There's also a dietary supplement, an amino acid called lysine, you can take that's supposed to reduce their incidence. I am a bad, bad pill-taker and usually don't remember (and thus am usually sporting a cold sore because I like my beer plus I'm generally a nervous little dude), but I've definitely never had the smallest whisper of a cold sore during any time when I was remembering to take it.

Signed, massive cold sores since age 5. Yeowch.

Blech! I sort of feel your pain; for a while there I was getting a shingles outbreak about once a year. First time was at 15 after a bad sunburn, last time was earlier this year over something stupid that my body perceived as a stress overload.

I looked into lysine but it seems to be a cold sore supplement and doesn't seem to be effective for shingles.

My DH was quoted in The Lede blog at the NYT today, as a result of a press briefing he gave this a.m., but they got his name wrong. Boo!

De-stress?

Bwahahahahahaha! MiL still in hospital. Brother went on a drinking binge this week and Mom had to call 911. Christopher's getting ready to leave for Las Vegas for 5 days. Bwhahahahahahaha.

Erin, check, check, and check.

JZ, thanks! That reminds me. A doctor told my sister the exact same thing.

I'll get something at the pharmacy tomorrow. It's a the corner of my mouth so it hurts whenever I open my mouth or smile.

Well, I had my teaching observation/evaluation today. And this was a great day for it. I was teaching volumes of solids of revolution, and this class rocked. Two methods of calculating the volume, how to decide whether to integrate with respect to x or y, about eighteen different pictures and gestures and folding-paper-into-shapes on-the-fly to make sure everyone could picture what we were talking about, analogies including Russian stacking dolls with their heads and feet cut off. The students were engaged, they asked questions, there were about five times when someone literally said, "Oh! Now I get it!" This was an awesome class.

And my evaluation? About what I expected from this professor. Three sentences, all of them essentially, "She performs the duties required of a teaching assistant."

{{{{Cashmere}}}} The lip stuff that come in a little round blue container that will also soothe the cold sore a bit.

Yeah, I've used Blistex on cold sores, I think, and it takes some of the pain away.

Thanks, sj.

Man, I hope my sister has a baby so I can buy her this. It's so freakin' cool.

Yeah, I've used Blistex on cold sores, I think, and it takes some of the pain away

Right, blistex. I obviously can't brane today.

I don't get cold sores, but I have gotten chronic cankers since puberty and that's what I use when they close to the lip.

My best friend's little sister is getting married this weekend, and this is freaking me out. First, because I can remember C being a toddler. No way she's old enough to get married yet. (She's 23. Totally old enough. Still freaking me out.) Also, they planned this wedding in about three weeks, including her mother sewing her gown. I could never, in my life, be that organized.