Is there a doctor in the house?

[BeyondTheLimitsOfAcceptability]

Does this look like shingles to you? I'm on methotrexate for inflammatory arthritis, so know its likely to appear now. As I feel generally shit anyway, its hard to tell when I'm "ill" as fatigue/nausea/pain are always present!

I planned to visit open surgery at the GP for more mtx tomorrow, are they going to have to come to the house, or (if it is shingles) am I not hugely contagious?

I am not a dr
But it looks more like folliculitis me

It doesn't look the same as when I had shingles. Does it really really hurt as the pain was awful?

If you Google 'dermatomes shingles' you can look at some pictures of the stripes you get with typical shingles.

Shingles has a distinctive pain. Really really prickly to me. I've only had it twice and 15 years apart. I knew instantly what it was the second time from the prickly pain.

Isn't shingles normally along a nerve as well? Mine is always around my right chest following the line of a rib round to the back. I'm sure I read it lies dormant in a nerve and that is why islt appears in the same place each time? .

Not a dr but have had shingles loads of times. It doesn't look like any I've had. Is it painfull ?

Pain is kind of hard to tell, as i'm on daily painkillers anyway for my arthritis. It is painful, started out as just red (it was here pre shave, but i had a wedding on the weekend so had to attempt to shave for that)

Its the 'lines' of swelling that made me wonder, though they are hard to see in the picture, but did see similar on a google image that was what pointed at shingles. I'd written it off as a random infection til now

Shingles hurt like fuck*

• not an acceptable medical term. Apparently.

I get shingles in a cluster rather than around my body, so they don't have to be in a line.

Heres a picture from a few days ago, the lines are kind of easier to see. I'll find the google image in a sec...

Would agree with Coco they hurt like fuck and lifting your arm to photo would have you wincing/in tears. Don't think you would have been able to shave if the shingles rash was there. I had them around my waist and thought I had appendicitus before the rash began.

This person posted on a gp forum to ask for advice and came back to say it was shingles.

I have had a milder doses that dont hurt as much but I still would get the tingly nerve pain, IYSWIM?
I wouldn't have thought you could have shaved over shingles without dying crying, but they definitely have spread.

Shingles are only contagious if the weepy spot is touched iirc.

As i said, the pain is hard to judge as i'm always in pain and on huge amounts of painkillers (i have a broken tooth that i'm waiting to have out, and the dentist was very shocked that i said it wasnt bothering me). Every so often it feels like im being stabbed under the arm, but i get stabby pain in my back and legs, so its not unusual.

Whatever it is, my glands in my neck are up too.

(My gum doesnt appear to be infected btw, i did think of that)

I would go with a yes to shingles to be honest

Could be shingles but also folliculitis but I'd need to see it close up. Thing is when you're on methotrexate it can be masked. I would have seen you as an emergency the same day if you are on methotrexate to do bloods and give you treatment as you are immunosuppressed.

I'd probably withhold your methotrexate too to be honest. Depending what day you take it.

Same day as an emergency? Eep! Am going first thing, is that okay?

Normally take it tuesday night, it was missed off my repeat prescription so was going to go tomorrow to query it anyway (couldnt get there today)

How its looking this evening...

Finding its more sore when my arm is down and leaning on it than when its up in the air a bit.

Some bits of it are kind of scabby and flaky.

You'll be ok going first thing if you're feeling ok but if you start to feel unwell get advice sooner.
Glad you didn't get your meds. We are ultra cautious at our practice and tend to err on the side of caution. Maybe too much but better be safe than sorry.

How is it today?

Pretty much the same, she says it looks like folliculitis so i have ABs. :)

Hopefully it will clear up soon