Question:
For those of you who have been following my Journey Into Herpes, I've had some wierdo situations with Drs. not swabbing me until it was too late, telling me wierd things, or just admitting "I don't know" to pretty basic questions (like "can I transfer this from one place on my body to another").

Well, this time I was talking to a dermatologist, and he was very calm and sure of his answers, and they jibed with what I have learned on my own.

He asked me first if I wanted a perscription just in case I got an outbreak. I told him my PCP wouldn't give me one, because she swore up and down HSV1 and HSV2 were very different and the treatment for them were different. He said, "No...herpes is herpes! They are treated the same way" and gave me a perscription! Yay!

Then I asked about spreading from one site to the other. He said it is possible, but unusual (I reckon this is due to antibodies), so to just take regular precautions and hope for the best. One of my precautions is I no longer put my fingers in my mouth and bite off my nails. They are getting so darned long I have trouble typing!

My last question involved eczema herpetacum, a super-outbreak I fear, as someone with both herpes and eczema. We discussed and he agreed with me that both eczema and herpes are very common, and the condition is very rare, and not worth losing any sleep over (it's pretty much out of our control anyway).

So, that was a good conversation. No more of this "it's just a cold sore" nonsense or "HSV2 is the genital one" crap. Just straight-ahead information, no hesitation, direct, clear. Not once did I get the feeling my potential emotional response was being treated with misinformation, as has been my experience previously. Whew!

Answer:
Wish we could all use that doctor!

Answer:
LOL, dermatologists rock! Its sad that a lot of physicians have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to herpes... just sad:-?