Does this look like the shingles rash?

[VioletPetals]

DS has developed a rash on his chest today.

A close friend is pregnant and I’m supposed to be looking after her DCs tomorrow so I’m panicking it may be shingles as I don’t want to risk infecting her if it is, her dcs have not had chickenpox,
but she has no other childcare so if I let her down she’ll have to cancel her hospital apt.

Can anyone with knowledge tell me if this looks like it is shingles.

Extra info…..

DS has has chickenpox.

He doesn’t think any of his friends currently have chickenpox, and he’s texted everyone and asked.

He said the rash is sore but isn’t itchy, it feels tender and stingy like a burn,
but otherwise he feels fine in himself, no temperature.

Thanks.

It does look very much like it to me, best to get it checked by GP I would say.

If u get appointments quickly they can give you anti virals which can lessen the impact of shingles on you

I looked at the nhs page and saw about the medication.
I’m waiting for a call back from 111 as we speak, I’d have no hope getting an appointment with my gp so I thought 111 was my best bet.

The reason I posted was because DS’s rash doesn’t look like the photos on the nhs page, or really the ones in Google,
It could just be an allergic reaction to something but I’m worried about my friend and her DCs so wanted to check what other parents thought.

I had shingles and they were more like little bubbles ( tiny blisters) but ur sons may develop like that

Where is the rash? In one area or all over him?

It’s not all over, it’s just in one area on his chest/ribs/upper abdominal area.

There is only that one cluster that looks angry and ‘blistery’ the rest look like clusters of spots as in the second photo.

It does look like shingles to me

Not worth the risk to your friend

Very unfortunate timing!

Yes, that does look like shingles. I'm sure I remember shingles appearing in a circular cluster or lines.
I had shingles last year, lines of spots from under my breasts round to my back. Almost more painful than childbirth.
Get thee to the GP for anti virals, quickly! Hope your son is OK OP

Thanks.

Still waiting for the call back from 111,
DS has gone to bed though, I hope they won’t want to speak to him.

I doubt I’d be able to get an appointment with our gp, they are notoriously awful.

Shingles only passes on chickenpox with direct contact with fluid from the blisters so if its covered he would be unlikely to transmit anything. It's not airborne like chicken pox is.

What age is your ds?

Can you do a picture of the whole rash ?

DS is 13.

The second photo is almost all of it, there are two more little clusters not in the photo, one to the top right and one to the top left.

Would he be at school when you have the children? If shingles can be covered they can still go to school as long as they feel well enough

Shingles is sort of in a line, that’s why I was asking.

If you've had chicken pox before then you wouldn't be a danger to the children or your friend and if your ds has the rash covered or stays away from the children then he won't be a risk to any of them either

@dementedpixie

Would he be at school when you have the children? If shingles can be covered they can still go to school as long as they feel well enough

It was the school nurse who sent him home (30 minutes before the end of school) because he complained about the rash and it being sore so was sent to the nurse, she said it looked like shingles and that he needed to stay at home until the blisters were gone or ‘scabbed over’

So he will have to stay at home.

Whereabouts is the rash? As far as I know shingles only appears on one side of the body. If it's on both sides it's unlikely to be shingles. Hopefully the docs will be able to identify it and treat it.

@GoodnightGrandma

Shingles is sort of in a line, that’s why I was asking.

That’s what I read, something about it going along nerve lines(?)

It’s just spread out in a cluster wider than the palm of my hand with no discernible pattern.

Is the rash just on one side of his abdomen? I.e: just right side or left side.

My son had it and the doctor said that shingles only shows on one side of the body (left or right), sometimes in a stripe so it appears front and back but doesn't pass the midpoint.

@dementedpixie

If you've had chicken pox before then you wouldn't be a danger to the children or your friend and if your ds has the rash covered or stays away from the children then he won't be a risk to any of them either

I’ve read that it’s dangerous to pregnant women. My fear is that her DCs will get chickenpox from DS and pass it on to my friend.

@VioletPetals

Thanks.

Still waiting for the call back from 111,
DS has gone to bed though, I hope they won’t want to speak to him.

I doubt I’d be able to get an appointment with our gp, they are notoriously awful.

When DH had shingles, NHS 111 arranged for an out of hours appointment at our local hospital, so he could get the antiviral meds ASAP. Otherwise you can be at higher risk of developing ongoing pain where the rash was.

Has he had Covid? Google Covid rash. I had a small patch that looked very similar when I had Covid.

Yes as others have said, shingles is just on one side. Get him anti virals if you can - make a huge difference.

@bedtimealready

Is the rash just on one side of his abdomen? I.e: just right side or left side.

It’s kind of on his upper abdomen/ribs area. It’s not on his side, It’s kind of in the under boob (if he had boobs) area of his chest. Iykwim.