actually you can have hsv1 both orally and genitally. Perhaps what is confusing you is the info that says that once you have it orally, you aren't likely at all to contract it genitally later on? What info we do have shows that folks who have hsv1 genitally, anywhere from 1/4 - 2/3's of them also contract it orally around or at the same time.
your oral symptoms you are describing though sound like canker sores and not cold sores. they are completely unrelated and acyclovir doesn't work on canker sores.
grace
Grace, thank you for the response. I am confident my oral infection is HSV-1. Presents with classic stages: tingles, red, opens, weeps, crusts over, crusts over again, new skin, retreats. The oral sites respond to abreva as well. Out of lip, definitely not a canker sore. As mentioned, my first oral outbreak was two or three years prior to genital infection. I am confident based on symptoms I have oral hsv-1 and know for a fact based on culture of sores I have an hsv-1 genital infection. I'm just curious if my oral outbreaks have been mild, very mild, small sore, quick recovery, could that impact my susceptability to the genital infection? Could I possibly have had less antibodies and therefore when exposed to highly contagious case of herpeticgingivamatosis I was infected? My boyfriend at the time was in the open sore stage. I know the two infections were not acquired at/around/on the same timeframe, so I'm trying to figure out why I am one of the exceptions to the immunity of a prior infection.
I encourage you to pay to post this to Terri Warren our herpes expert here on medhelp.