Do I have shingles?

[mrspodington]

Hello looking for some advice.
I'm 36 years old and two days ago (Saturday) I started to feel like I had bruised my right side groin/pubic area it is also slightly swollen but with no obvious bruising. It came on quite suddenly and at the time it came about I was just been sitting watching a film with my daughter.
I currently do not have any sort of rash but the area is extremely tender even my underwear and clothing pressing slightly is painful and pressing with my fingers is excruciating. It feels as though I have bumped or banged the area but as far as I am aware I haven't injured myself at all.
I am feeling generally I'll with cold and flu like symptoms and am quite run down due to the usual busy life (work, kids etc) I'm also suffering from a problem with my hips which I am awaiting further tests for which is getting me down due to constant pain.
My mother in law suggested it could be shingles but I don't have a tingling or burning sensation or a rash so I don't want to waste the doctors time if it's nothing.
Any advice greatly recieved thank you.

have you previously had chicken pox?

Yes when I was about 5 or 6 years old

My DM and my DS both had shingles and it involved a line of painful blisters looking like festering chickenpox or cold sores. It's usually visible along a nerve line, classically the stomach but my DS had it along his wrist and arm. You have to have had chickenpox to get shingles too. Does this fit?

It could be
it is worth going to GP as they have medication that can lessen the seriousness of the shingles, but it has to be taken asap

I don't have the rash but having done a quick search on symptoms it says the rash comes around 5 days after the first symptoms of being unwell. Most of the symptoms seems to mention a burning or tingling sensation which I don't have this is definitely more of a bruise type pain. My main concern is that I work with small children so I'm worried I could pass on the virus to them.

Yes it could be. Sometimes it can take a few days for the blisters/rash to appear after the sensation has started. I've had shingles twice and for me, it feels like I've got sunburn and somebody is rubbing sandpaper on it, it's an unmistakable feeling.

You can't pass shingles on but you can pass chickenpox on from shingles.

I had a small patch of shingles on a buttock (a small round patch of about 10 spots) and also had a painful lump in my groin as one of my lymph nodes was affected.

This is my worry the children I work with are 3-5 years old so prime age for chicken pox I would hate to think I have made them I'll but can't just take time off work on a hunch I really do feel quite poorly though

It might be shingles, but sounds like you need to see your GP.

Yes that is exactly what it feels like (but without a rash as yet)

I think I need to ring my Gp first thing 😞

Oh no the more replies I get the more I'm thinking you might be right I just hate using up a doctor app if it's not. Guess I need to make the appointment and get checked out.

for me the first symptoms were an ache, quite bad, that felt like a muscular strain

Thank you for all of your help I will make N appointment first thing tomorrow.

Your description sounds exactly like my bout of shingles ten years ago - on the right in the groin/pubic area. The pain got stronger as the days went on to the point I started limping. Then the rash came up across the length of the nerve about 5 days after. As per PP get to doctors asap as there is medication you can take but the sooner the better. I was off work for a month and even then I went back a bit too soon. Best of luck.

how did you get on at GP OP?