Is this shingles?

[MargaretHarborough]

Have been having some pain and irritation recently and would appreciate some input from any diagnosticians among you!

• Started with a strange pain at the bottom of my shoulderblades about 10 days ago. Couldn’t quite identify the pain: it wasn’t quite the same as a muscle strain, didn’t feel “internal”.
• That calmed down, but in the middle of last week I developed what looked like a few insect bites on my front, around the same level as the shoulder pain. They were pretty itchy. Two of them look to have calmed down, but one still remains
• Then on Friday/Saturday just gone my skin got quite irritated and painful, both front and back. The sensation is strange – a mixture of itchy, numb and painful to the touch.
• Now I have a bit of redness, perhaps a line of tiny red dots on my back (difficult to tell in the mirror!) and a couple on my front, but nothing that looks like a typical shingles rash.
• I’ve also been feeling a little bit under the weather – tired, aching limbs and so on.

So – does this sound like shingles? And if so, can I expect it to get any worse? I always thought shingles was very painful indeed, but the pain I am experiencing is not too bad – it doesn’t stop me working etc. I would be perfectly happy if this was as bad as it gets. But I also don't want to be struck down with worse pain over the long Easter weekend without access to a GP.

Anyone experienced anything similar? And if so, was it shingles?

I thought you got the spots on one side of your body, as if there was a line cutting you in half, so that could still be front and back.

I had shingles and thought it was insect bites too. The spots were on my face and stomach. Also horrible aching limbs and stomach as if I had flu but that was days before the spots appeared so did not connect them at first.

So yes you could have it. I didn't have any treatment.

Yep, sounds like shingles. I had it years ago and it went from my back round to the front, just under my breast - pretty painful for bra wearing!

The spots were painful whilst they appeared but it calmed down a lot fairly quickly and apart from feeling a bit weary and getting quite a few surface 'stabbing' pains, it wasn't troublesome. The chemist diagnosed mine! I did go to the dr but they didn't give me anything as it's viral. It cleared up by itself but I had to avoid pregnant people!

Shingles track along nerves so they appear in straight(ish) lines. They most certainly can appear both front and back and a 'ring' around the torso would be a fairly common appearance for shingles.

It definitely sounds like it could be shingles. If you feel poorly, a Dr can prescribe Aciclovir tablets which help to speed up recovery and amytriptiline for the nerve pain. Otherwise , it'll just run its course over a couple of weeks.

Yep sounds like shingles, I had them in the same place, round one side from front to back and felt fluey. I was only a child though so Dr didn't give me anything for it. I doubt it will get much worse, I can't remember if they are contagious though?

When DS had it he was given a drug that apparently is only successful if it's caught eaely enough. Can't remember what it was called. He was aged 7/8 and was quite low with it for a good three weeks.

Sounds like shingles to me! I've had shingles twice! Get to docs xx

Thank you all! Just under the breast is exactly where it is - ouch. Things seem to have calmed down somewhat overnight, so I'm assuming I've got a mild case and it's on the wane already.

Op just so you know, even once the evidence of shingles has cleared up, you can still feel occasional nerve pain in the area - it's a bit like a sharp pin prick kind of pain. You may or may not feel it but it can take months to clear, so just don't be concerned about that bit should you get that!!

Hope it clears up for you soon.

I've got shingles and it does sound like it. I went to GP but they said it needs to be within 72 hrs of the rash arriving for them to give you the antiviral meds, so I'd make an urgent appt to see them.