I think any time that there are breaks in the genital skin, one should consider herpes as an option. Ulcers can be associated with herpes yes. I would recommend that you get these ulcers swab tested for herpes right away. The longer they are present, the less virus will be available for testing. When you go for testing of the lesions, be certain that you ask for PCR testing, not culture. You may wish to call ahead and see if PCR can be done before you settle on a location to go for testing.
The information about Tagamet is pretty old news, way old news. Unless there is something new that has been worked on, I’m not thinking that is a good thing to treat herpes, no.
And yes, the symptoms of genital HSV 1 are the same as the symptoms of genital HSV 2, they just happen less often.
Terri