Maybe she's just looking for reassurance that her disfigurement won't ruin your friendship? Or something. I think you should be honest with her and tell her that the topic turns your stomach. YMMV, not professional advice, herpes disturbs me.

(On a more serious note: tell her to get the cream from her doctor and kill two birds with one stone. I think it's called zovirax.)

I'm shallow but not even close to being _that_ shallow.

I mean...I know that it is a different simplex (sp) but at the same time -- I don't think she has any idea of the stigma attached to them but then she must because she talks about "hiding out" while she has one.

It's odd. She won't go out in public but she will blog about it.

I'm just confused by the whole thing.

It's not wrong that it creeps you out.

I think that the next time she brings it up, you should say something like: "Oh yeah, the old cold sore! I'm lucky I don't get them, but ooohWEE my hemorrhoids make up for the difference. I've got a pretty bad flare-up goin' on right now, and I'm all burny and itchy. I tell yuh, it's all I can think about! Hey, you have 'rhoids?"

Just say, "OHDEARGODYES, those are HIDEOUS! I don't know how you can possibly think it's acceptable to be seen OR heard." and she'll stfu.

Or, sometime when she's not talking about her cold sores - find out what health subjects she doesn't like to hear about and when the cold sores come up next time start talking about ingrown pubes, boils, anal fissures, or whatever.

Wait, I have the most brilliant idea ever: Tell her you have a cold sore fetish. Then you will creep her out and she'll stop talking about it.

At least it's not Herpes II...

She's probably self-conscious about them and is mentioning them aloud so she can be sure you know that they're not the slutty kind. Just say something like, "I get those all the time," and I'm sure she'll be comforted by that.