SHINGLES!

[expatinscotland]

DD1's got a moderate case of chickenpox.

It came out Thursday evening.

When DH, a smoker but otherwise healthy, went into the shower, he noticed a red rash on the back of his right hand and high up on his right arm.

I've Googled pics, but they're all of shingles that has gone on to big blister stage.

What does it look like at the beginning?

It's red and a bit raised.

Tiggywinkle, that's interesting. Nephew's shingles was swiftly followed by all four dc and their mum having norovirus. I shudder to think of the laundry they must have had to do.

Expat, I think there's no rhyme nor reason to CP. DD1 avoided it for years, even when her class was going down like nine pins. She then got it when she was 13, when there were virtually no cases of it in our area!

My dad got shingles at the same time the boys had cp - he ended up in hospital as the pain was so bad his gp thought he was having another heart attack. Although you don't 'catch' shingles from someone with cp, it's not just a coincidence - the hospital said that the shingles flared up as his immune system was a bit weak and he came into contact with cp and the cp already lying dormant in his nerve endings reactivated.

DS2 has Shingles when he was only 9! It started with what looked like an insect bite - small raised red patch. Then another... then a third - by which time the first one was blistering slightly. I took him to the gp on the 5th day. He was given anti-viral tablets and improved immediately. Cleared up completely in about 3 days and no recurrence since then.

Should have said expat that I have had shingles which I am sure because I was extremely stressed out at the time (what is new[wink)

When it started I had an area of intense itching then a patch of watery small blisters appeared. I weas given antiviral medication at the time.

Shingles tends to track along a nerve line so it is unlikely if your DP has it in 2 separate places.

A visit to the GP is probably in order. If he is hand washing a loy then it may well be dermatitis which cream should sort.

Best wishes to you BTW.