For the first time in my life I got a cold/oral herpes. My lymph nodes are very tender and swollen under my jawline. The pain is radiating to my right ear and I have a bad headache with eye pain. I have weird sensations on the right side of my face.I also noticed a red tender spot on the the sole of my feet. I also have a high Rh factor and positive ANA since last year. So something is going on with my immunity. My doctor prescribed me Valtrex but I couldn t afford right now, maybe I can have my MD call in something cheaper. Do I need to worry that this will turn into viral meningitis? How did I catch this oral herpes? My roommate had it last week. Could I have gotten it from her from sharing utensils and stuff. I am 30 yrs old female And never ever had this in my life. my friends tell me most ppl have the virus in their bodies, it comes out during stress. I was under intense stress before and never had this happen to me. Plus I had a blood test to check for herpes and other stuff two years ago and it was negative. I am really confused on how I could have gotten this. I haven t kissed anyone, my husband and I have been separated for months. I need some good advice on what to do, how I could have gotten this virus, and now that I have how do I prevent it? Thank you