dd1(19yrs) has shingles for the 3rd time, anybody else had experience

[Mynameisthecatwhogotthecream]

Poor dd1 had chicken pox 3 times by the age of 14, she first had shingles at 17, had another bout about 6 weeks ago and now it seems to have up again, all the attacks have been in the same nerve.

She has various health problems, asthma, pernicious anaemia, migraines and lactose intolernce.

I know it's unusual for some one her age to have had it so many times and wondered if any one else has any ideas

Have you contacted the GP for antivirals?
Sounds like she has a low immune system. She maybe needs further testing and a plan to help minimise shingles attacks (if there is one)

Poor love. I’ve had shingles three times over a longer period (15 years) and I’m now careful with my diet, sleep and supplements. I also look after my gut, and take probiotics daily. Basically… a lot of self care!

The anti virals worked very well for the last bout, but they need taking early.

Contacting the gp this morning, it's complicated because she's registered with a gp at her uni so will have t register as a temporary resident.

I was like this as a teen and went on to be diagnosed with Addison’s disease and lupus. (Oddly enough lupus is actually the opposite of a low immune system, it means the body completely over reacts to everything)!

I would ask for a referral to an endocrinologist and get lots of blood work done to see if anything else is going on.

I had shingles twice by the time I was 15, for me I think it was the aftermath of the death of one of my parents. I have had it twice as an adult. I've also suffered very badly with cold sores (herpes) all my life and I understand the two viruses are similar (from the same family or something) so I just figure I'm not great at dealing with that type of virus although I seem quite resilient to other things.

It is miserable and I can vividly remember crying when caught in the rain as each rain drop was like an electric shock.

I think being tired and stressed was definitely a trigger for me. I hope she does OK.

Is it definitely shingles? What you've written makes me wonder if she has a problem with her mast cells which can present with various food intolerances, hives, migraines and asthma-like symptoms. And can be triggered by a virus, if otherwise managed ok in between. Have a look at MCAS - Mast Cell Activation Disorder. There's a lot of it around at the moment as it's linked with Long Covid.

This might not apply to you in the UK at all, but it could be worth checking out: here in Germany there is a vaccine against shingles. I'm thunking of getting it myself as my mum suffered so badly in later years from it, and I know I had chicken pox as a kid.
However, in Germany it's only licensed for use on people over 50, and it may be pointless if you already had a shingles attack.
As the PP said, you also need to be sure that these attacks ARE shingles first. Best of luck to her!

Yes, dd had it twice and following the 2nd episode was diagnosed with with coeliac diseases, she was also anaemic and lactose intolerant. So coeliac is an autoimmune disease.

She's since been diagnosed with EDS and POTS and is being investigated for lupus.

My DD had shingles about 6 times from the age of 11. She did, however, have multiple health issues and disabilities (which means she's sadly no longer with us) but frequently when she was ill with one thing, shingles would follow shortly afterwards. It was always in the same place (lower back left side) and she never seemed to be really ill with it. We did always get anti viral as soon as the rash appeared though. She did, incidentally, have chicken pox twice as a child. Shingles (herpes) lies dormant in the body after you've had chicken pox and does seem to manifest itself if you are ill or stressed. I did ask about her getting the shingles vaccine but she couldn't have it because she was too young.

@CovidCorvid

Yes, dd had it twice and following the 2nd episode was diagnosed with with coeliac diseases, she was also anaemic and lactose intolerant. So coeliac is an autoimmune disease.

She's since been diagnosed with EDS and POTS and is being investigated for lupus.

Defo investigate MCAS for your DD @CovidCorvid as POTS EDS and MCAS are the golden trilogy. Our consultant says that 80% of POTS cases he deals with are caused by MCAS and it looks a lot like lupus.

Gosh, so sorry for your daughter.
My son had chickenpox 6 times but has never had shingles.

@bonnesvacances. Yes I think she may have mcas but I feel that a lot of Dr's don't really know about it.... Can't face the gp asking for another referral at present. I think he thinks I have munchasen by proxy or something. Oddly between the age of 0 and 14 she saw the Dr once, I'm the least health anxious person going but now I can nearly see their eyes rolling.

I get shingles a few times a year, I have lupus.

The pattern seems to be that she feels shivery, generally lousy and tired with a bad headache for about 24-48 hours, then the area gets sore and itchy then the spirs come up following the same pattern each time.

She also has eczema, hayfever and we suspect endometriosis.

Also one of my siblings kids has had chicken pox 3 times so this is making me wonder about immunological problems

Have told her that she needs to see her gp when she goes back to uni, there must be something underlying going on

I had shingles in my very earLy 20s, then again at 26 and 28. I also had horrendous endo and adenomyosis that wasn’t treated properly (usual story, crap GPs who said it was just period pain) so I ended up with an early hysterectomy. In my endless poking about on the internet, I did find some commentary linking early shingles to endo though I have no idea how valid it is. If you suspect endo I would pursue for diagnosis and treatment.as it could be linked.

I had shingles age 16 after the death of a family member. Possibly had another time in my 30s. Throughout my teens, 20s and 30s was unwell, terrible period pain, fatigue and had infertility. Was diagnosed pcos late 20s, stage 4 endometriosis (had a 4 hour excision surgery to remove from everywhere!) and adenomyosis diagnosed in late 30s. POTS, MCAS (interstitial cystitis) and likely EDS diagnosed in early 40s. Addisons was excluded via tests. My very best to your daughter.

I had endometriosis and adenomyosis too, I had a total hysterectomy in my 40's.

I'd be pushing for a blood test to rule out coeliac as it's closely linked with lactose intolerance and anaemia and can cause a poor immune response. After that perhaps an endocrinology referral?

DD had chicken pox twice and now has coeliac disease so it's something I'm aware of.