Two days ago I noticed a rash on my inner left thigh. This morning when I woke up I realized that the rash had not only gotten significantly more painful, but had spread across the top of my thigh and down the outer side of it. As the day went on the pain got worse so this afternoon I went to the doctor. He looked at the rash and asked if I had had the chicken pox as a child. When I told him I had he immediately said I thought you would say that, you have shingles, good thing you came in when you did and we were able to catch it early. He prescribed me an antiviral, Valtrex I believe its called, and sent me on my way.
I didn't think it was really that big of a deal, I really knew nothing about shingles other than that its something you can get after having chicken pox. Well a few people, friends/relatives, were absolutely shocked, and told me "I was too young to have shingles" (I am 25) They were also surprised that my doctor was not more concerned, being that "im too young to have shingles" and did not run any blood tests. Is this something I should be concerned about?
Also about an hour ago I noticed that I now have a small patch of the rash on the left side of my lower back. Is the rash just going to continue to spread? At what point will it stop spreading? I am not touching/itching it as it is not itchy at all,just extremely painful, but can I spread it to other parts of my body or is it just spreading on its own? for example, if I touch the rash on my leg and then touch my arm will I then develop the rash on my arm?
just one more thing to add, my daughter is 1&1/2, she has been vaccinated for chicken pox, is it at all likely that she will catch chicken pox from my shingles virus.. the doctor told me that as long as shes not touching my rash (which obviously she wont be) that theres no reason to think she will get it. I figured I would ask on here anyway though since he seemed to think the whole thing was no big deal and the reactions I got from friends and family were extremely different
just to update incase anyone else reads this .. apparently my 800 calorie per day maximum diet I was doing because I wanted to be skinny by summer basically sent my body into shutdown mode and compromised my immune system.. stupid me for not actually researching wether it was healthy or not before doing it.. 2 weeks of that diet apparently sent my body into like shock mode and I ended up with shingles.... yeah im never doing that again
My little sister got shingles when she was 19, when there was an outbreak in her dormitory at college. If I remember right, she said that at least 10 other girls had it... So I can't imagine it's THAT rare for 20-something's to get it...
Other than that, I don't know much about it at all.
Like so many things, how severe it is can vary dramatically from person to person. Yes it CAN be complete misery and suffering for several weeks for some people. But not everyone.
If it gets into your eyes, for example, there are serious risks.
My husband's aunt had it a few years ago, and her skin hurt so badly she could not wear clothes. It was on her back/side and she was in misery.
She did not get treatment right away (didn't know it was shingles at first), so perhaps if she had she might have had milder symptoms.
She's also in her 60's and has other health issues (asthma and allergies).
Don't discount the stories you have heard--those people were likely in very real pain and misery. But don't expect that yours will necessarily follow the same course.
I agree with the previous poster who said to follow your doctor's advice, and follow up with any questions you have with him/her.
Be cautious when you are in public and avoid pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems.
My mother had shingles many years ago before there were antiviral medications. At that time it happened mostly to older people and it was a big deal. My mother had the rash and the shedding skin for months and then she had post herpactic neuralgia for the rest of her life. Shingles is not that way anymore. The antiviral medication should clear this up quickly.
Yes it is contagious and can spread on your body if you scratch it. It also spreads on its own along nerve pathways. If you have not been .shedding shingle like patches of skin I suggest your rash is following a nerve pathway. It's my understanding that its not contagious until your rash begins to weep.
Do know that just because you're exposed to the virus you aren't going to get shingles unless your immune system is weakened. My mother had gone thru open heart surgery and it was thought that she got shingles because of the emotional and physical stress of that. Medicine doesn't know the causes for breaking out in shingles tho they do speculate.
Because my mother was physically sick more than just the rash etc others, including her older sister, helped take care of her skin. No one else got shingles.
Several years later, when in my 30's, I broke out with blisters twice on my forehead. They broke and healed in a matter of a few weeks. It was thought they were shingles. They did not spread. I covered them with a band aide And ccontinued with my normal routine.
I suggest that you trust your doctor. Ask him when you have questions. Don't be alarmed by what others say. Remember that prevention and treatment has improved over the years.
Anyone that had chicken pox can get shingles.
No you're not too young. My 11 year old had it and she had even received the chicken pox vaccine.
Take the entire Valtrex prescription as prescribed and stay away from any pregnant women.. I'd imagine that once the medication gets into your system the virus will stop spreading.
It seems that we all have an equal chance of getting it. It's just a matter of when, and the earlier it is detected the sooner the antiviral can stop the spread of it. That's probably why the doctor was not overly concerned.
You've gotten some good input here already, so I'll just add my 2cents. I also had shingles in my early 20s (had mild chicken pox as a kid). It was along my right collarbone and neck. Generally the rash follows a band of nerves. Your daughter could get chicken pox, but being vaccinated is the best prevention--and kids survive chicken pox (have for centuries).
I caught mine kinda late and wasn't prescribed anything except for pain relief. Fortunately, it was summer, and I just work tank tops for a few weeks!
shingles is when the chicken pox virus (vericella zoster) has been dormant in your nervous system and something triggers it (other illness, stress, etc). So, the rash shouldn't spread by touch. But, you can spread it to others (who haven't had chickenpox) if THEY touch your oozing rash, or if YOU touch the rash and then touch THEM.
I'm convinced I had another shingles attack a few years ago, but didn't bother going to the doctor about it... haha! This time it was on my forearm, so I just kept it as covered as I could and washed my hands a lot.
Just keep an eye on it and take all of your meds (as prescribed)! Good luck mama!
I feel like there are so many misunderstandings about shingles and what they mean and who should be careful around them.
I had shingles while pregnant - my dr. said not to worry about it at all and that they can't spread to other pregnant women. But so often I hear the opposite.
Anyway, don't stress about it. Just do as the dr. says and you'll be fine. I do believe that once you have them, the chances are higher that you will get them again. I have not.
I had always heard that it was older people that got shingles until my sister had it. She was only 14 at the time. Most people were shocked that she would get it so young. She was fortunate though in that she only had a small patch and I don't remember her having much pain. I believe the biggest problem she had was that until she was eventually taken to a doctor, she thought it was some type of acne and she picked at it which caused some scarring.
I've had shingles three times. The first time when I was 15; the last time just a year ago. Because I'd had it twice before, I recognized the symptoms immediately and got to the doctor within hours of experiencing the first sign of the rash. I got on meds right away and this was the mildest case I had ever had. I didn't develop a big rash, again probably because I got on the meds immediately, but my skin hurt for about 3 weeks.
I've been told the the only way to spread it to others and other parts of your body is if the rash is seeping and you or someone touches it - that's what spreads it.
I agree with the others that you should stay way from pregnant women and just be very careful with your child that she doesn't come in contact with the rash or anything oozing out of the rash!
Hope your case is mild.
Yes young people can get shingles. My son and the neighbor boy had shingles at the age of 7, they had it two weeks apart, but fortunately for them it was a little itchy and was along their shoulder blades. That was before the antiviral treatments.
Because they were so young, I did some research and found that sometimes an outbreak in a really young person can signal a precursor that something else could come along like diabetes or cancer, however there has been no manifestation of any other health conditions and they are both in their 40's now.
I'd google it and see what reputable sites say. I'll put some on the bottom I would trust and count as experts in online advice regarding medical issues.
I believe that shingles is a painful horrible thing to go through. It's nerve pain and that's the worst. Even kids can get shingles after having chicken pox. It's just more common in older people. I hope yours is over quickly. Some people have it for a long long time.
http://www.webmd.com/vaccines/features/shingles-chickenpox
http://www.cdc.gov/shingles/index.html
http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/shingles-a...
I'm so sorry you're going through this. My mom had it, and it was so miserable. One thing I just wanted to mention (that I know doesn't help you right now), I was just at the doctor today, and one of the things I asked about was the Shingles vaccine (which he said I couldn't have, because my insurance wouldn't cover it until I'm 60). Anyway, I pointed out that my mom had shingles when she was only 45. He said that people who have shingles are automatically eligible to get the vaccine no matter what their age, and that it's a little like getting the flu shot. Basically, even though you now have shingles, you can get it again, so once you are past this episode, make sure to get the shingles vaccine so you won't get it again. Or if you do get it, the length of time you'd be sick would be drastically reduced.
Anyhow, I hope the medicine does its job and you feel better soon!
If you had the chicken pox's, you can get shingles at any age. You are contagious if/when your blisters start to seep. If you caught it early enough, your meds will kick in about 2 days to lessen the pain, but expect the rash to continue to spread everywhere (including head.) Areas of concern are around the eyes. If you have any sores around your eyes, go to the emergency room right away. This could last a few weeks to a few months. Stay away from young children who did not have the chicken pox and preggo women.
I just got over a case of it myself (extreme high stress was my cause.) I used calamine lotion and large bandages to cover the areas.
