Knowing all this, do you still go for bbbj yourself? It sounds like you're pretty confident in spotting the symptoms and in the immediate treatments of the various issues that can crop up.
It really depends on the vibe I get and my mood.
Short answer is yes, I will still go for bbbj. CBJ is a waste of time for me. But if CBJ worked, I'd stick with it.
I have two primary first line defences in life, that also apply to STI's.
First, is the person intelligent, self-aware and responsible enough to recognize the first symptoms and seek treatment without hesitation.
Second are they somehow mentally unstable, mean-spirited or otherwise resentful? Those people might deliberately infect someone out of general spite, or even just not care enough about their fellow humans to not want to transmit an infection.
Both of those have provided me with what I think is primarily responsible for my lifetime of never contracting any form of STI.
Having said all that.... I have a very difficult time achieving orgasm through blow jobs. But I do enjoy the sensation to get erect and the act as foreplay. Especially 69! A condom would take away if not outright prevent me from getting hard while covered and otherwise enjoying a bj. So if I am not super comfortable with her, I won't bother with a cbj. Instead, just getting a hj to get hard. However, if I am comfortable with the girl and she is obviously well groomed and takes care of herself, I'm all in for bbbj. I've had a few girls be able to get me off spectacularly with an exquisite blow job so I am always open to it with someone I feel really comfortable with.
I also don't have a S/O, and don't see sp's frequently enough to have to worry about passing on a latent or asymptomatic infection to anyone through bbbj.
If I am dating someone, since I have a vasectomy, we often don't use a condom so no way I'd risk a bbbj. And for that matter, if I'm into someone enough to date them, I'm not at all interested in seeing anyone else, sp or otherwise.
The only thing that actually worries me about bbbj is getting a herpes infection. So yes, I do look closely at her lips for any signs of emergent or fading sores. I still know there could be latent viral shedding but, referring to the above, I think any decent human would insist on ONLY cbj if they knew they had oral herpes as well as being on prophylactic anti-viral medication.
Back when I was a kid, I used to get a cold sore on this ONE very spot on my upper lip in the first sunburn of the summer or first windburn/sunburn fo the winter while skiing. Some time in my late teens or early twenties my doctor noticed it and prescribed an antiviral to take at the first signs of tingling. So i did. Whenever I got that tingling, I'd take them as directed and they would never develop into a sore. After a few years, I never got them again. But I am still wary and vigilant and ready to pop the pills. But just two weeks ago I was out sailing and it wasn't super sunny when we went out. So I didn;t think of sun protection. I got some sunburn on my face and arms. One arm just finished peeling! But I did not get any signs of a cold sore, despite my lips getting mildly sunburned and chapped.
So I guess I am a bit more willing to take that calculated risk.
Another thing I did in terms of protecting myself from STI's is I got the Gardasil vaccine when it first came out. I also got every one since. I am now up to Gardasil 9. I don;t want to get throat cancer nor pass it on to anyone.