Acyclovir and me (and Alzheimer's and other stuff)

Last year, I'd read a little blurb in Reader's Digest about a possible connection between the virus that causes cold sores (which I have) and Alzheimer's (which runs in my family and for which I am genetically predisposed, verified by 23andMe). Here's a BBC article about it.

Since I both hate cold sores with a passion and very much want to reduce my chances of developing repeated cold sores, which I tend to get monthly, concurrent with my cycle, and which take 3 weeks to heal, leaving me with one pinkish-tinged skin area for about a week before another cold sore takes over... I asked my physician about trying Acyclovir.

At first, I think she misunderstood. She prescribed me a treatment dose, which worked the month I used it. But then the next month... another one. So I emailed her, and once it was in writing, she understood what I meant. I've been on a preventative dose for about 1.5 months. I guess I'll take it forever, if I can manage it.

What I've noticed, though, is that my body is doing this thing where it REALLY WANTS TO BREAK A COLD SORE OUT. In any given day, I might feel one to three "hot spots" or tingly places on my lips, under them, or around my nostrils (yeah, I got two recent cold sores on the rim of my nasal passage... yet another reason to stop those bastards entirely). I'll put on some Abreva and within a couple of hours, I can tell it's not going to happen. But then that feeling comes back in the same place two or three days later.

I HATE COLD SORES. They freaking hurt. And that is only a couple of days, but the healing takes me the better part of three weeks. Three weeks of scabs I don't know how to cover with make-up; of midday cracks and bleeding; and of walking around the house after having washed my face, letting the wound breathe, but feeling like a disgusting monster avoiding my husband's gaze.

My body, however, LOVES cold sores. They're how it deals with stress, PMS, and sunburns.

Once, when I lived in Las Vegas, I got a severe sunburn at the lake one weekend. In the aftermath of that, I ended up with FIVE cold sores all around my mouth, and I guess I was okay at covering them up because a maintenance guy came up to me at the end of the week and said he was worried about me because I wasn't smiling as much as I usually did.

Also, Alzheimer's sucks and maybe they'll develop a treatment before my brain starts... well, I was going to say "going," but how can you tell where that starts when you've had a kid in your 40s and kind of feel addled and confused a lot?

Christmas came early! (kind of)

I should have taken pictures of the whole thing, but I didn't.

This year, James and I decided to give each other something a little different for Christmas: genetic testing! Woo hoo!

The packets came in the mail yesterday, and we should have results by the holidays. It says not to eat or drink 30 minutes before, well, it's gross, but... spitting into the vial. And I didn't. However, the last thing I'd eaten, about an hour or so before that, was a red Airhead. So my sample is decidedly pink, and it'll be interesting to see whether that makes a difference or not.

I didn't notice until I'd produced enough to pool, and then I wasn't sure whether I could empty and rinse the tube out, so... I sent it in with my best wishes, and time will tell.

Incidentally, the paperwork said it most people could fill the vial in about six minutes. It took me half an hour. Another thing I read said it took this lady's male friend 4.5 spits. It took me like 20. It took James under 3 minutes, and his spit was super bubbly! Weird! And gross, I know. But you read this blog, and you get what you pay for.

So, you have to sign some permissions and acknowledgements, including opting in to receive three medical reports that they say professional organizations recommend you DON'T receive: namely late-onset Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and I forget the third. However, we both opted into those because we're not worriers and because the knowledge will just be a tool in our arsenal if, thirty years down the road, we need it.

This was interesting to me:

"There may be some consequences of using 23andMe Services that you haven't considered.

"You may discover things about yourself and/or your family members that may be upsetting or cause anxiety and that you may not have the ability to control or change.
"You may discover relatives who were previously unknown to you, or may learn that someone you thought you were related to is not your biological relative."

Dad and Mom, is there anything you want to tell me?

More updates as we get 'em!