The hive has nothing to do with herpes at all. The other things are very vague and likely have nothing to do with herpes. An index value of greater than 5 does not suggest new infection.
Terri
Doctor, after I wrote my post last night, hives developed on my arm. They were gone by morning. This is the second time in a month this has happened. The main welt was the size of a quarter. Is this a sign of a new infection? Also in my previous post I talked of my questionable exposure, where I wiped my genitals with a wash rag that may have been used by someone else. Since I have had mild discomfort on my shaft consisting of mild burning and slight redness. And occasional tingling in my genitals thighs and legs. Is a value of greater than 5 something that could have happened within a month of possible infection?
It is actually quite common for someone to test positive for HSV 1 and have no history at all of cold sores. In fact, far more common to be positive with no symptoms than with symptoms. You don't mention your age. The older you are, the more likely it is that your HSV 1 infection is oral. but without any symptoms, it isn't possible to know for certain if your infection is oral or genital. If you've never received oral sex in your lifetime, then it is almost certainly oral. Again, without any sores, you cannot know for sure where this is.
I don't think that you need to worry about transferring this to your children without any cold sores present. Do remember, however, that "cold sores" can also be on the chin or in the inside of your nose, so keep an eye out for that.
Since your HSV 1 is 5 (or greater), it is unlikely that this is a brand new infection (2 weeks or less).
Hope this helps you sort this out.
Terri
1 more thing I forgot to add, does having psoriasis affect test results? Or affect the antibodies that are tested for?