Herpetic Whitlow - anyone heard of this

[Plus30]

I am poz since 2007 - and have had genital herpes since 2003. The herpes was not a big issue until I was positive - in fact that is kind of how I knew i was positive because I had a even worse outbreak than my first one.

About a year into being poz I had a small water blister on my foot that wouldn't break. I tired. Eventually it went away - but then there was another -and another. Then half the bottom of my foot was covered. My doctor at the time had no idea what it was and gave me clortimazole. This oddly did help. As years passed I also developed the blisters on my fingers, mostly on the sides of my knuckles or closer to the nail bed, and corners of my palms.

All this time later I have looked it up on my own, but since switching doctors in 2011 have found it to be called herpetic whitlow. It generally is found to be in the fingers but can be in other areas. I can understand getting it on my fingers, but my foot - just one foot too. I'm asking about it now because for all this time I have had my fingers and one foot affected by it, but today there is an outbreak of it on my elbow - of all places.

Treatments seem few. I have been on acyclovir and take it when needed. I seem to urinate too much if I take it daily. I was on valtrex but it was too strong and I was getting the Whitlow outbreaks anyway - though I didn't get genital outbreaks.

It's just frustrating, another thing on top of everything else. Another thing that makes me feel gross and defective and scared for what can happen to me in the future. If anyone has any information or knows about this please let me know. Thanks.

[mecch]

Just checking... Are you sure its related to your herpes??
There is a skin condition called Dyshidrotic eczema.  I had it as a young teenager, very severe, hands and feet. I lost all the outer skin on my fingers, including my fingerprints! (which reformed when I healed, by the way...)  Two severe outbreaks. Doctors diagnosed it as such, and said it was stress and anxiety related. 

I never got it severely after those teen years, but it would come back mildly during periods of stress until my late 20's.

[leatherman]

I have been on acyclovir and take it when needed. I seem to urinate too much if I take it daily.

I have a recurring herpes zoster outbreak on the middle finger of my left hand. It's usually centered in the finger but has spread to up under the nail and on the other side down to the fleshy part of my palm. The treatment for this is daily acyclovir (or sometimes every-other-day acyclovir) to prevent the breakouts.

Maybe there's something you can take to help relieve the excessive urination. Or perhaps you can learn to live with it the benefits of NO painful, unsightly outbreaks (along with not being contagious to others by not having outbreaks) along with the mild antiretroviral effect might be worth having to pee a lot.  Not to mention how each outbreak stresses your already stressed immune system

[Plus30]

the mild antiretroviral effect might be worth having to pee a lot.  Not to mention how each outbreak stresses your already stressed immune system

yeah I might try to take it every other day to see how that works, and if I feel I'm urinating too much I'll back off for a bit. I'm just very opposed to all the medicine chemicals I'm putting into my body at this point.

I'm not totally sure this new outbreak is herpes related, but it looks just like the others. I see my Dr it two weeks so hopefully can get more answers.

[leatherman]

all the medicine chemicals I'm putting into my body at this point.

like google, medications are you friends. Especially antiretrovirals.

I mention this because I never quite understand people's dislike for medications. As evidenced by the package insert information, medications go through rigorous testing and are only approved when the side effects are very low or non-existent. As I've told many people, thinking of the meds as "toxic" just shows they didn't understand the definition of "toxic" as meds are exactly the opposite of poison.

Trust me, from my personal experience (and that of many others) if you were ever actually deadly sick with the AIDS (or many other diseases), in and out of hospitals, struggling not to die and were able to regain weight, regain your health and regain your life, you wouldn't have bad things to say about the medications that saved your life.

I see my Dr it two weeks so hopefully can get more answers.

Hopefully the doc will be able to help you out. Would you be able to get your appt. bumped up since you're currently having an outbreak? It might be worth a phone call to find out.

[clintonjrsyr]

I've heard of herpetic whitlow. Although I've only heard of it being on someone's finger. But I guess it could be on some other extremities also. Sorry I can't be of much help. I don't know much about it.