Do you have odd and random semi-rational fears? For example, leaving your food or drink unattended, or falling asleep on public transport? Others seem to be really gung-ho about these things, but I know I’m not a fan.

Well, a woman with the very same fears had them justified after she left her cup unattended while working and some teens decided to drink out of it for a dare. Little did they know that she had cold sores at the time, possibly spreading herpes.

More info: Reddit

It’s always an odd feeling leaving your possessions unattended, especially if it’s food that’s left behind

Image credits: uskollinen (not the actual photo)

The poster wanted to vent about teenagers drinking out her cup on a dare while she was working

Image credits: uskollinen

Image credits: Andrew Neel (not the actual photo)

She came back to get her drink about an hour of work later and she saw that some teens drank from it while she had herpes cold sores

Image credits: uskollinen

The teens seemed horrified and perhaps learned their lesson, but the poster couldn’t shake the feeling of responsibility, not wishing for anyone else to get herpes too

The poster of the story, uskollinen, was always, as it turns out, rightfully paranoid about leaving her cup of coffee out somewhere customers could get to. While she had gotten caught up in work for an hour, she returned to see a group of teens, with one drinking from her cup, apparently for a dare. What happened to dares where you’re the butt of the joke, instead of tampering with strangers’ property?

Oh, anyway, the teens found out exactly why they shouldn’t drink from unfamiliar cups, as OP had cold sores at the time, a thing she’s been struggling with for a really long time.

In order to hear more of the story from uskollinen’s perspective, Bored Panda reached out to her and asked some questions, which she elegantly answered.

When she rolled up to reclaim her cup, the teens noticed her and one of them put down the cup. Then she asked for it back, and “one of the other teens started nervously giggling and one of the girls said: ‘I’m sorry, we dared him to do it,’” uskollinen said.

She mentions being super uncomfortable, taking it and hiding out in the kitchen till they left, which they did soon enough.

Even though the community reassured her that it wasn’t her fault, she still feels as if it’s her fault for leaving the cup there to begin with. Many people said that the chance of transmission is extremely low and that it’s possible that he already has it, as about 3.7 billion people already have herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) , which is the main cause for oral herpes.

“My child’s doctor told me to make sure not to share cups or straws and to keep anything my mouth had touched out of their reach so I had anxiety that it was very transmittable that way,” uskollinen explained her anxieties.

If you’ve got problems dealing with cold sores, OP has some great advice for her long-time experience and netizens’ advice. “I already take a lysine supplement and that has REALLY helped.”

She also regularly and frequently applies medicine as soon as she feels the tingle and although it doesn’t prevent it fully, she feels like it cuts down the duration. With the help of the commenters, she also learned that to avoid foods rich in arginine and to get a prescription for Valtrex or Acyclovir. Other people recommended dispersible aspirin as well.

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Image credits:  Los Muertos Crew (not the actual photo)

Apparently the herpes simplex virus requires arginine to replicate and thrive in your body, so eating foods with arginine can prolong your cold sores. If you weren’t aware, flax, sunflower, and sesame seeds, chocolate, spinach, whole grains and various kinds of nuts contain arginine, so you should avoid these completely if you feel the first symptoms of cold sores.

As for the medicines you can take to help, you should consult your physician instead of jumping to conclusions from advice offered by people on the internet.

Uskollinen finished the interview by saying the she wouldn’t wish them on anyone, mentioning that she feels gross and won’t ever leave her cup in a public place again.

“In times like these, this joke from Mitch Hedberg keeps me laughing (while I cry).” Mitch says that he always puts on Carmex, which is supposed to heal cold sores, although he doesn’t know if it does, but what he knows for sure is that it makes them way more shiny and noticeable.

If you’ve got cold sores yourself and want some more advice on managing them, Victoria Dental Centre has some products you should avoid eating.

Acidic foods may aggravate the sores, so you should avoid tomatoes, fruit juice, soda, wine – acidic things. Avoiding oversalting and overspicing food could also be a good idea.

Processed foods may suppress your immune system as well, so you should avoid fast food, frozen or canned foods for a while, if possible.

But what can you eat? Well, the amino acid lysine blocks arginine, which we talked about, and may help you prevent outbreaks. Veggies, legumes, milk, cheese, and fish are rich in lysine and will help strengthen your immune system and possibly prevent outbreaks.

The original post by uskollinen collected more than 6k upvotes with about 500 people commenting. The commenters attempted to assure OP that it wasn’t her fault and were boggled by the teens’ dare. Got stories of similarly silly dares you witnessed? Got cold sore pro tips? Let us know in the comments!

The comments supported the poster, telling her it wasn’t her fault and also offering suggestions for dealing with cold sores

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