New to herpes...questions...please help!

My girlfriend and I have recently contracted HSV2. I have questions. Can someone help me out with the immediate ones, or point me in the right direction ...

1. can an outbreak in one of us trigger an outbreak in the other through sexual contact?

2. If so, how do you know when it is statistically safe (i know it is never 100% safe) to have sex without undue risk of infecting the other again? For oral sex? Intercourse?

3. This one will take a short background. My first outbreak was fairly short. From discovery to beginning treatment was about 2 days. I took Valtrex for 3 days, and this seemed to have stopped my outbreak. My girlfriend had a similar outbreak, although she had been broken out for a bit longer previous to diagnosis, maybe about 7 days. She took Famvir for 5 days. Her outbreak was also stopped. Both of these were in the form of a itchy red patch in the crotch. Not painful, but annoying. About a week after her initial outbreak, and after it was supposedly cleared up, she had a second outbreak on the sides of her tounge and inside her eyelid. Her throat was also very sore for several days. She has been on Famvir again for 4 days and the symptoms seem to be subsiding.

Is this normal for an outbreak to reoccur so soon? Or is this considered the same outbreak?

4. I have a pretty typical immune system I believe. I seem to get sick an average ammount to less than average. My girlfriend although seems to have a pretty weak immune system. Is there anything we can do that will help with this?

5.The once a day treatments... are they worth it? Neither of us currently have insurance, how much can I expect it to cost a month?


I know that these questions have probably been answered several times on this board, but I can't seem to find any info that releates directly to our situation.

Please help...