What is Molluscum Contagiosum
Molluscum contagiosum are wart-like tumors of the skin caused by the molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV-1 to -4), a DNA poxvirus. This condition is commonly found in young children a...
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5th year of Molluscum
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I contracted (is that even the right word for this?) Molluscum Contagiousum when I was 19. Actually, it showed up for the first time just before my 19th birthday, and it had been 7 months since I had been sexually active with any guy. He was the first guy I was sexually active with and it was when I was 18. My doctors assumed I got Molluscum from him but it seems unlikely since the first lesion did not show up until 7 months later. It showed up on my thigh. I eventually got it frozen off, but more popped up in my groin area (I assume from shaving). Over several years I have visited several doctors, a dermatologist, and an OB-GYN and have had them frozen off repeatedly. On one occasion, I had one removed via curette, and I must say that from what I can tell, the one removed via curette did not come back, so possibly that could be the best method for me...
I have had them frozen off for years and they have continued to pop up on my thighs and groin, slowly, slowly just one or two at a time instead of a bunch of five or six. I even have one behind my ear that I have had for 9 months and really need to get removed by the dermatologist... the ones on my groin and thigh area, I freeze off myself at home to save money on treatments. One time I did not have any lesions for six months, but eventually they came back. I have not been able to shave my bikini area in years, except for certain times when I just couldn't stand the annoyance of it anymore. I have been tested for HPV by an OB-GYN and had the results come back negative. I am 23 now and am thus in my 5th year of having molluscum. I am an otherwise very normal and healthy young woman who takes no medication whatsoever and almost never even gets a cold. I eat reasonably healthy foods and drink alcohol socially. I have essentially refrained from sexual activity my entire adult life due to this problem and the concerns for passing it on. To that end, I have only been sexually active with one guy since the boyfriend I had at 18 (this occurred during the six months that I was lesion-free; it was two years ago, when I was 21). I guess I'm just looking for an answer if this will ever end for me... I feel like my youth is slipping away and I will never get to be with someone in a sexual relationship because this STD will never go away, and it's almost worse than Herpes because it can't be supressed. Every 30-60 days, a single new lesion pops up, like clockwork, usually in a different part of my groin than the first one was. I just don't know what to do anymore. I was told that my immune system would learn to fight it off but the years just keep ticking by... if you know of any cases similar to mine and have some advice to offer, it would be much appreciated. I see that you are a pediatrician but I know that this disease affects adults as much as children, and I very likely did not contract it from sexual activity, but, as my doctors have said...probably a swimming pool during the summer before I turned 19. I thought this was supposed to go away over time...but now I think it never will... I just need an answer. Posted on 11/04/08, 04:11 pm |
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I feel your pain. I am 25 and on my third year of molloscum. I had had it two years ago, then it went away, and now it's back. I am wondering if I will ever have a boyfriend again, or get married.
It is between my upper thighs and up to about where my bra is. I go to the dermatologist at least twice a month to have them either frozen off or blistered off with cantharidin. I use aldara in between. I try to eat healthy and drink alcohol less, and I take the following vitamins: multi, astragalus, vit D, folic, and B12 sublingual. These were recommended to me by a naturopathic doctor (I went to her about a month ago for any other help). Nothing seems to work, and I worry about the long-term effects of aldara (thats some nasty stuff...it ca have neurological side effects apparently). Something else I really do want to try is getting some sun on the area. Apparantly molloscum do not like sun. This, unfortunately, is difficult because 1) the molloscum are in the groin area, and 2) it's November (and you cant do it through a window or tanning booth). Also, sunning scars makes them worse. Anyways, this isn't much help. But I'm in the same situation. Maybe try visiting a naturopathic doc and seeing if they cant recommend a diet or vitamin regimine. 
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Oh yeah, one more thought. My current derm says the molloscum are not technically an STD since they are not recognized by the CDC in that way....
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Are you doing any self-prescription?
I had molloscum last year. In a month time period, I found them and got rid of them. Basically, I followed about four different suggestions I found online. 1) A sterilized needled and each and every molloscum brutally stabbed. The theory was that when your body cured the wound it would also get rid of the virus. I can say that not a single wound healed without also getting rid of that particular moloscum... 2) Zymaderm...I used it about once a day. 3) I kept the bumps covered with duct tape. The theory was that this would irritate the skin, causing a reaction from your immune system. Also, that by covering them the damn things would spread their evil. 4) Apricot Scrub. It has salylicic acid in it, and this + the stabbing I truly think were the most helpful. I hope it works out for you...
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I've had mulloscum for about four months- not sure at all how I got it. Went to my naturopath eventually and she has put me on Thuya 30c 3x daily and thuya cream twice daily. Since then no new bumps in two weeks...
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