K well the only way herpes can be passed is either sexually or if you kiss someone or share an eating utensil or w/e with someone who has a cold sore on their lip or in their mouth. And no herpes does not go away .Ever. It can be treated with medication but there is not cure for it. Im not too sure on the chances that you could have gotten it. Did you have any cuts on your hands? Did you put your hands near your eyes or mouth? I really hope that you washed your hands after applying the cream to his back. I think your best bet would be to go to your doctor and tell them to give you a blood test for type 1 and type 2 herpes. Type 1 is oral and type 2 is genital. Some docs will say you need an outbreak to be diagnosed but thats just a bunch of bs. They can tell just by taking a blood test. I wouldnt panic too much though. Good luck. Keep us posted. ~ erica.

Thanks a lot.........How bad of a disease is this?...Can I still hug my dad,shake his hand, just live normally or is this really gonna affect our lives?

Sorry lol wasnt tryin 2 scare ya. It's not that bad although I dont have it so I cant really say I know it can be painfula nd annoying for people who do have it. There are so many new medications out there that your father could go for like 10 years w/o having any symptoms that probably why he didnt even know he had it to begin with. Statistics say that about 90% of people who do have herpes dont know it because they have no symptoms. It causes no long term effects or any other health problems, but of course you can still have casual contact with him. Just be sure that you dont eat or drink off of him just to be on the safe side. It isn't that contagious until like I said be4 intercourse is involved or if you touch a open sore and then touch yourself. Just be careful thats all otherwise keep treating him as your father like a normal person as you've always done. Just type in herpes in your search bar and you can find out alot of helpful information. ~ erica.

Thanks a lot...I appreciate it a lot

Well if it was on his back then it is shingles. It is from the herpes virus, but is not sexually transmitted.
My mother gets them all of the time. They are big red sores that itch and hurt really badly. You can get them from touching them directly, or using a bath towel that came in contact with them, etc. So you do need to be careful.
My mother and I have different colored towels so that I never use the same towel as her. I definately do not want that.
Shingles are just like any other type of herpes in that the virus is always in your body once you have them. They can be triggered by stress the same as genital herpes.
It is possible that you got it. Not to scare you. But it doesn't mean that you definately did.
You can still hug your dad and everything, but just dont touch the sores directly.

Shingles is a form of herpes, herpes zoster. Shingles is caused by the chicken pox virus that remains in your system and may resurface in later years on the base of the spine where neurons are present. For most people, once someone has an outbreak of shingles, they most likely build an immunity to the virus and never display it again. Some immune-compromised people may have reoccurances. There are many anti-viral prescriptions out there, to help minimize an outbreak. The most popular one is acyclovir which can be obtained by a physician. Hope this helped. Best of luck to you and your dad.
Natalie

Natalie...I have a question. My mother has been getting shingles for the last thirty years. She has not been able to find anything to help with them. Well, the creams ease her pain a little, but she cannot find anything to keep them from recurring. She is on valtrex now, but it really doesn't work for her at all.
She doesn't have shingles all of the time, but she does get them quite often, and they really hurt her.
Any suggestions? I read that b12 may help. I read about a couple of other herbs too, but I am just not sure.
If you can help, please do.

Also, I posted on one of the birth control posts last night that you had posted on. You told the girl that she did not have to take her pill at the same time everyday. I disagreed with you, but I was wrong and I am sorry. I don't remember which post that was though, so I cannot fix it!

It sounds like your mom has postherpetic neuralgia. This occurs when the shingles virus causes damage and regrowth of nerves and as a result these nerves now become extremely sensitive to pain. If valtrex has not been working for your mother, then she should see her physician and see if possibly she can start another medication. A couple of other herpes/shingles medications are acyclovir (zovirax) and famciclovir (famvir). Even though valtrex is widely used, it isn't for everyone. There are also other forms of pain medication which she could take. There are tricyclic anitdepressants such as amitril, endep, norpramin, and tofranil which basically increase some of the brains chemicals that may affect how the brain perceives pain. There is also opioids (morphine-type medications), gabapentin (mainly used for the treatment of epileptic seizures), and lidocaine/capsaicin creams which will help numb the skin. If she continues to stay on valtrex or even switches to another medication, she may want to consider combining it with corticosteroids, such as prednisone, or hydrocortisone. Thiamine (vitamin b-1) is thought to reduce the symptoms brought on by shingles, but is not a proven form of treatment. I hope this provided some insight and hope that your mom finds some form of effective treatment.
Thank your for your apology on the birth control response. I am here to help people, and would never say anything if I was unsure of. Therefore all my responses are based on the knowledge that I possess.
Best of luck with your mom.
Natalie

Thank you natalie. I will give this to my mom and see what works for her!
Thanks again...