Symptom of cold sores?

[Kerri824]

I'm worried about a possible exposure to herpes -- no symptoms just yet, but found out a recent new partner has been VERY promiscuous, so I worry about what he may have had.  For the past two days I've had a lot of tingling/burning around my lips, with two spots (one on the top lip, one on the bottom) being the worst.  I've read that two days is the typical length of time when you would start to feel these sensations before an outbreak.  My question is, if it's been two days of this tingling sensation, would there be some sort of sign by now that cold sores are going to appear (like any sort of redness or bumps beginning to form in the area that I'm feeling the tingling/burning?)  My lips look completely normal with no sign of any difference in my skin.  Can the sensation prior to an outbreak last longer than two days?  And if so, what's the maximum amount of time I would feel this before the cold sores appear?  Any advice is appreciated, thanks!!

[Kerri824]

Thanks for your help!  No, I just had my gyno send me for full STD test when I saw her for my annual two months ago and my results were negative for both 1 and 2.

I didn't mean to imply that all people with HSV1 or 2 are promiscuous or anything, I just assume that with his history it is very likely that he's carrying something.  We have not been together since and will not be again so there won't be any mutual testing, but I will definitely be getting tested again myself.

[Fleetwood20]

Being promiscuous has little to do with a person having an oral HSV1 infection. Often has little to do with them having a HSV2 infection either.

What you describe is most likely not herpes as yes the symptoms would likely be more that just tingles first up. Are you sure you do not carry the HSV1 virus yourself?

It is however a good time to seek mutual testing and explicitly include herpes.