Can shingles flair up?

[ASecretLemonadeDrinker]

I got shingles when I was 15/16 and I am sure they have flaired up/come back since. My head feels sore (I had them on my head) - can it be shingles again?

I'm not an expert, nor have I had it, but I thought it was fairly well known that shingles can flare up throughout life once you've had it.

Bad luck though, hope you don't feel too bad.

once you have the virus (herpes type), it can flare up in times of stress or when your body is weakened otherwise. yep could be shingles...

Yes, its always in your system - the virus has been lurking since you had chicken pox as a child, and can flare up as shingles from time to time. It tends to happen when you're run down or stressed. Sorry but there's no way you can actually get rid of it permanently, anyone who has ever had chicken pox has it in their system.

Just wanted to add - a friend of mine has trouble with her shingles flaring up, and her gp prescribes aciclovir (anti-viral medication) to help keep it under control. So you don't necessarily have to suffer with it if it gets bad.

thanks - will see if it calms down, the first time I had it the pain was horrific, it's just irritating now.

You need to get checked, if it is shingles again the antivirals need to be given quickly to be most effective.

My mum is in hospital just now due to a shingles flare upe, she left it ages before getting treatment. (though to be fair she does have an underlying medical condition which has made the effects worse)