Is this shingles?!

[Stopandbreathe]

Thought i had a fungal infection under my right boob (diagnosed from pharmacy on Weds after having an itchy rash for a few days that was getting bigger). Cream prescribed has done nothing, rash just bigger, hotter and much itchier, I noticed yesterday that it actually seems to be crusting....could it be I've actually had shingles?! It feels very hot, and I get a burning sensation which is worse at night - very uncomfortable but not painful as such. Went back to pharmacy this morning, they thought likely shingles but not completely certain and if so, I was quite a way through it by now. Before I make a GP appointment tomorrow, does anyone else think this could have been shingles all along? Photos attached of rash on Monday vs rash today.

@Nothatgingerpirate you can't make such a sweeping statement. Op has had a headache and sunburn like pain and itching. Sounds a bit like shingles to me!

Shingles tracks a nerve. My GP diagnosed mine early after two very painful blisters appeared on my lower back, he showed me a chart of where the next blisters would appear, and he was right. Antiviral helped, but too late for those. The fatigue was horrible. What ever it is I hope you feel better soon. See your GP, to be on the safe side.

I would see a GP asap. I know someone who delayed going to the GP and, although they were put on retrovirals, has ended up eight years later with crippling neuropathic pain. I don't wish to scare you, but your good health is the most valuable thing you have.

Looks like my sweaty boob rash too, but I've never seen shingles.

If it's sweaty boobs sudocrem works a treat

It doesn't sound like the shingles experience I had. I was told by my GP that I likely had shingles and to watch and wait before the rash appeared. The telling sign for me was a pain around my rib cage that was deeper than skin level. I actually thought I'd broken a rib or something.

I had shingles and didn’t feel sick or under the weather. Very bloody painful though - although it just niggled for a good few days before becoming really painful. A family member had shingles and didn’t get much pain at all, the doctor was quite surprised, as the rash was very well developed, but it never became really painful.

Tried this when it very first appeared as I normally find sudocreme works really well on any kind of spot/rash but the rash just got bigger and more itchy and red, hence my first trip to the pharmacy on Wednesday

Yes I'm definitely not feeling unwell, did have a headache last weekend but otherwise it's just been really itchy/uncomfortable rather than painful - a lot more so from Weds onwards where it's felt like it's burning, particularly at night time

Okaaaay 😁
Both my elderly mother and husband had shingles and felt very sick, as in with their stomach.
Of course everyone's different - part of UK I live in has such hard water, most people here have some sort of eczema.
Horrible.

My mum had a rash on her shoulder and arm which she put down to a reaction to a plant in the garden. She was picking up some medication from the pharmacy and just asked the pharmacist if there was anything they'd refer it and he said it's shingles! She was given some antibiotics, antihistamines, pain relief and something else which I can't remember now, but this was over a week after the rash first started. The only reason she wasn't ill with it was because she'd had a vaccination for shingles a few years prior. My dad went and booked in for his after this.
I would get an appointment and get it looked at again but I would say to me it does look more like a dermatitis rash which has been made worse by where it is (lack of air and kept warm). When I've had something like this I've used Sudocrem which helped a huge amount.

It looks like intertrigo. I get this. Clean with soap and water, dry throughly and put talc on the rash. If this doesn't work then try dandruff shampoo, weird but it works.

This looks like a cold sore to me. Herpes simplex. I get it on my body. I’ve had tests previously to check it wasn’t shingles. I probably get it twice a year on my trunk; it’s painful like a cold sore tracking the nerve but doesn’t hurt anywhere near as much as shingles.

That's exactly the position my rash was in when I had shingles, under my right breast and extended in line. I would ask for the antivirals anyway although they are best taken early. If your pharmacy is part of Pharmacy First they can prescribe for shingles. Or if that pharmacist hasn't been especially helpful, have you got another nearby?

Shingles follows a branch of nerves and I think would be a front and back and mid line chest to back bone and go higher.

When I had shingles it looked like little blisters (mine was on one side of my neck) it felt burning and like little electric shocks. Similar to how chicken pox looks is easiest description. IMO that looks very wet eczema/dermatitis. See what they say.

Shingles made me feel like I had the flu and I felt awful with it. You have to start ant virals early on.

Looks like eczema or dermatitis. My shingles only crusted when the blisters had come out and then popped. Canesten cream is rubbish imo. Get something with hydrocortisone in it.

I vote not shingles, OP! Look different to mine at least, mine are much rounder/bigger blisters and the crusting was very pronounced/engorged too. I also feel awful and very unwell when I get them.

Looks nasty though so you have my sympathies! I had a fungal skin infection recently that just bloody did my head in, think I prefer the shingles because at least the doctors are more sympathetic and offer more help! The itchyness of the infection I had was driving me nuts. Thankfully it went away after 2 rounds of prescription cream and ignoring doctors orders, by continuing to use 2nd cream until they were gone rather than up until the time limit they gave (so a few weeks longer). Naughty perhaps, but I'd had it months and was so done.

Hope it clears up soon OP!

It doesn't look anything like the shingles I had but apart from the pain (which started like sunburn but got a lot worse when the rash came up) didn't feel unwell or under the weather.