Shingles??

[Purplecarrots123]

What does shingles feel like? I have a very itchy, burny patch in the middle of my back with a few little spots. Conflicted as it’s right by where my bra clasp is in the middle of my back across my spine, so it could just be irritation, but it has never happened before? Feeling ok otherwise, but tired but nothing new there as I work crazy hours and get up early!

You basically feel like shit!! Flu like symptoms I would describe it as. Fatigue and just generally feel awful. I've had a few flare ups of shingles it's not nice. The spots are like blister, cluster type that can be hot to touch .

I defo don’t feel like that - have done a work call this evening so that’s a sure fire sign I’m still functioning! I’ve smothered it in sudocrem tonight so hopefully it’s bra chafing and all healed after a good nights sleep!

Shingles is a strange condition. Some people feel unwell - fatigued and flu like as described above. Others have a rash and very few other symptoms. Sometimes not all the symptoms appear at the same time.
If you think it is shingles please do get it checked as the sooner you start anti virals the more effective they are.
It is extremely rare (but not impossible) for shingles to spread past the centre line of the body - it is almost always one sided only

Psoriasis Rosa ? Is it just your trunk, not arms & legs ?

Shingles made me feel terrible, exhausted, weak and really gloomy. That started a few days before the spots.
The pain was like nothing else I've ever had. A general, dull pain then a sharp pain almost like someone snapping me with an elastic band - it would make me jump out of my skin when it happened. Totally random 'snaps' of it that would wake me up in the night with a start. The area was really painful to touch disproportionate to the number and size of the spots.

Hope you're ok soon OP.

I had a line of spots/blisters along my bra line, from front to back, on one side. It was incredibly painful, but I wasn’t at all ill with it.

I knew immediately what it was, because my mum had had it, so I recognised the rash. I second what a PPsaid about getting it checked asap if you think it’s shingles, as you should start antivirals within 72 hours, preferably much sooner, if it is.

Go and show it to a pharmacist.

I had shingles on my leg once. I had no symptoms other than the hot rash

go to the GP to get checked. I waited too long and the anti viral is less effective the longer you wait to take it and now have permanent pain from the rash - over 5years now of pain from the nerve damage

I think it's if you get antivirals within 3 days it's quite manageable. DF had it and did nothing about it, went away and he felt fine but he did say where the rash was pained him for a few months after. DM was sensible and had it seen to immediately, no issues at all. Rash gone in a few days.

I’ve had the rash with no other symptoms. I’ve also had it recently with chest pain (a common symptom too). I’d get it looked at since the antivirals work best when taken quickly.

The rash spreads round one half of your back and side. It feels like needles stabbing you. It is a completely different ball game to chicken pox. You are extremely fatigued and tired, you may sleep more during the day. I only know because my youngest had it (an adult who knew her and who suffered from it explained how she may be feeling) and was very poorly with it 🥲 hope you are ok OP.

This is the very few spots I have, a little hard to see as I have freckles. It’s so odd, I don’t feel unwell and I first noticed it earlier as it felt like my bra was irritating me! If it’s still there in the morning I’ll pop and see a pharmacist and get their view. It’s very concentrated in that one area, just very l slightly towards one side of my spine and about half way up my back.

Shingles is miserable. It doesn’t look like that to me.

And I’ll choose a pharmacist over a GP as I’d feel terrible taking up a GP appointment for potential bra irritation!

That doesn’t look like shingles to me - mine was bright red and unlike any skin issue I’d had before. I also had the excruciating nerve pain before the rash really appeared. I have quite a high pain threshold I think but this took me to A&E at 3 in the morning even when I had to bring a screaming baby. Thought maybe I had gallstones or something. Then had to take v strong drugs for a few weeks (can’t remember the name but they’re addictive and require double sign off prescription).

This is a picture of my recent shingles rash (it’ll come up in a while once reviewed)