My lip was tingilling but now it stopped with no apperance of a cold sore?

Question

it has tingled on and off for like 2 days now with no visible signs of a cold sore. as of now its not tingling. is this typical of the "pre-coldsore"? ive never got one before i dont think, so im not sure what the process is like

Answer 1

Typically for a day or so before a cold sore appears you will have that tingling sensation...hopefully something else was causing it, coz cold sore are terrible, but it sound like that's what it is.

Answer 2

If you felt tingling and/or itching, chances are you may be shedding virus EVEN WITHOUT A SORE. In fact, people shed the most virus *before* a sore erupts. and if you never had an eruption, chances are, you were shedding a pretty big viral load.

However, I'm inclined to think you might not have HSV-1. People who are newly infected have their worst outbreaks first. It tapers off with time. But if suspect you just picked it up, and you didn't have a full-blown eruption of sores, I think you might be feeling something else entirely.

How do you know for sure? You can go to your doctor and ask for a strain-specific herpes test (HerpeSelect by Focus Labs). This can distinguish between HSV-1 and HSV-2. But I'd only recommend this if you really must know. The test costs $150-$200 to do and it's not covered by insurance.

So if you elect not to get the test, simply make sure never to kiss or share drinks with someone if you feel the tingle. And always use a condom or dental dam during oral sex.