Has anyone ever had shingles??

Has anyone ever had shingles?

I know I know! DOnt use webmd but I have been in a lot of pain lately and now I have a small rash on my elbow. My mom says it COULD be the beginnings of shingles..so did webmd!

ANyone???

Re: Has anyone ever had shingles??

I had shingles years ago and they were very painful. I got the rash around my belly and by my ankle.

Re: Has anyone ever had shingles??

Painful how? Can you describe???

This actually feels like a muscle pull but then I dont know why my entire arm would be red and blotchy???

Re: Has anyone ever had shingles??

My husband had it this year and it was horrible, he was in so much pain.

He had a little bit on his shoulder so the pain would run up and down his arm and neck and head.

The virus stays in your nerves, thats why it can cause pain in your whole arm.

Re: Has anyone ever had shingles??

My mom had shingles recently. She was in a lot of pain. When I was doing research I found that it usually starts around mid back and creeps toward the front. This is what happened to my mom. Then you can get outbreaks in other places.
I'm pretty sure I read that if you go to the doc right away they can give you something so you won't get a full outbreak but don't quote me on that.

Re: Has anyone ever had shingles??

I had shingles a long time ago. Go to your doctor let him confirm it.

Make sure you wash your hands constantly & try covering the rash. It is contagious.

Re: Has anyone ever had shingles??

My mom also recently had it - it's very painful.

Shingles itself is not contagious (you can't catch shingles from someone) but you CAN pass along chicken pox to someone that hasn't had it - so be careful.

Re: Has anyone ever had shingles??

My DH got shingles 19 days before our wedding!!

He was complaining of neck pain and tiredness. He too looked on line and thought is was shingles. The rash only develops on one side of the body. If you have not had chicken pox you can get shingles. He went to the doctor and it was confirmed. They gave him valtrex

Re: Has anyone ever had shingles??

I had shingles about 6 years ago. One morning I woke up and my back was really really itchy, and I scratched the he!! out of it, and it REALLY hurt, so I looked in the mirror and had a really nasty rash on my back! I was only in my mid 20s so I never thought shingles!

It was almost like a solid mass of red yucky bumps, and the skin was red and shiny in between the bumps as well--it was probably about 2 inches by 4 inches around. It hurt like he!! when I showered, the water stung like little needles.

When I went to the doc, he took one look at me and said "Yep, you've got herpes zoster!!"

I about died when he said the word herpes, but the zoster part means shingles, not the genital kind!! He put me on Valtrex. I think you have to catch the virus within 72 hours for the medication to be effective. So, he should go to the doc right away.

I had to put hydrocortizone cream on it, and cover it, it lasted for over a month. I think it wasn't totally gone until about 3 months afterwards.

My aunt had it on her face, that is more dangerous because it could attack your eyes.

Wow, that was long! Good luck!!

Re: Has anyone ever had shingles??

I had shingles when I was 18.
Shingles are much more likely to start at the torso because it literally comes out of your spine. ICK. And you have it on one side of your body.

When I had shingles it started as a "weird pain" in my back. I kept telling my mom I had weird back pain but it was in my skin. I can't describe it. Then I got a bunch of what I thought were mosquito bites on one side of my belly. They were really itchy and I couldn't imagine how I had gotten so many bites in one place.

Then my mom said shingles! Ugh. Then it turns into a scaly rash and it's very very painful. It lasts a MINIMUM of 3 weeks. I had it for abour 6 weeks. If you catch it early though, it's better. I had a special cream and anti-viral medication. I think it was Valtrex.

I hope you don't have shingles!

Re: Has anyone ever had shingles??

I had shingles about 18 months ago. It started out as a terrible pain in my lower back. A couple of days later I got a rash on my hip that was sore to the touch. It sounds like you may have shingles, but I hope not

Re: Has anyone ever had shingles??

I had it 2 years ago.

Mine started on my upper right arm. I had bumps there, on my right breast, and on the back of my right arm on my shoulder blade.

I had the bumps for about 4 days before I called the dermatologist. I thought it was just an allergic reaction. What made me go to the doctor was the unbearable neck pain. I sort of felt flu-ish overall with muscle pain, tired all the time, bad headache.

Sure enough - shingles it was. Which I couldn't believe because I thought old people got shingles (I was only 21 at the time).

Dr. gave me Valtrex which prevented me from getting more blisters. Dr. said it could be months before I felt back to normal but I'd say after a week I was back to my routine.

Go to the dr just to be on the safe side!

Re: Has anyone ever had shingles??

I got shingles two years ago on my face on the right lower side. I actually could not see the pox marks because htey were under my chin, but i had severe pain in the back of my head (it was a very painful lump that i found out later was actually a lymph node that was very swollen). It also hurt, and i mean hurt to comb my hair. I finally went to the ER thinking i had a severe ear infection (of course i let it go for awhile and then it was nighttime). Sure enough in the ER they saw the pox marks and they put me immediately on Valtrex.

I caught mine early, if you don't it can get really painful so go to the doctor. A rash that hurts might be shingles, however, i have never heard of it on someone's elbow, but you never know!


ETA - You can get shingles even if you have had the chicken pox virus. I had chicken pox badly when i was 7.

Message edited 8/20/2007 11:47:42 AM.