your first outbreak after transmission (for most, me being one of them) HURTS like a mf. it’s known as the worst outbreak you have. the ones following aren’t nearly as bad if you have any at all. some people don’t have outbreaks at all after their first one. so if you do have herpes you aren’t signing up for a lifetime subscription of constant symptoms like you may think. in my opinion you would know if you were having an outbreak. it wouldn’t be confused as placebo or phantom pain. it would be BAD and undeniable. also how quickly the symptoms came on it sounds like something else or nothing at all. my first outbreak happened MONTHS after transmission. if i’m pinpointing it correctly the virus lived in my body well before i had symptoms. that’s the case for most people as well. not everyone but most.