A shingles rash can mimic spider bites including bed bugs. This rash usually appears on one side of the face or body and lasts from 2 to 4 weeks. Its main symptom is pain, which can be quite severe. Other symptoms of shingles can include fever, headache, chills and upset stomach.
Very rarely, a shingles infection can lead to pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness, brain inflammation (encephalitis) or death.
What is shingles?
About 2 out of every 10 people experience severe pain that may last even after the rash clears up and is referred to as post-herpetic neuralgia.
Shingles is caused by the Varicella Zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Only someone who has had a case of chickenpox or gotten chickenpox vaccine, can get shingles. The virus stays in your body. It can reappear many years later to cause a case of shingles.
You can’t catch shingles from other people that have shingles. However, in rare cases, an individual who has never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine, may contract it from someone who has shingles.
Shingles is far more common in people 50 and older than in younger people. It is also more common in people whose immune systems are weakened because of a disease such as cancer, or drugs such as steroids or chemotherapy. At least 1 million people a year in the United States get shingles.
Causes or Shingles
No one is sure exactly what makes the sleeping zoster virus become active and multiply, but illness, trauma and stress are known to trigger shingles. People that have conditions such as AIDS, HIV, Radiation Therapy, Surgery and Chemotherapy are known to have week immune systems, something that this virus likes.
There is a vaccine for shingles which in the lab, stopped shingles in about half of people older than 60 years of age; this shingles vaccine may also reduce the pain associated that comes with this virus.
The vaccine may not be for everyone such as those that have had a life-threatening allergic reaction to gelatin or the antibiotic neomycin. Your doctor will explain more about this and ask all the necessary questions before giving you such a cure.
Identify Shingles
If you have, or think you have, shingles, please try to take a picture and post a comment so that others may see. Thousands of visitors view this site daily and many are more than happy to review your information and help you determine if it is Shingles, spider bites or bed bugs.
A little over a year ago, My dentist told me that I needed to have two crown replaced & a bridge between the two crowns. I didn’t have the $3,000 that they wanted. A friend ? said I should get a second opinion at his dentist. Bad move, He checked my teeth, filled one cavity on a molar that had a crown on it. He told me that I needed a root canal on the molar.
He sent me to an endontist that did the root canal. I’m pretty sure he did a root canal on a live tooth that had never bothered me. I have been in pain for over a year. The dentist & endontist talked & agreed that they were sure I had shingles on that one tooth. I had shingles about 20 years ago. I had given the dentist my medical records that mentioned shingles. I also had gotten a Zostavax shot 2 years before.
The endodontist drilled the root canal out again in January this year & said he found nothing wrong with it. Now when I call, Both say it is still shingles that is causing the pain in the one tooth that they ruined. Also the dentist removed the bridge to see if that was causing the pain, It didn’t help.
Now I’m stuck with a ruined painful tooth, No bridge, still two crowns that need replacing & I have spent about $2,000 on it all. I’ve been ripped off & don’t know who to talk to next, Another dentist that will start all over again or an attorney.
By the way, Each time I went to see either one of them, they would look at it & tell me that I needed to see the other doctor ? like a yo yo.
This started to itch on 9/21/11 and when I looked at what it, this is what i saw. It itches really bad. It has little whiteheads on it but I’m afraid to see if there’s anything inside.
No one in my family seems to know what it is. My aunt suggested bed bugs or shingles but it doesn’t look like that at all!!!
I was just diagnoses with shingles a few days ago. What a terribly painful virus this is! I am on hydro condone, gamma pen and aclivor. It is down my right arm. Unrelenting pain. Does anyone know how long this takes to run its course?
I have a rash and it looks like a lot of these pics, I’m 30 sexually active, healthy. i am under a lot of stress for a man my age. question is do i have hiv/aids?
On Sunday I started feeling a bit sick (like I was coming down with a cold), Monday I had a runny nose, sinus pressure( like the start of a sinus infection) but otherwise felt fine. Tuesday it felt like the flu, headache, chills, body aches, a bit feverish.
Wednesday I had a Dr, appointment for for all the upper body problems I have been dealing with for years ( cervical DDD, neck and shoulder pain and pain and numbness in my arm and face). Dr. prescribed me lyrica for the neck and shoulder pain and I took two doses of daytime sinus medication for the sinus pressure and headache. Felt much better that evening.
This morning I woke to a burning, itching, stabbing feeling just beneath my nose, of coarse I look and (what I thought was just irritation from blowing my nose so much) it appears to be shingles, this is the 5th time I have had this in the same place over the last 4-5 years., and each time seams it gets slightly bigger.
I went to the Dr. the first time I got it, but he just said it was a virus, never called it shingles. Can anymore tell me if this could be the cause of some of my upper body pains, that have been worsening over the last few years?
The BEST remedy I found for shingles is to rub coconut oil on the blisters. The oil is solid, but will melt on your skin as you rub it in. I did this 3 times per day and the blisters immediately started getting better and stopped spreading. You can buy it at your local grocery store.
At first I had an unbearable burning sensation on the front skin of my thigh for 3 weeks with no redness it looked normal then I got a patch or cluster of painful blisters behind my thigh and I have already a week with them and just today I have a terrible itch in the blisters
About 2 1/2 months ago a very painful ‘inside itch’ began over my abdomen accompanied by deep fatigue. It felt like something that would erupt, which never happened. I was checked for elevated liver enzymes because I am on meds for RA, and celiac because that runs in my family. I then got a very bad upper respiratory infection. The abdominal pain subsided, but the fatigue did not. 2 weeks ago I had terrible neuralgia up and down both legs and my back.
10 days later I had what I thought was a bug bite which grew into a patch of painful blisters. These appeared all over my body. My doctor had me checked by a dermatologist because or the fact this was not in one dermatome.
He took fluid out of one of the blisters and had it analyzed and was able to say for sure it is shingles.
I write this because it IS possible to get shingles all over, not just on one side of the body. And it IS possible to have shingles without manifestion of an outbreak.
I am pretty sure I have shingles. When I was 16 I was diagnosed w/herpes simplex 2. I was devastated. To my thankful surprise, from age 18 to current (Im now 35) Ive had only one “outbreak” from the herpes virus and that was about 7 yr ago. When I was 23 I started to suspect that something was wrong w/me. I would get this recurring nickel/quarter sized, raised, painful, crusty blister on the top left side of my butt crack. I had been bitten by a brown recluse a year before in the EXACT same spot and just assumes it was like that because of the spider bite.
It kept happening and happening so I got scared and went to the dr. I told my dr about my diagnosis of herpes as a teen, he prescribed me acyclovir (zovirax) and that is the only thing that seems to quickly get rid of it when it starts to come on. I take two of them immediately at the first sign of a “flare up” and within a couple hours I can already feel it started to dry up and shrink in size. Having this condition has caused me a great deal of stress, depression and humiliation. Its terrible but I had/have to learn to live w/it. If you have shingles definitely talk to your dr about acyclovir/zovirax. It does work. Ps I have a permanent mark/scar that gets darker w/ each outbreak. I hate it, especially in times of “intimacy”. Very embarrassing !!!
I am 19 years old I first got shingles when I was 11 on my right back side. Since then I have gotten them 4 more times and this last time they were on my face. Have any of you tried something to keep them from recurring? I can not have the shot because I am to young and my doctors just don’t know what else there is to do.
I’m going to the doctor tomorrow. Ive been having pain all around my right side for 3 weeks and even had a CAT scan that showed nothing. Now I’m breaking out in a painful rash so I figure it’s the shingles again. I had it when I was 27 and I’m 50 now. I was blessed by seeing an elderly doctor that gave me a series of vitamin injections every other day for bout 2 weeks and I soaked in a cool bath of Aveno oatmeal every day for 30 mins.
It worked wonders for me then unfortunately that doctor is no longer living and I’m hoping my current doctor will follow his plan when I see him tomorrow. I’m going to try mixing oatmeal with Vasolene using a blender or food processor since using Aveno can get expensive. Hope this helps, I know it sure worked for me.
I just got over shingles and blisters are now fresh scars. I’m trying to find out of its normal for those scars to hurt if scratched. They still itch but still seem sensitive (and hurt)to anything other than a light touch.
I got just a quarter size mark on my inner thigh it was itchy not very painful from what I can remember. The doctor said it looks like shingles and gave me nothing so i put polyspourin on it and it went away i still have a scar but i dunno if this was shingles i hope not? but i am scared! i just searched the net and 50% of people who get shingles HAVE H.I.V anyone is this true can you confirm this cause I have not slept in day I’m terrified to go get tested please help me out?
I have had shingles over a dozen times so far. They are very extremely painful. They are on the back of my leg just above my knee. They are in a circle. Yesterday I had a red spot and 3 tiny blisters. I woke up this morning with 37 large pus filled blisters that are so painful I don’t know what to do to alleviate the pain. I am putting on the Valtrex cream that the doctor gave me, but it has not helped the pain any. I feel for anyone that has this disorder. If anyone has any suggestions for pain management please let me know. Thanks.
Hi, I’m 29 and was diagnosed with shingles yesterday. Today is Tuesday, and the first bumps I saw was on Friday morning on my left back side. Saturday, they were much bigger, and Sunday were even bigger and spreading by the hour. A friend told me I had shingles, because he had had it before. I had no idea what it was. I went to the doc Monday, in extreme pain, feeling like my back was on fire, and my left side of my stomach area was like stabbing pain.
My doctor prescribed me anti viral three times a day, a soap to wash it twice a day, and a cream to put on it three times a day. I am taking extra strength Tylenol as well. I have to admit that the pain is unbearable sometimes, I have not been able to sleep in three days. Yesterday it was more the burning and bee sting feeling and today its more itchy and irritated.
I also have had awful pain in my left stomach area. Lower left, upper left near my rib cage, sometimes the pain feels like tangled wires poking the insides. Has any one else gotten a lot of pain in the inside too, is that normal? I don’t wish shingles even on my worst enemy. Any response would be great, thank you.!
I have had what I thought was shingles several times but milder than what I hear other describe. Currently I have the prickly, hypersensitive area on my scalp surrounding my left ear. it is always uni lateral on me. The pain is intense but pulsating so between pulses I have no pain, then with the pulse I feel a “shocky” sort of prickly intense pain. At times it makes my face wince and sometimes I’m barely aware of it.
I went to the doctor today and he does not think it is shingles because I don’t have a rash. I have had these same exact symptoms before but on my left hip, or another time on my right leg. Usually if I take acyclovir it goes away but the doc says it might just be a coincident. I’ve had it this time for about 2 weeks. It isn’t debilitating but is very inconvenient and annoying. If it isn’t shingles then what is it?
I had a tooth ache on Monday and went to the dentist. He told me I needed a root canal and sent me to a specialist which I went to two days later. He gave me Vicodin for the pain. When I went in to the specialist I told her I had broken out in blisters in my mouth and I thought I had an infection. She took one look at it and said it was shingles (imagine how I felt that my dentist wanted to do a root canal!). I started on 4 doses of valtrex a day but I was four days into it before it was diagnosed correctly.
I am in serious pain and can only manage applesauce and milk shakes 🙁 I had the chicken pox when I was 32, I’m 50 now. I had an outbreak of shingles a few years ago, but get cold sores all the time. The more I think about it I have had outbreaks of shingles multiple times over the years. Mostly on my elbows and I put a cream on them and after a week or two the blisters go away. I thought it was just a gravel rash.
I am going to the doctor on Monday because I heard there is a pill you can take every day that stops the out breaks of cold sores and shingles. Has anyone else heard of it? Oh yea, I had the shingles shot about two months ago!
Does anyone else have shingle scars that itch? I had shingles in June of 2011, I went to the doctor he prescribed me Valtrex and it helped. Four weeks later I still had pain (i was hoping it would go away on its own) so i went to the doctors and he prescribed me pain meds. He said it wasn’t uncommon but my age was in my favor, I was 26 at the time. The pain is no longer there but my shingle scars itch. I don’t know if I am mistaken the itching sensation for nerve pain. I don’t wish the shingles virus on my worst enemy.
Sure sounds like what I am feeling these days. For warning, the groin area is not immune!! trust me on this one. Left side for me, starting from the back side of my knee, hamstring, buttocks to the groin area.. Wow, very severe pain, fever, headaches, muscle aches, can’t sleep, can barely walk, the continuous friction basically put out of commission. I’ve been using a combination of cortizon and neosporean, also a soothing sun burn gel for the rashes and blisters.
I’m also taking valacyclover HCL 1 three times a day, of course just started the pills so we’ll see how my body responds to that. Of course the all mighty pain killers so I can finally sleep at night. I don’t know about you folks but there aren’t to many things that scare me, but this virus scared the hell out me!! Hope it doesn’t ruin my Christmas.
My husband had what looked like bites on his neck. As we had been for a walk I told him to stop being a wimp. We had a look at the bites and tried to pick out the stings … But he kept experiencing pin like pain in his neck. He felt very tired and said that they were worst at night. His neck ached and felt swollen and stiff. After two weeks, I finally said that he needed to go to the doctors .. Guess what .. Shingles!
I have had the shingle virus now for three years.(PHN)
My doctor has tried several meds. for me nothing has worked.I had a reaction to all medications prescribed.This time i tried the Qutenza Treament),Capascin,batched.Treatment takes @ two hours.
A numbing, gel than the patch.First time it helped,the most recent one made no difference.So i am right back to where i started.Extremely painful,mine is on the right side ,from the back to the right side of my breast.I understand the pain. Good days ,bad days.
Creams,baths,pills,treatment..Hopefully something will come along that will @ ease the pain in the breast area,very sensitive.I wont give up if i hear or read something new,i call my doctor.
Hello The Shingles Survivors and Thrivers. I’m so happy I found this discussion group. I read about a year of the posts, very informative. I last posted on Wednesday 11/30. I mentioned I was itching on line with my The Shingles outbreak in July 2011 under my right breast. On Thursday 12/1.11 I noticed little itchy red blisters just under my left breast, T4 vertebrate. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. I saw the doctor on Fri 12/2/11. He was impressed saw him in about 17 hours. There were only two blisters, rather than 30. It helped to have read a post here from a woman with big pain from one (?) blister. Pretty much just as painful as initially last time. I’m praying it doesn’t get as excruciating and disabling and traumatic as in July. (See last post. I figure I WON’T have to have those 10 arm surgeries now.) Aggressive treatment. Taken off work for two weeks, 7 days of Famciclovir 500 mg 3x/day (last time Acyclovir); 2 weeks of the devil drug prednisone 60 mg tapering off. I have severe side effects from Prednisone (search Prednisone side effects so you know you’re not going crazy). I can’t work at my government job, counseling, assessing, making life decisions, driving to appontments and working with the Court. I’ve implemented many stress coping lifestyle changes since. I hope the real trigger for The Shingles will be ientified. Has anyone got it without being stressed? Stress is life and a mushy reason that is not usefu. I’ve been under 100 times more stress dozens of times in my life. I guess my Varicella Zoster Virus Immunity is weakend now. This time, less blisters, same pain so far, but I hope the vaccine will result in less severe symptoms and shorter duration.
Has anyone gotten The Shingles, who has not had other contributing medical conditions, when not under extraordinary stress?
Have the people who have had repeated outbreaks had less severe symptoms?
Does anyone know of research as to the rate and incidence of The Shingles increasing in a type of epidemic?
Have people under 50 found out if you can take The Shingles Vaccine. Or have women been able to have the vaccine before pregnancy. Have people been able to get the vaccine prior to surgery? I know several people who had severe bouts of The Shingles after surgery.
Take care. Perservere. Be Well. Be content. Peace out.
My heart goes out to all who suffer with shingles. I’m 56 and I had shingles in July. I was extremely stressed out due to having suffered a painful injury, missing a lot of work, and being behind in everything. For four days I couldn’t work because of extreme fatigue, body aches, headaches and nausea. On the fourth day about thirty itchy red blisters appeared in a line on my right chest and back. My OB/GYN said they were bug bites. Nothing would stop the painful itching. The next urgent care doctor was aghast, diagnosed shingles, and prescribed antiviral meds. Because I started after 48 hours or so of blisters appearing, it worsened. It felt like a hot sword stabbing me, my skin was on fire, incessant burning itching, headache and more nausea. I would rather have ten arm surgeries than go through the shingles again. Vicodin was the only relief, because it put me to sleep. I hate vicodin, but the pain was worse. Caladryl and cold packs were soothing. Ice is nice.
The next doctor put me on ten days of the devil drug, prednisone. Extreme side effects to prednisone, but rather that than permanent nerve pain. Then its the neurologist and probably the psychiatrist for anti-depressants. I am so grateful I didn’t get post-herpetic neuralgia. Although, while I write this, I’m itching where I had the blisters.
Research is that you can give the virus to someone when you have shingles, but they will develop chicken pos. That’s because shingles is the virus acting on the nerve roots years AFTER having chicken pox. Chicken pox is systemic (not quite sure). Same virus, different process. There’s an increased incidence of shingles because, before children were vaccinated, adults would come in contact with kids who had chicken pox. That exposure would boost an adults immunity. Let’s eradicate chicken pox and shingles by immunizing children AND adults.
The Shingles Vaccine was approved for people 50 to 60 in March 2011. In 2006 it was approved for people over 60. I lost a month of work, and was exhausted for a month after. I wanted to reduce my risk of getting shingles by 70%. I was determined to get the shingles vaccine asap. Educated my primary doctor who wrote the perscription. Research concludes that people who have had shingles, have the same rate of getting it again as people who have never had shingles. Could be after one month or after ten years. Dr. Know It All, the ancient doctor in charge of one injection clinic, REFUSED to give me the vaccine. Would NOT read the research I gave him. He insitited on holding onto the outdated belief that having shingles gives the person immunity for five years. I went to the injection clinic in another city. My insurance paid for it. ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELVES. I am at peace. I could get it again, but with the vaccine symptoms would be reduced, and the risk is lower. There’s no instructions about when to get the vaccine after shingles by FDA or CDC, I took the nurses advice and got it when the blisters cleared up. Also flu, Pnemonia and Hep A & B.
Recently, my friend’s 93 year old mother got shingles on her face. Even after my experience, my friend didn’t make sure her mother had the vaccine. Last week, a thirty something co-worker got the shingles. (Could there be too much stress at my job?) If I were under 50 and had the shingles, I would advocate for a vaccine prescription and I would pay the $190 myself. Research is on FDA, CDC and WebMed sites online. Educate your doctors.
Healing wishes for all.
My husband was diagnosed with shingles. He has a bad looking rash on his thigh. I think he got to the doctor within the 72 hours, He put him on VALACYCLOVIR (VALTREX) FOR 7 DAYS.
He had and does not have pain or itch.
He has been on the meds 4 days. Have you ever heard of this?
This is in response to a post from Shannon on November 4th, 2011. YES – shingles CAN come back to the exact same spot. I first had shingles on my inner left thigh when I was 46. Then in April of this year I got it again in the same spot.
Both cases were extremely painful. TODAY I found out that I have shingles again – this time in my mouth 🙁 My teeth are so sensitive and extremely painful. I can’t eat solid food, both hot and cold make the pain worse, I can’t sleep without heavy pain killers – this is such a nightmare. My doctor started me on Valtrex and I’m so praying it works. This kind of pain makes you crazy. My sympathy to anyone who suffers with shingles. God bless.
Hi
Just all of a sudden I had a rash on my right shoulder on Nov 7/11.. thought it was an allergic reaction & it would go away.. On Nov 8, 9 & 10, I had really bad headache that would not go away, could not concentrate at work, was like spaced out, and was so so very tired even after 9 hours of sleep. The rash go bigger & expanded to my neck & under my ear.. And feels like lightening bolts pain intermittently… the rash is also hot, burning & itchy.
I went to doc today & he knew right away and prescribed Valtrex, and gave me tomorrow off to rest.
and this is where I am today.. After reading all of this, it is scaring me to know if I will have as much pain as everyone is saying!! , or the after effects of Shingles, after the rash is gone..
Hope this goes away fast, & I hope all of you also can find relief!
i’ve had shingles on my thigh all around it for a week so far. I went to emergency and they gave me pills to take every 4 hours, Acyclovir and a pill you start take 6 then 5,4,3 ,2,1 in a day it was methylprednisolone. But i wish there was something to put on the shingle sores. They say nothing goes on the sores.
Stress has been high. Slight headaches in am, feeling tired. thought it was bug bites – this is day 3 or 4 & I’m going to dr tomorrow. Its a burning sensation, first felt like maybe someone hit me in the back – kinda like a bruised feeling. Next day the “bug” bites appeared, today feeling cold, tired and it burns. Should I go to er tonight or wait for my apt tomorrow.
i got this weird painful rash, i had it about 4weeks until i went to see my doctor. he told me it was shingles and it was caused from stress. he gave me some meds and it went away but the thing about it is that i still have pain on my right side where my hip is. they say its rare that shingles leaves scares well let me tell you, my case of shingles left scars from my stomach on my right side all the way down to my right thigh. its very painful to have and i don’t like it….
I”m 36 and first got my shingles on sept 21 at first we thought it could be poison ivy i will admit i had no clue about shingles. On sept 27 my husband took me to the er they said i had shingles and acted like i had the plague it made me more stressed out.
The following week my sister took me to her Dr. and he was great. The hospital told me to keep it covered that was the wrong advise my Dr. told me to let it air as much as possible and it started to heal. Unfortunately oct 31 a couple of more blisters appeared called my DR. got another antibiotic and he said if it don’t help to come in next week I am scarred cause another one showed up today the pain is undiscribable i would rather have 12 babies all at once then to deal with this pain. I am under a tremendous amount of stress witch makes it worse i pray that it will clear up and the pain will go away and that one they will find a cure for it.
The first night I felt an itchy outward corner of my left eye. I also had a small red patch on the bag of my eye. I went to bed, convinced it was allergies and that it would be gone by morning. By the next morning (Saturday), I had quite a puffy reddened area under the left eye. By Sunday, the puffy area was quite a lot larger, and the tissues on my lower and upper eyelids were also swollen.
By Monday morning, I noticed these lumps on the left side of my forehead on the hairline, and also some other bumps right in the middle of my scalp. The bumps were tender and yet itchy. That morning, I went to the eye doctor, and he told me I had preseptal cellulitis, and he did not address the bumps on my head. He gave me some Keflex and told me to finish taking the meds, and to call him if I got worse.
Tuesday morning was much worse. Despite taking the Keflex, the left eye was so puffy, and was hard to keep open. I went to Urgent Care, and they told me I had shingles. I was given 1 gram of Valtrex to take 3 times a day. Yuck, did that upset my stomach or what? They also told me to keep up on the Keflex, as that would not hurt.
Went back to the eye doctor on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, just to make sure shingles does not set up in my eye. So far, so good. Shingles on the face and scalp, but not the eyes. Cellulitis still demands the brunt of the attention.
Have not worked all week, and have had 4 doctor appointments, and 2 different prescriptions. It is early Saturday morning now, and I have another eye doc appointment come Monday morning. Hoping to get the clear to head back to work. One good thing is that the swelling from the cellulitis is way down on Friday. Still tissue is red, and skin is peeling. All red underneath.
Oh, over the counter Benadryl is how I sleep. Not a normal thing I do, but definitely when the pain, throbbing and burning starts. Hope no one has to go through this.
I did not think I was stressed. I laugh all the time, and I eat very healthy. But, my daughters both have had babies in the past four months, and one of the newborns needs a lot of medical procedures in the next few months. Maybe the baby’s health issues are what brought this on. I am not that old, and I am wondering if I should seek out the shingles shot.
I think I had the shingles, as I never had any bumps or rash. The pain was intense, almost like someone had sanded your skin off, it hurt so bad going to bed.
It made my muscle tighten and could not stand anything to touch my body. I was in pain all day, it started on my left front and went across my chest and into my right shoulder. I had this pain for about a week, I was cold all the time and had some chill type feelings.
I just got the shingles vaccine a few weeks ago. Today my boyfriend called and said he has shingles! Is it at all possible that he got it from me and my vaccination?
I am 41 years old and I had Shingles when I was 33. I didn’t know what it was. The back of my left leg felt like it was sunburned then the severe intense pain set in. It was horrible. I only had about 5 small red bumps. Since then I have felt the tingling and burning sensation in the same spot usually when I’m stressed or worried. Last night I started feeling the burning and some pain. Does anyone know if Shingles comes back in the same place? I am terrified of getting it again, the pain was too much for me to bear!
I am 38 and have had shingles since September 15th. First it started with a deep bruise feeling on my left bottom, followed by a heavy burn and sting pain. Chronic pain by this point and lasted, but it was around a week until there appeared about 8 bumps which looked like spider or bug bites.
Stiff neck, stiff joints, hard to move in the morning, itchy, pain [I can’t explain to you how painful the pain still is], can’t sit, concentrate, irritable, sick, headaches, the list is very long. October 1st, 15 days later than the onset, I noticed I had more than usual pain on my left ankle. Two days later a larger patch of bumps with the same symptoms. Another breakout on the top of my head.
I am so exasperated with this virus, will it go away? Who knows when this will stop.
My physician said the only way to take the pain away was to anesthetize me, which he was trying to say you are going to be in pain. Now he wants me to see a neurologist. Why?
I got shingles when I was 53. I went to the Doctor immediately. She gave me pills and cream.
It started by my feeling a sensation on my check… like a piece of hair got caught in a wrinkle… I didn’t have wrinkles ! Prior to getting them … I knew my system was stressed because when I was driving over a bump with the car, I would grunt!… I never grunted before… I got rid of the spots rather quickly, but the feeling of stress lasted almost 3 years… I was tired, and although I did what I had to, it felt as though I drank 100 cups of coffee a day…
It left one day, I still feel stressed but it isn’t as severe.
Good luck it is an awful feeling.
I have concerns about the contagiousness of Shingles. My mom had them and a short time later, now I have them. I went to the doctor within less than 48 hours of my first symptom. They prescribed me Valtrex and some pain medicine. I took the Valtrex, as prescribed, and have been taking the pain medicine.
I have not had any blisters or rash but I have had the PAIN. I feel the worst I have ever felt in my life. I have done massive amounts of research on Shingles since I got them and I am horrified at some of the results. I am attaching a website that I found to be very interesting reading. In my personal opinion, I think that the Shingles virus may have mutated to become a different strain. We have all but wiped-out the Chickenpox virus, which by the way is how we kept from getting Shingles in the first place.
All living cells have a natural will to survive and procreate and the Shingles virus is no different. I am praying that some scientist does research on the new strain to find-out how we can stop this epidermic that I see happening. I know of 15 people in the last month, within a 5 mile radius of my house, that have or have had Shingles. That is a little extreme don’t you think? I just want to find relief for the pain and the tingling between my shoulder blades. I have tried the Capsasian cream. (Word of advice…wait a while after your first symptom to use it…if not…it feels like LAVA has been poured on you). My mom has found that it has helped her PHN (the pain after Shingles) and she has not gotten her prescription renewed for the pain patches. I on the other hand…can find NO relief. I pray to GOD that I am not one of the many who get this over and over and over again.
I’ve had shingles for about a week now. It started with what felt like an ” internal itch” and woke up the next day with a rash (like a cluster) under my left armpit. I’m 31 and healthy. The pain is mild and my left nipple is very sensitive. Other than that its more of an inconvenience than anything else. I’m taking acyclovir and I’m sure I’ll be fine in a week or two.
I’m 29 and October 5, 2011 I woke up feeling like I had a sore neck and thought I might of slept wrong. And this is only on my left side of my neck! The same day I notice a pimple it looked like formed right on the shoulder and when I touched it man did it hurt! The next day I woke up to find on the left side of my neck in the back was small tiny bumps in a patch.
So it wasn’t till Sunday early in the morning the pain in my left side of my neck was too painful to deal with, so I went to a urgent care where the doctor diagnosed me with shingles! She had prescribed me with Valtrex to take one tablet three times a day for the infection. Also was prescribed two other pills for pain and for itching! And the pain is the worst pain I have ever had to have! I broke out from the back of my neck all along my left side of the neck! Blisters the look filled with water but with time dry out and crust over. I have researched that the blisters and the ozzie stuff inside the are what any child who has never had chicken pox must come in contact with in order to get them, simple being in the same room will not infect them.
Shingles is not airborne so some one could not catch shingles or chicken pox by a cough or sneeze. Someone with chicken pox can be contagious to others by sneezing or coughing because chicken pox is in the lungs to where it can be airborne! I hope my information has helped some! It has been almost two weeks I have had this and it still has not gone away! I’m at the stage where all the infected area has dried up and crusted over, it itches like crazy but is sensitive to touch. I’m down to my last infection pill and was wondering if I need to go back for more or will the rest of the rash just clear up on it’s own??? I have grown very weak in my left arm!
I was trying to build strength in my hand by squeezing play-dough in my left hand, just doing it for about 15 to 20 min. I was fine! An hour later and my hand hurt so bad I couldn’t open it or move my arm without being in really bad pain! I found cold packs of Ice help with the burning and itching. And was told I got the shingles for a low immunize system. I plan on changing my eating habits, be more active and not a couch potato, and take time out for myself to relax and unwhine myself so that I won’t be so stressed! Anything to help keep me from going through this again is well worth it!
I just has gotten the start of a “rash” about 4 days ago. At first I thought it was from an allergy to a plant outside of my apt. (I do recall walking by it, brushing by it a pinch). About an hour or so later, I began itching really badly on my back. Like we all do, if we have an itch, scratch it! It kept feeling worse, and began to burn a bit.
I left it alone, and noticed it began to make my left armpit area a bit red as well. I left it alone, and went to bed. Next morning, I was in some pain, feeling sore and the itch was really bothering me! I didn’t touch it though, but noticed if I wore my bra, I was in more sensitive pain…it sucks!!
Today (10/7/2011), I went to my doctor, and showed him what I had. He immediately said it was the Shingles and asked me to google it. He had mentioned to put hydocortisone or benedryl cream to help ease it away. ***Hydrocortisone makes it feel like your whole spot of Shingles in on MASSIVE FIRE!!! Don’t use it, for those who are ultra sensitive or have allergies to creams!!*** Anyway, so, I’m just going to deal with this naturally, not wear my bra for a bit (free-balling sucks with moving over speed bumps while driving). Hoping things don’t get worse, I have enough health issues as it is already!
Thank you to those who have helped spread the word and given info about the Shingles. It’s been quite helpful!
I had bad pain in my ear and face accompanied by swelling in my face and lymph node only on one side of my face. The doctor thought I was having a sinus infection and perscribed zpack. The swelling went down and so did the facial pain. But now I have a cluster of scabs on my eyebrow line which are painful and itchy.
The scabs have been there for about 3-4 days and I have had no other outbreaks/blisters since. My head is also very itchy. I went back to the doctor who said he was not convinced it was shingles, but did perscribe valtrex anyway, just in case. I have taken it every 8 hours for two days, I have gotten two nasty nose bleeds since I started the Valtrex. Is it okay to stop taking it. . . the nose bleeds were not easy to stop. Anyone have any answers?
Just a response to my own previous post: Yes, I do have shingles. It was diagnosed by an urgent care physician and confirmed by my family doctor.
Apparently, there has been a recent increase in my area lately of unusual cases of shingles, as I am only 33 and my shingles appeared in long lines of single blisters and occurring on both shoulders (C4 dermatome). So if you have blisters on your body for no apparent reason, see a doctor within 72 hours, just in case it is shingles.
I am not sure exactly what I have going on, on my shoulders, but they are more of long blister rather than little bumps. My husband said it looks like it would be caused by my bra straps, but they are quite a bit closer to my neck than where my bra straps sit on my shoulders.
I keep looking at all the different insect bites and so on and trying different searches, but they all lead back to shingles, it is possible to have more a long line of a blister rather than little bumps and still be shingles?
My father had shingles in February 2010 and I learned that this was itchy and painful rashes on his back, and above his chest too. Immediately, the Dermatologist prescribed an antibiotic and medicated cream. After two weeks the shingles disappeared and my father felt better.
My husband started having this sensitivity on his left side about a week ago. He described it as having isolation on your bare skin. Then a week ago he noticed this intense pain in his hip, leg and knee (left side). Just within the past two days we started noticing bites on his left leg. He has several patches starting on the inside of his leg and going down to just above his calf.
All on the inside of his left leg Funny thing is he has no reason to have the bites and they resemble mosquito bites. Haven’t seen anyone with shingles (bites) on their legs. Could this still be shingles????
@Troy. To protect your daughter from getting chicken pix, why not have Her receive the Chicken Pix vaccine?
I have been told by the Doctor I have shingles, mine are under my right breast, small places that look like mosquito bites, I have prickly pain and sensitive to touch there, but, I have this ungodly pain ,constant ,never goes away under my shoulder blades on the right side no break out s can this pain be from the shingles under my right breast? Oh and I must add I had the shingles vaccine a year ago, thought it would keep me from having the shingles, now I’m told it is not a sure thing but helps the intensity
My husband age 59 this month has been having shingles for about a week, he got to the doctor early enough to receive Valacyclovir (valtrex) It’s supposed to help with it not breaking out too bad and the pain, he is well into his treatment and he says his pain is so far bearable but he is having flue type symptoms, headaches are starting and fever. Upset stomach not yet. The problem is you don’t know if the symptoms are from the shingles or the meds?
1.) Shingles appears on ONE dermatome…ever. Every time you have it, it will be in the same spot. Anything else, is not shingles. A dermatome is an area of skin supplied by one spinal nerve. Which dermatome it appears on depends on which spinal nerve the virus is lying dormant in. Google dermatome map to see what I am talking about. If you’re getting ulcers in different areas of your body, that is just good old herpes. Contrary to popular belief, it is not confined solely to the mouth and genitals.
2.) Reggie, you sound like you have Ramsey Hunt Syndrome. Look it up. It varies from a simple outbreak of shingles in the ear.
For about a week I had a stabbing pain on my left side just under my rib cage. Now I have a persistent headache and tingling in my fingers and a cluster of red bumps. I googled it and everything I’m seeing is saying shingles. My husband is one of the rare cases who never got chicken pox as a child. Do we need to worry about him?
Hi everyone, I’m a 36 year old man. About 5 days ago, I was taking my shirt off in front of the mirror when I noticed a rash under my left arm pit. It was like the letter “C” almost an outline of my armpit. On a couple parts of the rash was large blisters. I didn’t really have a lot of pain at that time. I popped the blisters {bad idea maybe} and now the pain is excruciating. I’m on day 4. No more blisters, just redness and pain. The skin is raw and moist where the blisters were. I have been using a lot of gold bond powder to keep the area dry and that gives me some relief. Showering is very painful. It feels like burning and stinging combined. I work on a cargo ship also and always sweat. It’s not from that though because I discovered the rash the day I signed on. Sounds like shingles but mine had a couple large blisters instead of the little ones I been reading about. This sucks. Neosporine? Is that a good idea? I think I’ll be doing the gold bond thing till I get home. Let me know you guys. Thanks Josh
Today I was told that I have Shingles. Believe it or not, this actually comes as a relief, since I had been under the impression that I may have had a bed bug infestation. About a week ago, I felt a stinging sensation on my neck area. A day later, 2 sets of bites appeared in that same area, somewhat resembling a spider bite. They continued to burn/sting, but it wasn’t until about 2 days later that I noticed a small lump on my neck. I went to the doctor, who thought it may be mosquito bites, but my swollen lymph node indicated a bacterial infection. I was prescribed an oral antibiotic and given a corticosteriod cream.
Over the next 4 days, I continued to get more clusters of stinging ‘bites’ from my neck to my shoulder/arm area. I also noticed a deep muscle ache in my shoulder and neck area. I go to the gym regularly, so I had dismissed this as typical soreness related to working out. I researched bug bites online, and noticed that my symptoms were similar to those who have been bitten by bed bugs. Gross. I searched my house from top to bottom looking for these disgusting creatures, but couldn’t find anything.
I also thought it was odd that I continued to get “bitten”, but my live in boyfriend remained untouched. Last night, I noticed that, even after 5 days of medication, I now had 3 swollen lymph nodes in my neck. I went to the doctor this morning, and low and behold, they said that it is Shingles. I’ve been prescribed a different antibiotic that will hopefully clear this up soon.
@Judy Mullins Absolutely. I had pain in my back before I even had the rash.
@Everyone else If you have, or think you have, shingles, GO TO THE DOCTOR. Antiviral medications can help a LOT. They can reduce the length and severity of symptoms. You may also need pain meds, as the pain can be quite intense. I have a very high pain tolerance and found I did not need pain meds during the day, but the pain always intensifies at night for some reason, and a single hydrocodone pill helped a LOT and enabled me to sleep. Also, be very careful going out in public, as if someone has not had chicken pox before, you can infect them!
So I’ve gotten shingles since I was pretty young. Fifteen or Sixteen I suppose. I get about two outbreaks a year only on my right shoulder, same place every time. I have a daughter with a heart defect and she can’t afford to get chicken pocks. Is it advisable to go get the shingles shot or is she just as likely to eventually get it from other kids? I just don’t know enough about what is in the shot and don’t want any extra crap i may not really need injected into to me. I would bet the shot if I knew for a fact that it will benefit my daughter. Any responses and thanks if there are.
I had shingles on my nose several weeks ago. It was a burning type of pain, and the sore got infected. I have been having severe back pain in the middle of my back. I was just wondering if the shingles could be causing my back pain, even though I never broke out on my back?
Hello, I am a 28 year old mother of four. I have shingles diagnosed by first my Granny, then my great great grandmother Morris, then by a nice nurse at the hospital who took time to look at it when I took my three year old in for a uti and fever. I have no insurance so this is the next best thing POST AND HOPE. I hope that someone takes the time to read and let me know if I should be worried enough to go to the doc or if this is within the normal range of a very confusing disease.
First Outbreak
I got my first break out in October of last year, and at first I thought I had burned my hip. The skin was pink and it burned the way a burn does. A few days later several small clear blisters appeared accompanied by severe itching on top of my “burn”. I thought maybe I had gotten poison ivy or oak on it somehow but the itching and pain at that point was beyond belief. It was at this point that I showed it to my Granny who informed me I had shingles and told me everything she knew about it and then called her mom for a second opinion. I kept a bandage over it to protect it from scratching and spreading to others. It did take closer to three weeks to dry out and at that point a good portion of the pain subsided as well. The area stayed scabbed for close to three more weeks and and finally healed leaving a light pink area that has faded with time. The sensativity was still there for about a month following the disapearance of the scabs. The area is now perfectly fine.
Second Flare
The second time was in Feb. of this year. It began as two large blisters in the middle of my breasts. They itched and I scratched until it bleed. Two days latter several smaller clear blisters appeared creating a oblong rash across the two original blisters. The burning pain came with the second set of blisters. I put my second skin bandaid on and thought that was the end of it till it dried out. But this time I had other symptoms. Extreme fatige, head ache, and nausia and mild fever. I thought maybe I had the flu or a cold and that brought on the shingles even though the flu symptoms did not begin till the day after the smaller blisters apeared. It seemed like there were new blisters each time I changed the bandage even though the rash it’s self didn’t spread much after the third day. During this time my daughters nurse looked at it and confirmed shingles. All the pain and other symptoms cleared up around the same time new blisters stopped appearing a little over three weeks latter. The skin didn’t scab this time it just became very dry and flaky. It took about a week to go away and didn’t leave any visible sign like the first.
Third Flare
I am going through the third flare right now. It started a little over a month ago. I noticed that I felt tired, very tired. About month ago or a week after being tired began I felt itchy on the middle of my back right next to but not on my spine. I scratched at what I thought was a bug bite of some kind. Three days later I woke up and noticed the itchy spot was burning and the area was whelped up and hot to the touch. My husband said it was all red and looked like I had scratched a layer of skin off because it was all shiny wet looking. I guessed maybe it was shingles again and that I had opened the blisters during the night. I was also running a mild fever and felt sick to my belly. I did not put the bandage on this time. The blisters dried out much faster, a week later the rash had began to dry up and become flaky. But the itch didn’t stop and the burning pain seems to come and go. The rash is still dry and flaky and the area and around it feels bumpy like pimples just under the skin. I also seem to be getting medium “chicken pox” blisters on my body, one on my neck, one on the shoulder blade, and two on my hip. The first appeared about two weeks ago and the others appeared every other day or so until the last one five days ago. None of them have healed and they itch like crazy. The fever, which I believe causes the nausia, has also not gone away. It stays between 99 and 100.5 although fever reducers do knock it out for a while sometimes one dose and it goes away for the day sometimes I have to take two or three doses in a day.
Ok so now I want to thank you for taking the time to read all of that if you did. Please tell me what you think could be going on with my body. I am tired of being sick. But more so I am tired of being worried that this may be more that the typical shingle flares. I mean have I reached the point where it won’t go away without medication? Can it get to a point where meds are needed? Or am I just worried because I can’t stand to be sick and it’s taking longer and getting worse each time because that is the way this disease works? I really don’t want to pay for a doc only to be told “Yes ma’am it is shingles and no ma’am I can’t really do anything for it.”
I am 38 years old and was recently diagnosed with inner/middle ear shingles. Left work on a Wednesday after having mild headache throughout the day only to get the chills on the ride home on a 95 degree day. Got home and chills were followed by extreme shaking(tremors), mild fever(100-101 degrees) and sharp stabbing pains on the right side of my head(top, temple, ear, neck and back of head). This proceeded through the night during which I got very little sleep and when I did, I woke up with night sweats and the bed soaked from it. Saw my doctor the next day (Thursday) and he thought it may be the viral onset of a sinus infection since I showed no signs of it being bacterial. Recommended taking Tylenol and Advil and ordered a Lyme Disease test. This test came back negative the following week. Neither Tylenol or Advil came close to touching the pain I had. Went Fri, Sat, Sun with same symptoms and very little sleep before I finally had my father drive me to the hospital on Monday because I could not take the pain anymore. Was treated in the ER for 8-9 hours however, the doctor was unable to diagnose the problem after blood, urine, CT scan and chest X-rays were taken. In an effort to come up with a diagnosis, the doctor attempted a spinal tap on me thinking it could be meningitis even though I did not have all the symptoms of meningitis.
Spinal tap (extremely unpleasent) was unsuccessful and I was admitted that evening with plans to have another spinal tap in the morning using X-ray technology to pinpoint the needle into my spine more accurately. Another doctor came into room at 5am, woke me up and told me that he reviewed my symptoms and did not believe I had meningitis therefore, a second spinal tap was thankfully called off. After spending 3 days in hospital and being on Unysin antibiotic and morphine, I was diagnosed with preseptal cellulitis (infection of the tissue around the eye) and was released with script for amoxicillin and percoset. The following day, I developed facial paralysis on the right side of my face so I called my doctor and he ordered a second Lyme disease test. He said it is common for lyme tests to have false negatives at first. The following day, I called the eye doctor that treated me in the hospital to schedule my follow up visit and informed the receptionist of the facial paralysis. I was told to come in that afternoon and did. Two eye doctors examined me and were bewildered however, they also ordered a varicella titus (herpes zoster) blood test suspecting it could be the root of the problem. Was referred to neurologist after eye doctor spoke to my primary care doctor and was seen. On that day, results of the herpes zoster test were made available to the neurologist and he confirmed an active shingles infection. Was diagnosed with inner/middle ear shingles even though I had no rash at all. Was prescribed Valacyclovir(anti-viral), Prednisone and Diazepam for sleep. Two days later, my primary care doctor called and said that my second lyme disease test came back positive as well and he prescribed Doxycycline to treat it.
MRI was ordered and showed that the 7th cranial nerve was affected and this is what is causing the facial paralysis. Apparently, both Shingles and Lyme Disease can cause this. I just finished the 7 day Valacyclovir anti-viral and am still taking the Prednisone, Doxycycline and Percoset. The facial paralysis has since gotten somewhat better as I can now blink my right eye by itself whereas before, I had to close my left in order to get my right eye to close. Sill don’t have full control of the right side of my lips and am still having pain in the same areas on the right side of my head, face, ear and neck although, not anywhere as severe as they were initially. I am relatively healthy and do not have any other diseases that affect my immune system HOWEVER, I have been under an extreme amount of work-related stress during the past 2-3 months which has affected me while at work and at home on a daily basis. I suspect that this may have been the underlying cause of my shingles diagnosis. The issue is that I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease a couple of days after being diagnosed with Shingles. The Preseptal Eye infection was most likely secondary to the shingles virus which was missed by the doctors at the hospital. My questions are:
1) Can it be determined what caused my Shingles (Stress or Lyme Disease or Both?)
2) Can you tell how long you have had Lyme Disease?
3) How long will it take to recover from the pain?
4) With no rash present(or visible as it could be so deep in my ear), can the doctor determine how far along I am in the recovery process?
5) Can I be prescribed anything else if the pain continues? It’s called “Postherpetic Neuralgia.”
6) How long should I wait to see if the pain subsides before asking for something else to treat it?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! This forum has been informative thus far.
Hi, I’m 18 and I had shingles last year during time to apply for college. I started having this itch on my chest not knowing why I thought they were my pimples itching because I break out on my chest and back but then it spread to my back the itching I still thought it was my pimples but then I had a excruciating pain on my chest and back I couldn’t even put clothes on or sleep it felt horrible!
I then went to the emergency room hoping they knew what it was nurses after nurses doctors after doctors I was there for many hours. They told me to come back if they don’t go away and well test it. I went back a few days later and they brought in a dermatologist and she said oh pimples I said yes I have pimples but they’ve never hurt this bad, they then brought in a specialist and he said I’m sorry I don’t know so he brought in his interns asking them to try to see if they knew they didn’t. They brought in so many people and their medical books but could not find out until they specialist said you have herpes zoster I said excuse me he said shingles I asked what was the cause he asked if I can sign a consent form for him to teach that shingles can happen to teens due to stress! And I am now itching in the same spots and I’m wondering can it be shingles again?
Well, here it goes:
Basically, about 8ish days ago I went to the lake and got bit by a horsefly. When I got home that night I noticed two little bumps on my chest and figured it was just where the horsefly bit me. As the next few days came along, the two bumps started spreading rapidly and I decided I needed to go to the doctor. He didn’t really know whether it was Shingles or a Skin infection. He chose the latter and prescribed me accordingly. Unfortunately, it was Shingles. So now I have these blisters that have been forming and are progressively getting more and more disgusting looking every day. I went back to the doctor yesterday and he prescribed me Acyclovir. I doubt it’s going to help because of how late he prescribed it, but it’s still idea that it may help which makes me stick to the strict one pill every 6 hours. I’ve noticed that a small patch of blisters, which is also the most painful and worst ones I have, have started to turn darker like a blackish color. After some research apparently they’re blood filled? I have no idea.
I was mainly wondering if anyone would be able to tell me whether or not the rash/blisters will be cleared up before I move in to the college dorms on the 18th. The blisters hurt now more than ever and are getting pretty big, so I’m hoping they’re going to start scabbing over soon enough…
To Jewel:
I am NOT a pill swallower either! But I am on the last leg of Shingles myself at the moment. My doc gave me Zovirax in the suspension. Yeah…..liquid. And it didn’t taste too bad either. Call him & ask him for it.
It’s been a week since i have had shingles .Its been really hard to sleep cause i sleep on my back and its also starting up o my chest & I’m really freaked out I’ve been given Valtrix and wanted to know would it stop working if i crushed it because i can’t take pills 🙁
I am 49 years of age early this year I had some rash on my forehead affecting the right eye it was even red. Then I consulted the doctor with no help but the thing is at the center of my forehead it left an ugly scar it happen that I was watching the deliverance DVD and someone mention this name SHINGLES of which she was suffering from and it was for the first time I hear this name, then I wanted to know what is that, only to find that I was affected by that sickness early this year .While I was watching and reading the experiences of others from your side then I got the answer thank you very much.
I have been in Hawaii for 3 days now and have been noticing these red patches of bumps, two long rows that act like exsima or scabies. They leak this yellow sticky fluid and itch like no other, now am facing slight pain in the joint of my elbow. I believe it’s shingles, but my dad does not believe me. I have never had the chickenpox but have had the vaccine as a child, could I of contracted it by someone since never having the chickenpox? Or am I just another random case of shingles?
Meant to also add the bottles were filled with water and frozen, we keep these handy for ice packs as well as drinking.
Hi all just thought I would share what did work for my shingles, I am a 58 year old female, very healthy never sick, woke up one morning with severe pains, needles and a feeling like I was sunburned on many areas of my left side, some muscles aching and pulling. My relief was, we had some frozen bottles, just like the plastic ones you drink water out of, and I wrapped one in a very thin piece of cotton, and rolled this over the areas for days while lying especially at night watching TV, truly helped the pain a lot, also massaged St. Johns Wort Oil all over the area which was my left side from hip right down to tip of toes.
Will continue as there is not much out there that actually does work……hope it helps someone else!
I am 67 and got Shingles a few months ago. The pain was terrible, and I was on high doses of pain meds. It was suggested I try acupuncture because shingles affects the nerves, and acupuncture is working with nerves. After a couple of treatments I was able to cut back on the pain medication. I had about 9 treatments over a several week period. I know that the acupuncture shortened the duration of the shingles, and that it greatly reduced the pain associated with it. It`s worth a try for anyone who contracts this dreadful condition.
I am female, 72 yrs. of age, never any illness other than flu or virus. Had low blood platelets of unknown origin for over 20 years with no symptoms. Had my first bout with severe shingles beginning 12/30/2010, no itching or burning. By 1/3/2011, the rash was open and bleeding. Still no itching or burning. On 1/10/2011 the doc diagnosed shingles, prescribed the antiviral anyway, even though it was well beyond onset. He also prescribed antibacterial medication and Vicodin. He was amazed that I had no pain or itching, which could have been because I am a smoker. Two days later, intense burning pain began.
Vicodin did nothing for the pain. Cannot take anti-inflamatorys because of low blood platelets and the chance of internal bleeding. I did anyway because the pain was so severe. It gave me relief to the point I was able to function until I could get some other type of medication. After six weeks, the rash healed, but not the intense burning. I was at this point diagnosed with post herpetic neuralgia. I got some Lidoderm patches, which was the only “applied” medication that gave relief from the burning, but is extremely expensive and I needed two patches to cover the area. After research, called the doc and was prescribed Gabapentin, which is a generic nerve medication and was as effective as the Lidoderm patches, but far less expensive. In my research, I have found that the chickenpox virus resides dormant in the base of your spine, until a triggering event–stress, dental work, lowered immunity, cat scan, “awakens” the mutated virus commonly known as shingles.
In my case I had had a root canal six weeks before the onset and a cat scan 9 mos. before that. The diagnosis is differentiated from anything else because shingles follows the nerve pathways on only one side of the body. Post herpetic neuralgia affects some people because of the nerve damage left by the virus. As the population ages much more research needs to be done to find relief for PHN, which is very debilitating.
Hey everyone i woke up and i saw this little rash on my arm. I had mosquitoes bites from going on vacation to Grenada 🙂 so i figured it was just another one, about two days later this monster thing was getting bigger My bf gave me a search and her pointed out that I have like 10 on my back. I went to the doctor and she said I need to cream my skin more, I was like cream my skin, I cream my skin everyday. She gave me a cream called Clotrimaderm 10 MG/GM ( Clotrimazole CR). I USED IT FOR A WHILE AND FIGURED NOTHING WAS HAPPENING, NOW REMEMBER AT THIS TIME NOW IT BEEN ABOUT A MONTH. SO i LEFT IT AND THOUGHT IT WAS BECAUSE OF MILK. I STOPPED DRINKING MILK FOR A WHILE . I finally had enough so I went to another doctor because I figured that doctor didn’t know what they were doing, He then told me I have exzima 9 if that’s how you spell it) So now I was convinced I had exzima. Ha thanks to this site I saw everyone else and realized I have SHINGLES!!! I’m so depressed.. help me please. tomorrow I’m going to the hospital , my mom said ,they might keep me because its getting really bad, but right now i don’t care my skin looks awful.
My husband is in the hospital with shingles. We thought it was a stomach flu and went to the ER because the head and shoulder pain got so bad. We found shingles while in the ER. They started him on Neurontin right away but he said the pain was getting worse in his head than without the medicine. The Dr said give it a little time. Well, he seemed to get somewhat better within an hour but they continued the Neurontin and then tripled the dosage which led to the pain so bad he thought he was dying, he felt like his head was literally going to explode and had to write to tell the nurses and Dr’s it was that bad. He also had hallucinations and could not control his body. He was terrified, he took himself off the Neurontin and is on morphine for the pain. The pain seems to come back severely but also goes away for awhile. When the pain is bad he takes the morphine otherwise Tylenol. He is still running a fever.
We tried to tell the Dr’s that he has chronic Lyme and things affect his brain because its full of lesions from the bacteria.
My husband has had chronic Lyme disease (12 years now) which he is being treated for by a LLMD out of state for the last two years. Long story but he was misdiagnosed many many years and the test they do here in MA always showed up negative. Bad testing. Because his brain is full of lesions from the lyme bacteria he is more sensitive to things in the brain. The shingles were very close to the head and the pain is still severe there. None of the Dr’s at this hospital see to realize that this can happen to certain people affected with Lyme or MS or maybe other brain related illnesses since in this state Lyme disease wasn’t even treated correctly up until a few months ago when they passed a new law. But the Dr’s are not educated here because they would have lost their license if they treated chronic Lyme.
I have found other sites where people complain the pain gets worse with the Neurontin if they have MS or other things. So I am just saying that you can’t always listen to the Dr’s on certain things. Here he is in the hospital and having to tell the Dr’s how to care for him. Its sad and its scary. I am going back up and if he doesn’t seem to be getting better or the Dr’s don’t really seem to listen I will transfer him into a hospital in Boston.
All of those pictures are of shingles. They look a little different on everyone. If you get to the doctor within 72 hours of the outbreak the anti-viral medicines should help. It helps with the pain and the spread. You will need strong pain killers depending on if you are used to taking anything already or not. I needed percocet for mine! I didn’t have much of an outbreak but the pain was excruciating. Actually, this is my third week. The doctor said you can get the vaccine after two months from when the shingles goes away. That is not that easy to get but I think I will do that. Don’t scratch them. The pain is terrible. Yes, nauseous, itchy, painful. Worse at night. Caladryl, benadryl cream, lanacane…try those for the itchiness.
Hi to everyone suffering this dreadful disease. You are all correct in as much as the doctors see it as
“just shingles”!! I am lucky to have a doctor who absolutely understands what I am going through and supports me in everything I do to try to help myself as I have been a sufferer now for over 20 years.
However, last year I had a breakthrough just by sheer chance and have started to feel so much better without the aid of drugs!! I have discussed this at length with my doctor and also a friend who is an acupuncturist and we are currently putting together a report of all the similarities that people are suffering to see if we can take this up further with the people that matter and make it be seen for what it really is, an incredibly debilitating disease and not being taken seriously enough as there are more and more people like us out there suffering and for the record, it is not just confined to older people as it was thought years ago, it is now becoming more prevalent amongst the younger generation and for that reason alone I want to make a stand for more research to be done now!! This disease needs to be wiped out. If any of you would like to contact me and help me with information about yourselves so that we can compile a much better report then I would be more than grateful!! I am based in the UK but am currently visiting my son in the USA so I may not get back in touch immediately as I am spending some very tiring but glorious moments with my lovely 1 year old granddaughter, but if any of you would also be interested in learning how to keep this thing at bay, what I have found may be very helpful to you but I would need to know your individual ailments to be able to understand how I can help you.
My contact is jackyinnotts [at] gmail.com I hope this website allows that address to go through as I need to get as much information to make the medical world stand up and listen to us!! I cannot believe how many doctors mis-diagnose shingles and really don’t seem to know much about it at all and a lot of your comments make me realize it wasn’t me going mad or imagining things!! Also drugs and pain killers are not the answer!! A lot of you say “get to your doctor and get something prescribed”. Trust me, this only aids relief in the very short term because the virus thrives on a weakened immune system amongst other stuff that I have recently found out and drugs and painkillers unfortunately only add to weakening it further!!
I look forward to hearing from you…..already I have begun to help so many fellow sufferers!!
Kind ones
Jacky
I am 37 years old and have had shingles 3 times already – about every 2 years in the last 6. It always appears inside my mouth on the right hand side and is really painful. It starts as a slightly raw feeling patch on the inside gum above my teeth and then becomes a small rash with pin prick spots. I am sure that I have it again as I feel very tired and a bit run down which is odd as I am not stressed at the moment – just the opposite! Difficult to take a picture of the inside of one’s mouth – so sorry, no pic. Am going to the doctors tomorrow for a diagnosis. You will know if you have shingles as the pain is a nerve pain that is unlike any other pain I have had before!
Well, I’m new to all this and have no idea what’s going on with me. I have a rash that just appeared yesterday. First, it was only on my left side of my stomach…and it is now on my right side as well. The left side of the rash is bigger than the right, though. I thought that maybe I brushed up against poison ivy or something (which I’ve never had), but now I’m not sure. It’s pretty darn itchy and just today it kinda hurts. Feels sorta like a sunburn and it’s irritated and kinda hurts when my clothes rubs up against it. I stopped in and asked my pharmacist a couple of questions about it and when I lifted up my shirt and showed her….she actually pulled her head back a bit and says “Whoa, I don’t know what that is. It’s not poison anything that I’ve seen and if it doesn’t go away in a few days you need to go to the dr” I’m thinking..ok..that’s kinda weird. It seems to be spreading a bit onto my back and more onto my stomach and I don’t have insurance to go to the dr nor money to do so! I don’t know what to do! As a matter of fact, I just looked in the mirror and it’s almost covering half of my stomach now. I tried to take a picture but my battery is dead on my camera. How convenient. Any suggestions or anything would be appreciated.
I’m only 20 years old, and I was diagnosed with shingles at age 12 or 13 I think! It’s so hard to find information about my exact symptoms because everyone experiences something different! The original rash was on the back of my neck, and I think maybe a bit on the side of my face. I didn’t have giant blisters, and the rash only covered a small area.
Well, when I was 18, I went through an extremely stressful period, and I began to notice little clusters of red bumps. I would get maybe 8-10 total on my chest, 5-6 on my upper back/neck area, and then about 3-4 on the side of my eye/temple. They’re literally the size of a pimple, but without the white heads inside. After a week or two, they blister/peel, but the red pimple/scar remains for a month, at least. At that time, I actually experienced an electric shock/half of my face going numb, while I was falling asleep. I was so scared, I went to the ER the next morning, but with little physical symptoms, nothing was done.
I always had problems getting up for school, I was just too tired and achey all the time! To this day, I still have all these same problems. I only weigh about 110 lbs, but there are days my legs just don’t want to walk up stairs and my head just wants to snap from my shoulders. I constantly crack my neck, and feel a burning/sore pain in my neck/upper shoulder area. Some days I always have a real nauseous feeling too, sometimes I can’t walk around for too long without wanting to vomit! But like I said, I’m a pretty healthy young adult, I feel like I’m 80 years old!
I currently have a couple pimple-like red spots on my chest, and upper back, and in the same area on the side of my face. If I mess around with little pimple lookin’ fellas, they get painful sometimes, just a sore/burning pain. And you know what, my hearing in my right ear (same side as rash) has gotten noticeably worse in the past 4-5 years. I usually have to switch which ear I listen with while I’m on the phone, just because my other ear is better, I think!
After throwing this all out there, I feel like such a crazy person! I don’t have the insanely noticeable rashes like I’ve seen pictures of. To some people, they look like pimples, but I really feel like there’s something going on beyond what can be seen. I would really LOVE to go to the doctor and get some sort of something to smooth this virus along, but I really do feel crazy. I’m not a doctor, and I don’t know what’s normal and what’s not. But knowing that I have had Shingles before, it seems like this virus is what’s sticking around, and making my days just a little bit harder.
Comments, stories, please share!! There’s not much out there, so please share what you know!
I have been dealing with pain in my left hip area and then down the inside of my thigh to ankle and foot for 2 years. then started to get extremely itchy and sore in the vaginal area. was diagnosed with shingles only a month ago. I have had several prescriptions and it will not go away! any suggestions?
Got shingles last week on Friday for the first time. For the past year I’ve been working and stressing out real bad.been on antibiotics every other month so that killed my immune system.my dermatologist put me on zoltrex on Sunday went away by Thursday still have a little rash no serious side effects. Now she wants me to go for an HIV test and she is freaking me out. Now I have more stress that I have HIV I think its from all the stress I’m under and too much antibiotics..
Hello everyone! I’d just like to say that I was diagnosed with shingles when I was 10 yrs old. I would then get them every year right before school let out for the summer. It was never a bad case, about a 2 inch bump right above my left eye. It wasn’t until I was 16 going on my 6th outbreak that the doctor prescribed me zoloft (thinking it was the stress of final exams, grades, ect. that was causing the outbreaks) and it worked! I had not had an outbreak up until I was about 24. I was no longer on zoloft but on fluoxetine. So I went to the doctor, got my valtrex scipt, a pain killer (because the pain was quite bad for once). And went on my way. Since then I still get them, but they get smaller And smaller each time. I’m 27 now..pretty sure I have an outbreak due to the itchy tingling feeling…but no rash! 🙂
I started having neck pain on left side 6 weeks ago, then left-sided pain in armpit. 2 days later a very painful red rash started on my stomach. the pain drove me to see my doctor. he said i had SHINGLES. he prescribed 7 days of Acyclovar and 100 mg. of Lyrica and hydrocodeine 500 mg daily. the pain lasted for 4 weeks and the itching was horrible. thought i was getting better, but now the Post pain is back with high intensity at week 6. i take Aleeve and Motrin but the stabbing, shooting pains WILL NOT go away. the chills and nausea are still bad. i ave a few Lyrica left but this is very expensive medication. what am i to do for this non-stop pain?? i am 69 and in good health, except for this disease. i never leave my house anymore because this makes me so crabby and fatigued…
Hi, responding to Anne’s post (May 6th) and Melissa G. (Melissa, please see the end of my post re: the herniated discs. etc.) Our symptoms are very much alike though. I’m 48, never had shingles and Im in very good health (work out, eat well as often as I can etc.) but I have been under a lot more stress than usual in recent months. Been reading through all of this, glad I found this site.
I went to the doctor last week because after feeling this itchy, numb & chill like pain on my right side, almost like the pain from a bad abrasion (by rib cage) for a couple of days I then found 5 or 6 blisters on the same side. My doctor told me right away it was shingles & that my immune system was working well and started fighting the virus on its own which is prob. why I didn’t end up with anywhere near as bad a rash as it could have been. But my symptoms are very much like yours Anne, you said it best: besides the pain (i was only a little nauseous) you can feel fine for a while and then totally feel sick later. It is true that its like you feel as though youre getting the flu, but you don’t get it.
At least with the flu, it breaks after a couple of days. Ive been feeling dizzy and even my basic thinking hasn’t been up to par. I basically have been resting alot, as much as I can and I actually had enough strength to go to the gym for a while today, (Ive had the shingles for about a week now) The doc. has me on Valtrex 3times a day but you need to take the meds. after eating, maybe thats why youve been nauseous? Also, Ive been doing Ok with X-tra strength Tylenol but the first few days that really didnt help the pain.
And for Melissa G. I’m glad I saw your post too, its interesting that you pointed out the herniated disc problem and the shots. Ive had problems with a couple of discs for years and I recently went for MRI’s & to a pain management doc. who gave me two shots of Lydacaine (which Ive never tried before) on two different occasions (my lower back and hip were in the worst pain Ive ever felt in years so that’s why i went to this pain management. doc.) The shots helped But now I’m thinking about the possibility of the connection with the shots and the shingles virus now? I’m going to run it by the dermatologist & my reg. doc. I’m sorry you’ve been through this so many times though Melissa, hope you’re doing better, this is my ‘first’ time ever with this, i can only imagine how tough its been for you all these times.
Hoping everyone here gets well REAL soon, Hang in there.
Oh and to Anne … i was having the upset stomach and sick feeling as well and sooo tired i had to but a baby gate up in my sons room and stay in there with my kids just in case i feel asleep … me and my boyfriend thought i was pregnant ..but now that i found this web site it makes so much sense .. any ways I’ve not been able to control any of the symptoms I’m sorry i cant help i have it so bad i get lightheaded and dizzy as well good luck to you darlin!
hi i started out have a really itchy sensation on my right breast it was so bad i was tearing my skin from itching then a few days later these blisters appeared and they hurt so bad i cant wear a bra nor clothes on or around it i have sharp pains coming from it as well … it burns and itches and so very painful… its under my right breast and on the side of my breast close to armpit as well my glad in armpit is swollen ..it feels like my whole upper right side is badly bruised .. also i don’t have any form of insurance and i don’t know what to do ..i have to small children as well ..please if any one can help me on medical advise that would be great!
I was diagnosed on Wednesday with Shingles. I felt tired and nauseous over the weekend, but really didn’t think too much of it. Then, Monday I got the rash. I went to the doctor on Wednesday and was lucky to get on the anti viral medication right away. I don’t have to much pain, but I am still very tired. And, I am having bouts of pretty strong nausea. I can feel fine for a couple hours and then just feel so terribly sick. Does anyone else have this symptom and have you found anything that will help? Does anyone know how long the upset stomach will last?
Thanks for the input. I’m hoping we all are well soon!
Shingles are the worst! Horrible, painful, disgusting, itchy beyond belief. I had a small cut on my forehead that wasn’t healing 2 weeks ago. It itched and felt like an itching pimple, but it wasn’t a pimple. Then a few days later, a Friday, the shingles erupted as I noticed several rashes on my upper face (a stream down toward the left eye, one at the corner of my left eye, one up further under the hair a bit on forehead, some on my left eyebrow, and more on the top of my head under the hair.)
I didn’t know what to make of it and started taking colostrum (which had helped in the past when I had a small outbreak of warts) , but by Monday morning, I was in horrible pain and discomfort and got into my dermatologist who immediately diagnosed it as shingles. The pain is a mix of jabbing all over the face as if knives were jabbing your skin, plus intense itching, and also intense throbbing and even intense pressure spots even on the back of the head. Random and intense and unbelievable.
Dr. put me on the antiviral, but then my left eye got swollen and almost fully shut, but within a few days, the outbreak of sores was drying up (but still very painful). It spreads like little red-hot volcanic eruptions so do not waste any time in getting help when you see any signs of this virus. It’s seriously the worst thing I have ever experienced, both painful and disgusting, and I have experienced pain in the past. I’m 49 and stressed, but this just came out of nowhere and I’m already saying that if I ever get it again (and I haven’t even made it through this one yet!), I’ll kill myself instead of going through it another time. Even my dermatologist told me that my case was a minor one comparatively!!! Jeezums, I can’t even imagine anything worse than what I felt. It’s been almost 2 weeks now since it burst across my face and I’m doing better, but I still have pain and the scabs are healing very slowly.
I can deal with this, though, but those first several days or so were hell on earth. My dermatologist also said I was extremely lucky because when shingles manifests on the face, it can also infect your eyes and destroy the cornea creating blindness. Thankfully, that didn’t happen and it did get very close to my eye, even that rash-bump area that was right at the corner of my left eye. All in all, this is not a virus to take lightly. Can be VERY serious so try to reduce its pain and symptoms as soon as you see something show up. I look at that ugly picture I took of my face a few days into it and as horrible as it looks, it doesn’t project how really painful and all this really was.
Just looks like some redness and a swollen eye. Trust me, this is so much more worse than it looks! Good luck to all who are dealing with this.
I had my first outbreak around when I was 14 years old, I was told at the time it was a spider bite and was in bed for a week, my doctor gave me a z pack antibiotic and it seemed to clear up, then when i was pregnant with my 3rd daughter in Feb. 2008 i had my 2nd outbreak so that makes it around 10 years apart and my ob/gyn didn’t make a big deal about it, just saying abreva would work since it looked like a cluster of cold sores, then the next in the July of 2009 i used abreva again, and now in April 2011 i have new outbreak it is always in the same place starting with what looks like maybe a pimple coming out but then i feel the tingling and itching and bam it gets bigger and worse, i have two balls in my neck swollen i guess they are glands from the irritation, it hurts very bad and i get itchy attacks where i just have to get something and rub the sores or i try washing it with soap to avoid itching, it is very embarrassing because it looks gross. it causes the right side of my face to feel numb and then all of the sudden i get these stinging pains through the side where the sore is and a itchiness inside my ear, i almost feel like i have it inside my ear because my hearing feels a little muffled, right now i bought something similar to camphor phenique i think it is spelled like that for the pain and itching, is there anything that can be done to get rid of this and does anyone else believe this is shingles? I am only 26 years old and was 14 or 15 when this first appeared, is it possible for it to show up at such a young age when i am healthy i have no illness and no std’s so i am not sure what caused this at a young age?
i was 14 when i was first diagnosed with shingles. it is rare for someone that age to get them. i had just moved states away from the town i was born and raised in and the move was very traumatizing to me. i had severe depression and frequent panic attacks. it made me very stressed. i thought that a spider had laid eggs in me and the pain felt like an internal pinch and made me have huge spasms do to the nerve. it was two weeks after i had the blisters that i finally went to the doctor. the blisters were almost all popped and they put me on antiviral pills. huge pills i had to take 5 times a day for a week. the blisters went away but the pain never went away. it still comes around every view months. just today i found the blisters again in almost the same spot. this time though i also have a fever, headache, and upset stomach. it’s my second time. i just hope it doesnt do this for the rest of my life because they are very unpleasant…
I have these little bumps but just pain in my stomach and i have a bad case of nausea. i don’t have pain on my legs (where the bumps are) and i no i don’t have bed bugs and i no my dog doesn’t have fleas. please help me i might go to the doctor tomorrow but it would be nice to see what i have before walking in there.
Hey, Melissa Kruger….. Go to an oncologist and have your thyroid checked. I’ve had a hard time losing weight… nothing was working… I went to a new doc who checked my thyroid.
Although it was within “normal” range, there is a special test they can run to check it a different way. That’s how he figured out mine was off. I recommend you do it soon. Being that heavy is only going to make your health issues worse. And that is from one overweight person to another. Now that I am on thyroid meds, I am finally starting to lose weight. (That, in and of itself is enough to make a person feel a little better.) 🙂
Around the first part of March 2011, I thought I had a “spider bite” on my back. It itched like crazy and the pain… Oh, the pain is ridiculous. Around the 2nd week in March, I went in to my Doctor because I was having painful urination. Doctor takes a urine sample and what do you know… I have a bladder infection. Didn’t mention the “spider bite” though. Eh, I figured it would go away of it’s own accord.
Progress to early in the 2nd week of April. Holy Cow! This “spider bite” won’t go away! AND…. AND…. I know have more little “bites”! As if the little critter was hiding in my bra! The bumps went from, right under my left shoulder blade, all the way to the side of my left breast. (Funny thing, by the way… I’ve noticed that A LOT of people with shingles start out with 3 little bumps in the pattern of a triangle… hmmm….. Go figure… Anyway….) Alright, so enough is enough…. “Hey, Doctor T? Yeah Doc, I got this spider bite I want you to look at… it’s buggin’ the crud out of me! Tomorrow morning? 9:15? Yep! I’ll see you then!” So in I go, and lo and behold… “Yes Alex…. I’ll take ‘SHINGLES’ for $400.”
Doc prescribes some meds, but it’s not clearing up… In fact, I think I am getting some more! Oh… Yep… I’m right… There are more! And to boot, I can feel a couple places on my back getting all burny and tingly. OH! And on the OPPOSITE side, I have yet ANOTHER spot that is burny, tingly, and sort of numby too! And this is AFTER the Doc rx’d me MORE of the anti-viral meds.
Me? I’m 41. I’m a single mom. My estranged mother had a stroke in Feb. 2009 that put her in a nursing home with Global Aphasia. About a year later, my dad was diagnosed with Emphysema and Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. About 6 mos. ago, dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. I’ve watched him drop from somewhat healthy and able-bodied, to a shuffling shadow of himself. Oh, and did I mention he lives with me and I am his full time care giver? Oh, and did I ALSO mention that I have been diagnosed with 3rd stage chronic Lyme disease, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome, Borderline Personality Disorder, Lyme arthritis, Sleep Apnea, Herniated discs in the Lumbar and Cervical spine, and it is HIGHLY possible that I have RSD/CRPS (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome/Complex Regional Pain Syndrome? Yeah, Doc just wants to do a couple more tests to be as sure as possible because he absolutely HATES giving that diagnosis. Evidently to him, it’s kind of like saying, “Hey, you are going to suffer horrible pain; that will only get worse, for the rest of your life!” So I told him to take his time with that one. No rush, Doc… Really… No rush…
So, why did my body release the hounds upon itself? LOL! Seriously, who knows? But what I do know for sure is that STRESS played a GINORMOUSLY HUMONGOID role in it….
My advice? If in doubt… Let the Doc check it out! It may be a spider bite and it may not be. Chances are, if you have read through a lot of these posts and you now suspect even the teeniest, tiniest, little bit that it is NOT a spider bite… GET IT CHECKED! Better safe than sorry!
just diagnosed with shingles 3 days ago but had signs for 4 days earlier it started as a tingling on my nose like i had a long hair but there was nothing there … so went to the doctor after the area where it was tingling turned into a red mound and it started to spread on the right side of my face .. I’ve been taking a clover for the itchiness. I’ve used rubbing alcohol and neosporin and it goes away but for the pain i smoke and well there is no pain (i smoked obviously before this) …the area effected has started to scab over already and is healing well I’m on day 3 of the meds and my dr said that its clearing up faster than most cases hes seen and I’m the only one who has not had the pain.. docotr said it was due to me smoking that my body was less stressed due to smoking and has allowed the anti virus to work better (of course he stated this off the record) … legalize!!
Does anyone know if it’s okay to visit an elderly friend who has shingles? I’m 60 years old and not only have I had chicken pox as a child, but I got the shingles shot 4 months ago. I help take care of my dad who is 90 years old and an invalid. He had shingles many years ago. Am I putting him at risk?
I have shingles on my back. it really scares me. i see a lot of older people having it, and I shouldn’t have this much stress at my age. i get sharp pains in my spine, the shingles is on the right side of my back and its spreading to my stomach. i put ice on it and it seemed to help a little. please tell me everything i can do to get rid of it. i’m still in school and i cant miss weeks of it. do i just, not touch any body? do i keep putting itch cream on it? its so hard to resist itching it 🙁
Hey! I am 27…I have shingles…and I am slightly stressed…but nothing out of the ordinary…I am kind of scared something else may be wrong….I have had a lot of coulds, an ear infection, a ruptured ear drum and now shingles..also gained 305 pounds..all in the last year..not really any life style changes. I’m scared and confused….any thoughts/ suggestions would be great!!
Hi, I’m 35 and I’m healthy, not sick, anyway I had my first out break at 21 I’m on my 3rd at least its all been on my lower hip/ butt all the times will the shot keep me from getting it if I’ve already had it before?
I’m a female and yesterday i was diagnosed with shingles… it started Friday night when i got out of the shower and i felt some sort of rash on my back by my spine. I’m away at college so i had my friends look at it and they said it just looked like rug burn. i had fallen earlier that day i thought they were right. the next morning i woke up with bad back pains but i still just thought it was from falling.
not until Sunday night when i called my mom did she think that it may be shingles. shes a nurse and shes had it before so she said that i should see the health center at my school first thing in the morning. so i went there well i had shingles. they put me on valtrex and said to just take ibproufin and tylonol to ease the pain because i’m at school and they don’t want to give me strong pain meds in case they make me look hihg in class or people try and steal them… anyway when i take my last pill tonight it will have been my second day on medicine but i’m worried. the rash is spreading and its a patch on my stomach and a patch on my back that goes around almost meeting up with my front.
i’m worried because i’ve been reading that if u dont catch it within 48 hours it can be a lot more severe…i really cant afford to miss anymore school because i’ve been sick a lot this year but i feel like stressing out over all the work i have isnt going to be helping either. i also know that it’s uncommon to get shingles at such a young age so im even more worried., the rash is starting to blister so i’m not sure if that’s a good or bad sign… if anyone could give me some advice on how to handle this and how long you think it will take to start feeling better… that would be great.. thanks!
Hi all!
I got shingles some time late last year. It started on my collarbone as a small rash and made its way around my shoulder onto my upper back. I also began getting a sort of dull pain in my shoulder. I have dislocated the shoulder quite a bit dancing and so I figured I had just slept wrong. This all started on a Friday.
I told a coworker and she called it right away. She said the rash was probably shingles, she had had it before. I didn’t really believe her so I didn’t do anything about it that weekend. It progressively got worse and by Monday I was in H***. I felt like someone was stabbing me in my shoulder every time I took a breath with a huge knife. However, I still didn’t go to the doctor. On Tuesday, it had not gotten any better and I finally gave in around 10 am and ran to a doctor.
He immediately diagnosed me with shingles and prescribed 12 shots for the next six days (2 a day – one of an antiviral and another of B12). I was out of work for about a week, but was able to return after that. The pain subsided after about the third day of shots. I was also taking a pain pill and an additional Vitamin B12 pill during the first two days, but could handle the pain after the third day and did not take the pain pills anymore. I hate taking pills or any medication.
It has been a few months and I have a couple of scars from the rash that I did not mess with that are almost all gone. There was one large one ( the first one) that of course I messed with not knowing what it was that looks like I got burned. It is still pink and has a couple of bumps on it and it really looks like a burn, not a scar. I swear every once in a while I feel the sensations I used to feel while I was going through that agonizing pain. It felt like something was crawling through the scar. Very strange, but thankfully not painful. I hope it doesn’t come back but I was told the Vaccine that is available for Shingles can be given to younger people who have gotten it to help it to not come back. I am only 34 so I was considering giving it a try once I go see my doctor again.
Hope this helps and if anyone tells you it might be shingles, my suggestion is to run to your doctor and get yourself somethimg immediately. I am sure it made a huge difference that I didn’t want too long before I got medications.
ugh diagnosed with shingles today! Sadly my “shingles” are around my lip as well as a few blisters inside :/ at first it was damn painful and i let it go about a week before going to urgent care. he gave me some pills for the inside and some cream for the ones outside so far my mouth has been numb and i feel no pain! i don’t know how i could have got it cant be stress since i don’t go to school right now and am only looking for a job, yet i worry all the time about everything else. also a lot of people saying “weak immune systems” to my relief i do have one. not a lot of sleeping and eating have been done on my part. now that the pain has subsided i can eat my baby food without a pain. trying to build up my immune system but need a little help with what i should be drinking or something? help appreciated >.> (as soon as i get rid of this I’m going to take better care of myself for sure..)
I am 36 yrs old and yesterday I was diagnosed with shingles I started like a week ago and thought it was a spider bite. But it got bigger in a week and now I got 3 spots one big and 2 little ones. I went to the doctor and he did prescribe the medicine I need it. But I am still itchy and burning on it I hope I can scratch it he prescribe Atarax for itch but it makes me drowsy so I take it at night. Now Doctor says its because I am stress but I had anemia about two weeks ago and I am fine now according to my last lab work. Hope to feel better soon.
Recently I’ve been having odd symptoms. I’d been having paid deep in both shoulders for several months. and then I got this small bump on my R breast that itched and I thought it was a spider bite. It kept itching for days and then when I looked again it has spread to about 2″ x 1″ and continued itching. When I scratched it, a scab came off and left a small hole, which made me think it was a bite and a reaction that surrounded it. But now, My left breast has the same thing and the skin on both sides itches, everywhere, but no more rashes or “bites” that I can see. I started taking protandim about 2 weeks ago and within 3 days my shoulders stopped hurting, that was a relief. I haven’t gotten any new bumps, bites or rashes either. I went to the Doctor b/c I was having an indigestion type pain and he asked if I had a rash, checking for shingles. But didn’t think much of the diminishing rash that still remained. It’s been about 3 weeks now and it’s finally clearing up. Don’t know if that will help anybody. Good luck.
I forgot to mention in my post, that I am 45 years old.
My doctor is looking into the vaccine and I may consider it.
And to Melissa, I think you need new doctors. Any doctor who says your hearing loss/bells palsy isn’t a big deal in comparison to getting the vaccine? I just don’t get that logic. Keep looking around…go to another city if you have to. Their attitudes are careless.
I just wanted to comment that I finally received my diagnosis of shingles yesterday after over a week of waiting for the lab, but I’m already almost over this outbreak. Thing is, I had it on my vaginal, genital area, (but only on the left side) so obviously I was scared for some time that it was herpes 1 or 2. I won’t even get into the emotional aspect of waiting for those results.
It’s healing up now, seemingly fine after the 5 day (3 times a day) dose of Anti-viral meds my doctor had given me. I only have the crusty parts left. Today makes day #12. The first 5 days were horribly painful; hurt to walk, sit, bend over etc….felt like a clothespin was pinched on me down there. I also had flu-like symptoms for several days and experienced SIGNIFICANT itching on my left buttock, but no rash there. I also experienced a warmth sensation on the buttock and upper leg and occasionally my face and arm on the left side for days. I also had intermittent itching on the entire left side of my body. The actual sores didn’t itch, they frickin HURT! I also experienced sensations of deep pain in the areas of my uterus, my inner vajay jay, my left kidney and my left gut by my belly button.
For external pain, get yourself some liquid Lidocain. I happened to have some at home from a previous prescription. Keep it in the fridge and then shake it really well before applying to your rash. I put that on throughout the day and it helped a good deal, especially at night. I also slept with an ice pack on the area and I kept another pack by the bed in a cooler so I could switch out in the middle of the night. I also would take more pain reliever in the middle of the night when I was up to pee or switch my ice pack.
For the itching I was experiencing in my buttocks, the doctor suggested I use Benedryl (other types of antihistamines don’t work as well, she said). I did and I got relief about that time but not sure if it was because of the Benedryl or because of the antivirals working. It would have been interesting to see if it would have worked on day 2 instead because I didn’t take it until day 6.
I would also take Tylenol PM before bed. Night time was the WORST. I have a new-found empathy for those who experience genital herpes outbreaks.
I’m now 37 years old and have just recently suffered from my 7th break out of shingles in the last 2 years. As so many have stated on this site, information on people younger than 50-60 years old is so hard to find! I do not have HIV nor do I have any form of cancer. The first break out, which was by far the most painful, was likely caused by excessive stress. I do suffer from hip dysplasia and a herniated disk in my lower back, to which I’ve received steroid injections for to control the pain. I had asked my doctor if there was a connection with the steroids and the shingles and he didn’t seem to think so.
After continuing with the injections, I started to notice I could literally time a shingles break out within days after an injection. The most recent break out was the last straw. Every doctor I have been to acts like the shingles isn’t a big deal. My breakouts are always on the right side of my face, located at the edge of where my jar and ear meet. I’ve lost some hearing in my right ear because of these break outs and two times ago, suffered from Bell’s Palsy on the right side of my face. Talk about scary! Luckily the Bell’s Palsy wasn’t permanent, at least not thus far. I have requested the vaccine multiple times and there isn’t a doctor who will give it to me. They state I would not benefit from it. Now I always have a supply of acylcovir on hand at home, but how long will it work for? Why can’t anyone answer my question as to why this is happening and will it ever stop?? Other than some genetic skeletal issues, I’m a pretty healthy person. I am not overweight and eat organic foods. I take supplements to ensure my immune system has suitable back up and support. What worries me is not every breakout I’ve had followed a steroid injection. I left the crazy stressful job for a new one that I love and I’m very happy about my life in general. The pain that follows after a break out really never goes away and I suffer frequent migraines, which is something I never had prior to shingles.
It’s nice to see younger people on this website who are going through this as well. I just wish I could find answers as to why this younger group is seeing more and more instances of shingles and yet very little research to support the reasons why. One of the things my doctor has told me each time is I won’t likely break out again. Seriously?? 7 times so far in 2 years. I keep looking for answers and am finding very little.
I have shingles. For a few days my shoulder and neck were in pain. Then some red spot appeared and I told my mom. The next day she checked it out and said it looked worse and we went to see her friend in the ER (my mother is an RN with a masters degree) and he diagnosed me with shingles. A few days later, I’m having a second spot appear which is not uncommon. Daily I take an antibiotic 3 times, anti inflammatory twice in the morning, and pain killer once in morning and once at night. It really helps with the pain. Now yes it is true u can get shingles from another person only on these conditions: u are pregnant. You have had chicken pox but your immune system is down, or a young child that has not developed chicken pox. BUT if u have had the chicken pox and are perfectly healthy u can not get it. That doesn’t mean u should go rubbing over the other individuals shingles. It’s just good to keep your hair up or loose clothes depending on ur spot and when in public, put a band aid on it. ALSO! so not scratch on them or pop them. It could cause ifection. If u like u can softly rub soap in the shower but make sure u damp the area dry with toilet paper or napkin and not rub it dry with a towel. Also just keep in mind the obvious, eat ur daily takes of protein and fruits and vegetables. And a lot of water.
I was under a lot of stress not to long ago and was diagnosed with shingles, they were on my lower spine and inner thigh, it went away, i just noticed a ton of little red bumps on the lower spine area but no pain but its strange that its there again and so many, should I be worried?
Well I just got diagnosed yesterday with shingles. My problems started Sunday with an itchy scalp. Monday I had a sore head. I honestly thought I bumped it in the middle of the night while I was sleeping. It felt like it was bruised really badly. I also had a bad headache. Four aspirin later, the pains subsided. I also noticed pain in my urethra when I would pee (as someone else mentioned too). I just thought I held my bladder too long that day and that’s why it stung when I would start to pee. I also had a large lump develop between my ear and my jaw (turned out to be a swollen lymph node). I started to think I was having a bad food allergy (which I do have food allergies, mainly dairy).
Tuesday I didn’t have any head pains, but my friend noticed a cluster of red bumps on my head. I didn’t give it much thought until Wednesday when the lumps started to get larger and itch. At this point I had two things going thru my mind, hives or poison ivy. Either I had an allergic reaction to something I ate or maybe my shampoo/hair gel. I also started Garlic pills a few days prior, maybe I was having a reaction to that. I stopped everything in hopes these “hives” would disappear.
Another thought was my dogs brushed up against poison ivy or something. Since it’s winter I knew I didn’t touch anything outside, but maybe the dogs gave it to me. It wasn’t on my hands, just my face and scalp. But I touch my head a lot during the day and I also run my fingers thru my hair quite a bit. So I thought it was possible. The itch and pain did remind me of poison ivy.
Thursday rolls by, no change….then Friday morning I felt horrible. I just stayed in bed for a few extra hours that morning. It felt like I had a head cold. Friday night I started looking on the Internet for answers. From poison ivy to food allergies I searched for any explanation for this rash. Finally I found this site and started to wonder about shingles. I really got worried when I started reading about the possibility of going blind from shingles. Since my eyes were itching and the red lumps were only an inch away from eyes I started to get scared.
Good thing I got scared, I went to the doctor on Saturday and she quickly confirmed I had shingles. She put me on 800mg antiviral every 4 hours/5 times a day for 7 days. I’m on day 2 of the antiviral pills, maybe 36 hours into the meds. The itching is subsiding but the pains are still there. I feel jabbing pains on the side of my head, prickling pains on my eyebrows and forehead and occasional numbness on my forehead. I’m worried I took too long to get to the doctors. I hear catching shingles within 48 hours is critical. I hope I don’t have a lot of long term nerve pain in my future. That does scare me since I started the antiviral 6 days after I got the shingles.
I’m also worried about why I got shingles. I’m only 31 years old. I wonder what is wrong with my immune system? I am overweight, but other than that no major diseases or illnesses. I hope this isn’t a precursor to anything. My doctor didn’t say anything bad about me getting shingles at this age and quickly went to stress as a possibility (which I do have a lot of at my job). I also find it comforting how many healthy young people have posted on this site. It is strange why more and more younger people are getting shingles.
I’ll try to keep you all posted on how long it takes me to heal. I didn’t see anyone who took as long as me to get to the doctors. So we’ll see if I’ll end up paying for that mistake for months or will I heal in 6 weeks like others have said. One site said the nerves can be damaged for months or years….I really pray this is not the case for me. We’ll see.
Oh yes you can catch shingles. A girl welcomed me to the company with a hug. She had singles on her cheek. Her cheek touched my cheek. 9 days later I had a crawling sensation around my left waist. Boom! I had Full blown shingles. 6 painful weeks later. I keep my distance from people. NO MORE HUGS FOR ANY REASON. P.S. A nurse in the emergency room said shingles are contagious. I am proof.
I was wondering if anyone thought of or tried ABREVA for shingles as it is excellent for treating cold sores which is caused by a virus in the same family as chicken pox and shingles which is a herpes virus (there are several forms of it ) that cause different diseases. Abreva gets rid of a cold sore in one or two days.
I was diagnosed with Shingles and I am 27 years old. My pain and the actual rash lasted about 2 weeks. I was treated with Valtrex, an antibiotic and a steroid. I am currently taking Lyrica for nerves. Just recently I have experienced extreme dryness in my vaginal area and now vaginal “tears.” My doctor seems to think the dryness was a result of the medication and tears from cleaning myself. I really don’t know. I went to the ER at 3 a.m. after waking up to 3 pools of blood on my bed due to the vaginal tearing. All said there was nothing I could do. I am in so much pain and uncomfortable. Is there anyone that had the same experience after they had an outbreak of Shingles?
My mother was diagnosed with shingles last September and she is suffering from PHN (post herpetic neuralgia). There are several things that provide relief. If you have the nerve pain, neurontin is helpful-the pain does leave after my mother takes her pill. Also, if you don’t have any prescriptions a warm moist washcloth is very helpful in relieving pain! Plus, Tylenol can relieve pain. To get rid of the nerve pain try vitamin B 12 — that will rebuild your immune system and help you recover faster. We tried some oils advertised online but they had no effect. Also, prayer helps too!
Hey everyone! I was diagnosed with shingles when I was in middle school, and I’m now 20. I had it on my neck originally, and lately, I think shingles is still around bugging me. 🙁 I’ve noticed that when I’m stressed out, (like when my mom moved away and I was forced to live with my friend’s family), I breakout on my chest and face. On my face, I develop pimple-LIKE clusters, that have little to no pus, between my ear and eye, and also on my hair line. They dry up but remain there for weeks! (I currently have a cluster between my eye and ear.) On my chest, some people have told me that it’s a ‘heat rash’. This past week, I’ve developed a blister-like rash on my scalp. It’s extremely painful, and I would definitely like to go and see my doctor about this. I also have constant body aches, (neck, back, upper arms), and constant fatigue.
I’m not sure, but I did sample a medication called Gabipentin (?spelling). I tried it in a high dose, and I had no body aches, and my face didn’t bug me. (My face/eyes sometimes bug me, feels like twitching near the side of my eye.) For anyone looking for something to help, I recommend that medication because it’s seems harmless, no side effects, and it didn’t ‘drug me up’ at all or make me drowsy.
Anyone have any input? Like I said, I haven’t gone to a doctor about this recurring ‘Shingles Attack’, but if anyone has a similar situation, please post a reply to me!! Thank you all!
Steph!
Athena: I got shingles for the first time at 26. I am a healthy and active female so when I went to the dr they assumed I had a rash. After going back twice it was confirmed I had shingles. It was awful, it lasted for several weeks and the rash took a few months to clear up.
I am now 30 and noticed small bumps on the small of my back, they didn’t hurt but I was nervous so I went to the dr anyways. They also assumed I had a rash until I went back a week later and she said it was shingles. I had the dr say the same thing…\you must be sick…HIV, cancer?\ I have never had cancer and I do not have HIV (they were so shocked they tested me). I was in the military though and received several shots before a deployment which weakened my immune system, the dr assumes this was how I got it the first time. I was lucky the second time as the outbreak was much smaller and only painful for a few days…still painful though!
Just wanted to let you know your not the only one who has had trouble being diagnosed.
Hey everyone my name is Ruben and I got a small rash on my back n the day I got it I was scratching it thinking it was a mosquito bit but the next day it still was itching so I looked in the mirror I don’t know what it is it appeared about a day after cleaning out some old dusty storage I’ve had no pains or severe discomfort my stomach some times feels like I got pink bellied by a little kid but that’s bout it also my side by my breast and rib cage was tender bout I just thought it was from lifting any clues ill post pics my email is ruben1valdespino [at] gmail.com its been bout a week but I’ve felt the same please email me so I can send a pic I can’t do it off my phone thanks everyone
I can’t believe so many people have shingles!!!! I’m 58, stressed out with a new business and I have shingles. The pain is 24/7 I can so relate to what people are going through, I have no medical Insurance. I paid $75 + meds for Dr’s visit and here I am again with NO refill pain meds, and I have to do the same again, why can’t we just have meds for the pain. I have no rash now, but can’t sleep or get my life back together, please send a quick and easy miracle so I can feel like a person again…..I’m hopeful and feel sympathy for all who post on here, and I feel sorry for myself at the moment…
I just want to let everyone know that B12 shoots works wonder for shingles.
It might be hard to get to the Dr for 5 days in the row but it works. I do not know
how B12 tablets works. I have been having shingles for 26 years and lately I have
been taking shoots every day and after 4-5 days it is gone.
What I thought was a spider bite 2 1/2 years ago has come back to life this week. It is located on the underside of my right breast towards the middle of my body.
I have never heard of a spider bite that starts hurting again and went to doctor who prescribed antibiotics and said to monitor if pain or size go down in next 24 hours but it has not.
Now I have alot of stress this week (an argument for shingles) but you can still see the spider bits on the rash 1 1/16 inches apart ( an argument for spider bites). I have had Chickenpox (argument for shingles).
So is it possible that Shingles is prone to coming on at Spider bite locations??
Or was it also Spider bite 2 1/2 years ago and it just looks now and LOOKED then like a spider bite then too but got misdiagnosed?
I was just diagnosed with shingles today. About a month ago i started having really bad pain in my right shoulder and it has progrossed down my spine. A few days ago I felt a burning sensation on the back of my neck. nrew Years eve I noticed it felt like blisters. I thought my hair products were causes an allergic reaction. My shoulder has been very itchy and very sensitive. I have deep tissue pain all down my back and major headachs. I have been nauseated and dizzy at various times. All the pain is localized to the right side of my back and shoulder. When the doctor looked at the rash and told me i had shingles i kind of freaked out. I asked How did i get it am I contagious. He answered my questions and i did look up answers online when I got home. i worry about how long this pain will last. I am taking Valtrex and Lyrica. Unfortunately i am allergic to the blue dye in the Valtrex but guess what they only come in blue pills so know I will have more Itching and hives, at least it is only for a week the lyrica however neither of my insurances will cover so I will have to go on something else. i have a 7 day trail supply but what happens if I do not take the lyrica. I do not really know what it is for. The valtrex is for the breakout correct? Is the lyrica to ease the symptoms that come with this? I am 28 yrs old but I can remember about 10+ yrs ago having a break out of blisters on the back of my neck. I do not remember the pain being this intense. I remember headaches so bad my nose would bleed, but I never told anyone not even my mother. I thought the blisters were from where i burnt myself with the curling iron the week before but I guess the trauma to the skin caused the flare up. This would be my second occurrence. Dose the pain get easier or worse with every flare up. I can barely get out of bed to go to work. I work in retail so i deal with customers on a daily bases. What happens if one of them is on chemo or another immune suppressing disease? I could kill them and they would never know. It is scary. I don’t think my family realize what kind of pain I am in or how it feels to be scared of something like this. I always thought it was a skin disease from being unclean. Now I know part of what it is. Any more information that anyone can post would be appreciative to read it. thanks
Years ago , an elderly lady told me when she had an out break of shingles , she would take a dirt dabber’s nest crush it up to a powder, and apply it to the out break . Would dry up in no time.
Make sure you take the spider and egg out of the nest first. It’s supposed to be very antibacterial.
Woke up four days ago with a throbbing backache that would not let up. Attributed it to the fact that I fell asleep while watching t.v., and had spent the entire night on the sofa. Two days ago, I noticed a couple lesions (painful blisters) on the right side of my back, near my spine. I saw the doctor yesterday, and was diagnosed with Shingles. The lesions have since appeared along my spine, and the right side of my stomach, as well. I am in so much pain now, over-the-counter medication is doing nothing. I feel like screaming. The pain and itching is excruciating, and am doing all I can not to scratch, as my skin is painful to the slightest touch. (Don’t know how long I can hold out!)I cannot sleep, and am waiting for the pharmacy to open, so I can get the pain medication the doctor just prescribed. Tonight is Christmas Eve, tomorrow Christmas Day, and the day after is my (56th) Birthday. I feel so debilitated. I just started taking Valacyclovir (anti-viral script.) I am hoping the pain medication helps enough, so I can get past the next few days. I have so much to do. This sucks!
I am 49 years old and was diagnosed with shingles at 21. My best advice to you is not to drink anything caffeinated when stressed. Also do not have hot showers or baths, just luke warm water, and get rested any time you can. Women get run down before their periods and need to rest more or they get worse. I use every day a natural vitamin called L-lysine. Works for people with shingles and cold sores. Keep the rash under a bandaid which helps from itching. Clothes will rub against the rash and aggravate it making it worse. Keep the area clean at all times. Best advice I can give anyone is to control their stress. Having shingles is your sign of stress and you need to control it and exercise. God bless all of you who have this pain. As for doctors saying you only get it once? There are many kinds of shingles. Read up on it…. 🙂
An I also want to mention, that I don’t have Aids, or HIV, an I have never had cancer. My doctor keeps asking me this, I mean test me if you don’t believe me. So does this mean I have a low immune system.
Anyone
Oh an I’m 28
I went to the Dr. yesterday he confirmed I have Shingles. It started 3 days ago my arm had a bad case of pins an needles so bad I could not even touch my arm, that went away after a day. Then I had a small rash behind my left ear, looked like heat rash so I took no note. The rash spread down my neck an came with really bad ear ache. On top of that I had such a bad head ache while I was sleeping it was like someone was hitting dents out of my skull with a really big hammer from the inside out. I could not sleep lying down so I feel asleep on the couch sitting up, when I woke up I had huge lumps on the left side of my skull it was so sore I could not even brush my hair( but I had to) with all of the pain I went to work. The rash was not that bad until I got to work it was all over my ear, but the pain was horrible I was popping pain killers like sweets. And I would have stages of like when I would get so cold my teeth would chatter. But the thing that made me go to the doctor was when I sneezed and it felt like I shot a nail gun with a 100 nail’s from the inside of my head out, after that every 5min it was like my head was being struck by lightning. They rash is still spreading up my check, and in my ear. But the pain is the worst. The doctor put me on Lyrica an Synap Forte for the pain but I don’t think that working cause I have had twice the recommend dosage an I’m still in pain.
I was diagnosed with shingles on my vagina after culture and blood tests were negative. I had a severe rash on one side of vagina. It was really painful and healed well. Well the last two months I’ve had achy pain in the area I had them as well as pain in my butt. I was diagnosed with nerve damage…I’m taking lyrica and its helping.
I’m 42 year old and I was diagnosed with shingles t0day. It started about 3 week with a rash
an my back an now it’s quit painful from my back to my breast I don’t now what to do. I would
like any info you can give.
Thank you
My 11 year old just came down with a very small case of shingles 2 weeks ago… they are now scabbing over and itching him. It’s a small section on his mid back on the right….Dr. confirmed it.
On Sunday, my 14 year old son had a red raised area on his neck… from one small little “bug bite” to many little bumps and it is still spreading up his neck, into his scalp and slowly down his shoulder blade. He also has swollen lymph nodes and feels really bad. Took him to the Dr. this morning who was reluctant to diagnose shingles. She thought may dermatitis or poison oak. (I disagree) He has not be around ANY poison oak or ivy.
I don’t know how to post a picture, but I have one…..
I am 31 years old and healthy (for the most part). In March of this year, I was so stressed out I came down with shingles on my right lower back. I still have phantom pain from it. On Sunday, out of nowhere, my stomach started itching. Sure enough, I have a rash on the left side of my belly button. Today (2 days later) the rash is bigger, the itch is worse, and I ache terribly. I went to a dr (my regular dermatologist couldn’t fit me in) who said there is no way a 30-something year old who doesn’t have cancer or AIDS could have shingles. He also said that there is no way you can get shingles twice. He gave me Clobetasol Propionate to put on the “mystery rash” as he called me and sent me on my way. I called my derma when I got home and begged to see her. She’s squeezing me in tomorrow morning. There is no doubt in my mind that this is a repeat of shingles. Has anyone else had trouble getting properly diagnosed?
I’m 40 and have shingles for the first time. Started as horrible pain in my ribcage. Went to the E.R. and had an abdominal ultrasound and blood tests. They couldn’t find anything wrong. Pain got worse and worse, and 3 days later the rash appeared. I went back to the E.R. and immediately started on steroids and antivirals. But it’s almost 4 weeks now, and I’m still not well. 🙁 I use Percocet daily for pain and am also taking neurontin, which is supposed to help with nerve pain eventually. At first the pain was completely internal, but in the last week the rash has started to itch and burn. I’m using lidocaine patches, but it doesn’t really help that much. This is the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced, and I’m starting to lose hope that it will ever go away. It’s completely debilitating. If it ever does go away, I’ll beg my doctor to give me the vaccine. They don’t usually give it to someone my age (it’s only been tested on people aged 60+), but I sure hope they’ll let me be a guinea pig. This has been the most terrible pain. Percocet helps, but only in fairly high doses (anything less than 10 mg has no discernible effect on the pain). Percocet also has bad side effects (constipation), though it’s better than total agony. Someone please tell me this will end!
I have been in horrible condition since shingles entered my life 4 weeks ago. I have been stressed and depressed(I know it doesn’t make it better). I’m 24 and am healthy. Shows that anyone can get shingles.
Anyways, crying to my parents just now they told me that in order for shingles to heal faster is to use some special wick that burns the head and tail of the snake. I’m scared to do this. But if it works I’m going to do this tomorrow and update u guys on my shingles.
My cousin had shingle last year and that is what she did. And the shingle went away in 2 weeks for her.
Note: I have shingles across both arms, around my stomach and down my leg. I’m going through hell. Just typing this out makes me cry.
People, my sister has re-occurring bouts with shingles, when that’s not happening, she has this obnoxious eye twitch, and when that’s not happening the corner of her lip cracks and bleeds. What do you think it could possibly be? If you said STRESS, bingo! These are all related, but she won’t listen to me. She is 68, sleeps less than 5 hours and goes all day.
Most of you people that have written in are probably hypochondriacs, but instead of going to a doctor, learn to relax and if needed use a tranquilizers, have a drink, or smoke a joint.
I hope this was helpful.
Rusty
I had shingles 3 times last year. I thought my body was running a muck! Im only 34 years old. Last time I went to the doctor she told me she could put me on some medication for the rest of my life basically so i dont keep getting them. I told her wait a minute, I think I will just use some stuff I have that builds up the immune system, Sambucus, and wait to see what happens. That was over a year ago. I drastically changed my eating habits and did whatever it took to build up my immune system. I ate bad all my life so i guess it might take a while to build back up to where i should be. I was even diagnosed with phn, but did research on it and realized i needed to take b vitamins to help with the nerves. Now all that has gone away and i feel healthier and hope this inspires other people to start taking charge of their own health. It will make a difference.
I think I have them again!
The first time I had shingles was when I was nursing a newborn. I was about 32 years old. The blisters were on my nipple and the excruciating nerve pain was under my right arm. It was so bad I would sit and cry. My doc wouldn’t believe me — he said the blisters were from the baby nursing. My mother finally figured out what I had, because she had had them before.
So, with no doctor support (this was almost 30 years ago), I treated them myself by taking huge doses of Vitamin B Complex tablets / brewers yeast tablets. I took the maximum I could without health risks. I took them until I smelled bad! I also took aspirin, making sure to take 2 aspirin at the first twinge of pain. If you let the pain get going, the aspirin won’t control it. You may have to do some research to find the brewers yeast tablets these days.
Incidentally, I had chicken pox as a little kid. My son that I was nursing did not get chicken pox a year or two later when his sister had them. I don’t think he ever had chicken pox.
If I have shingles again, I’ll be mad at myself — I picked up the form to get the shot at my pharmacy a couple of months ago, but never called to make the appointment.
Best wishes to all who are suffering from this scourge.
My husband had shingles last year, at age 59–for 4 months over the summer. He was in a lot pain,this guy never gets sick and never takes an aspirin, but he was taking 2 Tylenol 3’s at a time. We found cold compresses helped and kept aloe vera gel in the fridge to apply.
Cold calamine lotion helps also.
stay out of the sun, it makes them worse as does heat!
good luck to all out there,
I am not 100% positive that shingles is what I have although it sure looks, sounds and feels like it. I have a doctors appointment soon and I think she will agree that that’s what I have. originally they came every 2 to 3 months somewhere on my outer butt. The were round and have about 6 small wet blisters inside them. Now they still come around the same times but have moved closer to my rectum YUK!. it almost feels like hemorrhoids but the blisters are still there so I recognize them. bad news they can get big, blind you and get more painful. good news is there is medication for them. I had a barley case of pox when I was young so there’s really no surprise that I have them. Thank you everyone for your information. KayCee
I was diagnosed with shingles last Saturday. The Dr. put me on Zovirax, which is an anti-viral and vicodin for the pain. I have it on my forehead on the left side of my face, hairline and scalp. I also have it on my left elbow. I don’t know if the anti-viral was started soon enough because I thought that I had been bitten by a spider and waited a couple of days before I went to the Dr. She was a little upset that I hadn’t gotten the vaccine against shingles when I turned 60 two years ago. Now that I have them can I still get the vaccine or is it too late? I am wondering how long the scabbed over sores will take to heal. It’s very noticeable and I am uncomfortable.
#148. yes I’ve used zovirax cream on it before and it worked for me.
I have gotten shingles almost every year on my forehead since i was about 8 and i am now 17. usually after i get a sunburn. first i get a huge headache, then I don’t feel well, and my glands start to swell. Its so horrible and inconvenient, but I’ve realized that since shingles is a chickenpox/herpes hybrid cold sore cream such as abreva tends to do the trick and make it go away although it can get pretty expensive (at least you don’t have to go to the doctor or anything). I also can recognize the symptoms when its coming and using abreva, i can get rid of it before it even turns into a rash or blister so that it won’t scar as bad. I hope my abreva remedy works for you as well as it has worked for me because i know shingles can be hell.
good luck.
Continuation of #151 (Fran) -I always get my shingles in the same spot. I can always tell when its about to happen. First day- My heel, foot and back of my leg become numb and tingle with severe burning pain. Second day – The burning and tingling is still there along with flat reddish pink sore looking sores, Thirs day – Full blown blistering with ooze, pain and itching. By the fourth or Fifth day its all gone because I started taking my Valtrex on the 1st day of pain. Thats the sign I get when Im about to have one of my breakouts. I guess its hereditary because my grandmother suffered from severe shingles all over her back. No one else in my family or extended family has this.
I just want to share this with everyone in this board. I’m a 49 year old women who has had Shingles for 25 years ( the age of my son today), never knew what I had until 12 yrs. later I was diagnosed by a doctor who did a biopsy to determine exactly what I had. -Herpes Zoster (Shingles) on the hamstrings of my right leg. I was prescribed Valtrex which works very well and it has controlled how many outbreaks I get yearly. I use to breakout 5 to 7 times a year and now I’m down to 2 episodes (outbreaks) a year. It is well under control.
I have so much sympathy for all you guys. Am 69, on Dec. 3 of 2009 came down with a horrid case of this stuff called shingles. It did a wicked number on my body, left lower hip and tummy. It finally went away with meds, etc. I have keep it at bay (I think) taking my vitamins and l-lysine. The problem that I can not get resolved is the constipation that has come with it. My stomach is still swollen so that I can not wear my regular clothes. And I had the bowels checked,(ok) and a body scan (ok) but the nerves I guess in my lower digestive system are so numb to the feeling of needing to empty out my daily re-cycle products!! Have had to resort (by the dr. orders) to medimucle to make stuff recycle! The belly button is an inch or more to the right side of my
normal place it should be. Dr. is not concerned(?) and says when I need to take the laxative stuff to do so, but eat lot’s of fiber. Am a sort of health nut, so do this automatically. Still not a lot of good results. Still the tummy is swollen. Am really puzzled at to why this is happening. Have found nothing on the internet to tell me why this is so. Any response would be welcome. Thanks