Herpetic Whitlow Recovery

[HouseExpert90]

Hi Terri,

Thank you for taking your time to reply to me. I have herpetic whitlow, and I first started feeling the tingle along with a mild blister On October 27. It proceeded to become very painful and a doctor incised one of the blisters because she thought it was an infection rather than herpetic whitlow. I am now on the healing stage where most of the tip of my finger where the blisters were are now dark red. I assume there is some sort of scab forming over them. I have taken acyclovir 800mg every 4 hours for the past 10 days.

With that being said, there is still a lone vesicle that has not turned red or showed any signs of healing. It is a small one that was there from the start, and it still has its pale yellow color. It has no pain but it still a little bit raised. I have read on reddit that this may be permanent. That scares the heck out of me. Will the virus be able to shed from this lone vesicle if it is there permanently?

With the other red parts, is there a timeline for when my finger will stop shedding? I am dying to go back to the gym again. I have also stopped sex with my girlfriend as I am deathly afraid of spreading the herpetic whitlow to her. I got whitlow from scratching a cold sore on my lip. (Didnt know it was a cold sore). If I get a cut on this finger where the vesicle is (or isnt), will my herpetic whitlow be able to shed? Thank you so much for all of the work you do on this forum.

[Terri Warren]

I don’t use Reddit as my source of medical information and neither should you. A lone vesicle from Whitlow will not be there permanently.

Did you have a swab test that was positive from the area of the finger skin changes, is that how you know it is whitlow? I think if you fully cover the lesion and perhaps use a glove, you should not be worried to go back to the gym or have sex with your partner.

I”m not certain I understand the question about the vesicle shedding?

Terri

[HouseExpert90]

Thank you for your response even during the holiday season. Hope you had a good thanksgiving.

If I have scabbed over vesicles on my left hand, is the herpes still shedding at this point? And is there any risk that I could spread it to my girlfriend if I used my right hand (after wrapping up my left hand) on her during sex/foreplay. It’s been exactly a month since I had my first blister.

Would it be possible that a vesicle outlasts 2 all my other vesicles by 2 weeks? The “lone” small vesicle is still there even though all my other ones have scabbed over. My uncle who is an infectious disease doctor said this could be a blocked sweat gland that is posing as a herpes blister. It just looks so alike that I am scared.

When my skin is healed completely, and I get a cut on the same finger. Could the herpes virus shed from that finger? Or is it only during an outbreak?

Please let me know if I need to purchase more questions for this post as I exceeded my two follow up questions. Thank you so much.

[Terri Warren]

You can certainly use the other hand for sex play with your partner – no risk there. There can be virus in scabbed lesions, yes.
You didn’t answer me about how exactly you were diagnosed?
It seems unlikely to me that one vesicle would outlast all the others. But you could find out by having it broken and swab tested.
The virus is only shed from an outbreak, not a cut.

Terri

[HouseExpert90]

I’ve tried posting pictures of my finger but I assume links are not allowed. So I apologize for that. It was not tested but diagnosed by the urgent care and later confirmed by my doctor with only
Pictures. I scratched a cold sore with a cut on my finger and had the tingles in my finger before. It’s now a month and I’m still recovering from it along with this vesicle. Im guessing they will have to incise it to test it. Do I go to a dermatologist for this?

The vesicle sometimes seems to sink out of sight, but when I’m active it pops right back up.

[Terri Warren]

yes, a dermatologist. Something a month old is probably not going to test positive. When you get it again and it is very active, then have it swab tested.

Terri

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