uhohherewego

Hey there, New here as I found out today(!) that I have genital hsv 1. First thought was the typical freakout thoughts, but after reading alot of information online I am feeling a bit better about the situation. I am very glad to hear that I have the "best possible" kind of herpes. Considering my strong immune system and the infrequency of ghsv 1 recurrences, I am hopeful that I can manage this disease without a huge change to my daily life. I know it's going to take some getting used to, and it really does suck... but after hearing that the pain im in right now (3 on a scale of 1 to 10, pretty mild initial ob) plus the flu-like week I just concluded is probably the worst of it, I am quite optimistic. I am assuming I contracted the disease through receiving oral sex and feel pretty upset with myself. As a 20 year old college student, I am pretty sexually active. I have a question or two regarding transmission and ways to keep those who I have sexual encounters with safe. I know that I should not engage in any sexual activity while having an outbreak, and that I should use condoms when I am "clean," I was wondering about oral sex in the future. Should I refrain from receiving it even when not having an outbreak? I can't seem to find the answer to this question anywhere online. It seems like genital hsv1 is not very transmissive for g to g contact due to the virus' inability to function below the belt, and that would lead me to believe that using a condom when not having an outbreak is about as safe as it can get, but considering it is the oral strain, I don't want to be potentially passing the virus to anyone who I engage in oral sex with. Really glad I found this forum, especially before I had a chance to fully freakout, as it has definitely given me optimism and confidence about the future! Thanks!