http://www.ashastd.org/std-sti-works/Herpes/oral-herpes.html has terrific info on oral herpes for more reading if either of you want to go through it.
1 out of every 2-3 people in the US has hsv1 orally - it's THAT common no matter where you go. I think in small towns, you just see the same people more often to take notice of things like who gets cold sores every winter and at the beach each summer.
You can have herpes antivirals on hand to start at the first sign of a recurrence. they work best if you start them when you start to feel that tell tale tingle , pain or itch on your lips. talk to your provider about keeping some on hand for the future. You can get acyclovir for $4 with a prescription from walmart even without insurance so it's pretty cheap to keep filled and in the medicine cabinet.
keep asking questions!
Think you this helps alot she was scared and this wouldn't bother me if it wasn't on my toung cause i can't eat the doctor just gave me a numbing mouth wash and sent me home. We live in a small town so cold sores are very common here like 4 out of 5 people have them and now i do so i guess i'll just have to get use to it.
if your gf has a history of cold sores herself, odds are she won't contract hsv1 genitally from you. Always best to err on the side of caution though and not perform oral when you have anything going on in the mouth area. What is normal bacteria in the genital area, isn't always so normal in the mouth area when there are open lesions present.
I assume your provider didn't do a lesion culture on your symptoms to see if indeed these are herpes or not?
can you have herpes lesions on the tongue? You can get them with a newly acquired infection but they tend not to occur with recurrences.
grace