“I actually dodged the herpes 1 virus for most of my life until the last decade. Never got a cold sore, ever, until I was first infected in my 40’s.”
You could have been infected as a teen. The virus can stay dormant for decades and often pops up decades later when your auto immune system is weakened.
Very unlikely, per my doctor. The initial infection is always accompanied by a flare up before any dormancy is experienced. I never had a single cold sore or anything like one, ever in stressful times. This first flare up was a doozy, covering my chin as well. The doctor confirmed it as a new infection.