Urgent Advice about Shingles - Please!

[Scotia]

We are off on holiday in two days and ds(4) has a small rash on his side - it really looks like shingles to me (my dd had it at 10). He hasn't ever had chicken pox though, so can anyone tell me if it's possible to get shingles without first having had chicken pox? I know this rash isn't chicken pox.

Shingles is CP virus latent inthe body reactivated by stress/illness.

As far as I know you cant get shingles without having had CP. But worth checking out with GP int he morning as the anti-viral treatments for shingles work best in the first couple of days. Ask for an emergency appt (am wife of GP - kow their pressures - stilll ask for emergency appt as goign on hols!!!)

no you can't! You get shingles when you are run down and you reactivate the dormant herpes zoster virus. So unless he's had it before there is nothing lying dormant. Shingles rash develops along the nerve path way and is usually on one side of the body in a band and is like a cluster of blisters that are itchy and sore. Pain is usually the first thing present.

Yes sss, you are describing his rash perfectly - he complained his side was sore this morning.

Thanks weeegiemum too, I will take him to the gp tomorrow just to check. He's going to be heartbroken if we can't go on holiday - he's been counting down the 'sleeps' for the last ten days!

I didn't think it was possible to get shingles first, hope that's definitely the case.

awww, hope he's ok and you get to go away!

your lo could have had a very mild case of chicken pox that had hidden spots e.g. in his hair, etc and you may not have realised that he had it. You can only get shingles if you have had chicken pox before so if it is shingles he must have had CP at some point. Here's hoping it isnt shingles and you can still go on holiday.

are you going far on holiday? Shingles isn't infectious in quite the same way as chicken pox so you don't need to panic about spreading it. I think you have to touch openly weeping sores to pass it on. My hubby gets shingles about twice a year and we find the best thing is st John's wort oil. Dab on the sores, it relieves the tingling and the spots go fast. You can buy it in Health food shops.

It isn't shingles! Thank goodness, it just looks grazed today, more like a carpet burn from sliding downstairs yesterday

I was a bit worried because his temperature went sky high last night and I was struggling to get it down, but just remembered today that it's 2 weeks since his pre-school booster and so is probably a side effect of that.

Thanks for your help

One more sleep to go!

hurrah!