I've been dealing with this for awhile--as well as baterial infections. I pretty much keep a fever blister on my upper lip--and swollen glands just came back.

Have been on acylovir and valtrex off and on for over a year.

Anybody have any luck with with anything to help fix the immune system to stop this?

After living for 36 years w/o ever having one, I started getting boils about 6 months ago - they come and go on my abdomen/thighs - they are very painful and disgusting looking - my dr just prescribed a topical antibiotic that I put up my nose twice a day - she said there is a staph like infection that can live in one's nose and make these boils come out on the body.

If its swollen glands, I thinks its a bacteria infection and not a virus.

Sandy, I get herpes rash on my buttocks usually between my periods or just before. I was on a med for it for a while but after about six months it stopped working. I had this for at least 12 years before falling ill with POTS. I use Zoverax cream for the itching and burning. I haven't found anything to help stop it.

Donna

I also picked up genital herpes a while back. It is a sign to me that my immune system is very weak. I take it very easy, try to get more rest and stay away from as much stress as I can. The zovirax doesn't seem to help me too much either, so I don't even mess with it. I just try to keep very, very clean--not that I don't otherwise--. It has not spread to anywhere except my genitals either, but that is more than enough.

I don't have it around my genital area - only the buttocks on the skin....very strange....I have a friend who has the same thing and also has ME but not POTS so it might have something to do with our illness and immune systems.

sandy sims---

Valtrex in combination with Caprylic Acid. Also take some zinc if you can stomach it.

500mg of Valtrex once in the morning and once in the evening (total of one gram of Valtrex) is supposed to be the recommended dosing.

You'll have a much harder time getting rid of the herpes if you don't combat yeast too. (I put up a post I think a month or so ago giving quotes). Yeast and herpes a lot of the time are in combination. Caprylic Acid will help fight the yeast.

I'd also drink some straight grapefruit juice. There is one at Trader Joe's that is fruit juice sweetened, without any added sugar, which actually tastes good and doesn't make you pucker. I have a sweet tooth so if it ain't sweet I won't drink it.

For an entire week lay off of simple sugar and high fructose corn syrup. That includes soda, spritzers, and most juices. Read labels to see just how much juice really is in that bottle of whatever you're buying and whether they added sugar. To sweeten tea or smoothies etc ---Use instead Stevia or Z Sweet. These are plant derived sweetners that won't raise your glucose.

If you are like me and gotta have a bun with your burger or a roll at dinner or that slice of pizza--- Make sure to pop a couple of extra caprylic acid capsules right afterward. Try as best you can to keep away from breads though for one week straight.

And finally, gargle with some good mouth wash like Listerine or Colgate, particularly before bed time. Has to have germ fighting properties though. Can't be some wussy mouth wash.

I went for years having sores in the back of my throat on a regular basis along with swollen lymph glands. I wish to god someone had given me this info back then. It was physically painful, embarassing, and I felt constantly gross and sick.

I actually have a horribly embarassing story from this past year.

I had such bad hemmorhoids from my IBS that I was always using my hands down there to apply ointment, etc. Well, I didn't realize I was getting sores in the back of my throat again (they can come on quite suddenly) and I must have had my fingers at my mouth at some point. Not surprising since I'm a nail biter. I was out of the house at work, in pain, and in a hurry so I hadn't washed my hands thoroughly before hand. I ended up getting herpes down in my hemmorhoid area! I was absolutely mortified. Not to mention it was excruciatingly painful.

--------------------

side note:
I think some of us may have had CMV (cytomegalo virus) at some point in time. We're forever infected with this strong and odd form of herpes that reoccurs from encountering the common cold half the time.

A lot of people have CMV that they carry around but never get really sick from it. The problem is it's easily spreadable because they don't know they have it and aren't even aware of the virus. My mother had a weakened immune system when I was a kid due to being put on steroids (prednisone) for her asthma (and a lot of us are on florinef, yet another steroid). She got so ill with CMV for a year that she almost died. 5 foot 4 and dropped down to 90 lbs, hospitalized again and again. And guess who helped take care of her? me. Might as well have smeared CMV cultures all over my body.

Steroids weaken the immune system by decreasing inflammation. This is good in some cases, particularly asthma patients need anti-inflammatories. However, the body's natural way of healing itself and fighting off infection and germs is through inflammation and fever. By taking a steroid you are taking away some of your body's ability to do this.

you're probably good at fighting off viruses rather than bacteria. This might be due to having had many antibiotic prescriptions over the years and the bacteria building up a resistance. And if you have less yeast than before, you are probably better at fighting off and clearing up quickly any herpes.

The fact that you haven't had as many boils since the CPAP is indicative of just how much our bodies truly need good sleep in order to fight off infection.

I don't have genital herpes but I do have a recurrent shingles infections which are from the herpes zoster infection. I have had 7 outbreaks in less than 3 years. The majority of which have been since February. I am now on 3 grams of Valtrex a day after my port for IV Acylovir started forming blood clots. So far it isn't working...so we are looking at an increase in dosage.