
On researching cold sores which are caused by the herpes simplex virus, which I knew very little about, I was horrified to discover that they stay contagious for up to 14 days even when the scab of the sore had gone, which for me meant half of the time I was contagious as I got them roughly once a month.
There aren ;t manu cold sore treatments avaiable about eight years ago I discovered cold sore patches which sometimes helped but then people stared at the plasters instead. Unless the cold sore was a very small one, I tended to find the plasters didn’t cover the blisters well. I sometimes used the plasters overnight night as I was worried about accidentally knocking or scratching and spreading them while I slept.
Cold sores make you feel generally run down and I would sometimes feel depressed when I had a bad outbreak. I’m not sure why sores make you feel so low. I feel like my immune system is being attacked when I have an outbreak and it takes a few weeks to get it back on track.
I feel very self-conscious when I get an outbreak. It’s not something you can hide easily, especially if you get a large sore. They also really hurt. The pain can spread right up into my cheekbone and side of my face.
Some cold sore outbreaks are worse than others. My worst cold sores have been when I was going through a very stressful time, like when a relationship broke down or when I moved house or I changed my job.
I can’t say that my cold sores were responsible for the break-down of any of my relationships, but they certainly didn’t help. They always made me feel fearful of intimacy when I had them as I was worried about passing one on to my partner. Many people do not realise that the act of kissing often tends to trigger a cold sore. I even once had a boyfriend accuse me of being unfaithful when I got a cold sore as he thought I had caught it from another guy.
I’m single now and cold sores have definitely knocked my confidence when dating. I’ve cancelled dates with guys if have felt the tingle of a cold sore as I knew that I was contagious.
I’m also terrified that I may pass a cold sore on to my daughter. I would hate her or any partner I am with to suffer the way I have from cold sores. I was especially on edge when my daughter was a baby as I had read that baby’s immune systems cannot fight the virus that causes cold sores and they could potentially die if they are infected. I was so fearful of contaminating her with the virus that I did not kiss her properly for weeks after she was born.
Over the years I’ve done a lot of research on cold sores and read blogs and articles where there are accounts and recommendations from other sufferers.
I first discovered Lip Q Liquorice Balm four years ago. It was recommended in a health article I was reading in a magazine by a cold sore sufferer who said how a balm containing liquorice had helped reduce their cold sore outbreaks if used every day. I thought it would be worth a try as I would try anything to suffer less and the balm was natural and not expensive and so didn’t feel like a con job.
I ordered the balm and it arrived in the post while I was still suffering with a sore. I waited for the sore to heal completely before I used it I case it made the sore worse. Since first using the liquorice balm I went from suffering with a sore almost every 4-6 weeks to only having two in the following year.
I have used the balm every day since and now I only get a cold sore about once a year and they are smaller in size and don’t last as long. I once went for 18 months without an outbreak.
Last year I went away for a weekend in London and forgot my balm. I thought that I would be alright as I was only for a few days. But my lips immediately became dry and tingly and I broke out in a really nasty cold sore on my return home. The pain was so bad I had to go to the doctor who prescribed me with Aciclovir to help reduce the pain.
After the London experience, I now make sure that I always have a liquorice balm with me no matter where I am. I keep one in my car, one in my handbag, and one at the side of my bed. I never go to sleep without smothering my lips in the balm and when I feel that first tingle of a cold sore, I apply the balm several times a day and it stops the cold sore in its tracks.
I can honestly say I couldn’t live without liquorice balm now. It makes me feel more confident and in control of my cold sores. This simple little balm has changed my life!”
