Yes, you did mention the swab. Sorry.
Well, if you were my patient, I would try you on three months of daily antiviral medication, 500 mg of valacyclovir daily, and see if you see any improvement. If there is no improvement, that suggests that the numbness is likely unrelated to herpes.
I don’t think you need to wait a year to try this, no, there’s just no reason to do that.
Terri