I am concerned about the lesions that you describe. The antibody tests for HSV 1 miss 1-2 out of 10 cases so it isn’t the best. However, you are having a lot of outbreaks if, for some reason, you actually do have HSV 1 infection.
My recommendation would be to get some PCR swabs, either from your doctor or form us, and swab the bumps when they first come up. The PCR is very sensitive, far more than the culture. After you swab at home, drop the swabs back at your doctor’s office or you can ship them to us and we will get them to a lab. Swabbing when you first notice symptoms is far better than waiting for an appointment, and losing virus over time in the process, making the testing less reliable.
The other thing you could do is get a herpes western blot test – it is far more sensitive for HSV 1 than the ELISA test traditionally used.
You’ve got two more questions – go for it!
Terri