Shingles Support Group

Sorry you are in such pain. Hard to say if it is shingles from what you have said. I would definately take the medication you have been given.
Maybe the Dr has picked up the shingles virus before your sores have blistered. I went one time with a red rash & very small lumps (similar to pimples) & was told it was shingles, took the medication & sure enough they did develop more but not into a bad dose of shingles as caught early. The pain is often bad before the sores develop. Your Dr has done well to recognise the possibility of shingles.
If in doubt phone the Dr & ask more questions or get a 2nd opinion from another Dr if that is possible. I know dr's services vary in different areas/countries.
Hope you feel better soon
Hugs

Are you sure you have never had Chicken Pox? You might have had a very light case like I did as a child, maybe even in the very spot you have little pimples right now. Shingles can only occur in people who have had Chicken Pox - it is the same virus. My Shingles was just one little spot on my arm, so not all Shingles turn into big rashes. Like AusSue said, take the Valtrex as it won't do any harm and may reduce the severity of Shingles if that is what it is. A second opinion may be worth it. I am so sorry you are in pain.

Since this post was in may, i'm sure you know by now whether or not you had shingles! For anyone doing an internet search fro sharp shooting pains, i want to add that this symptom was one of my first indications of shingles. i had a very small rash, which i thought was dermititis. I felt sick. And i felt like someone was hitting me behind the ear (and sometimes in the ear) with an ice pick.

When i went to the urgent care, the rash had spread a little and the nurse immediately said "shingles." I thought i was too young! I said the rash was no big deal but i had the worst headache of my life. she said that was the nerve ending where the shingles virus was. When i saw the doctor, he said the head pain was not related! I did much internet searching, and i've not seen it addressed in most of the places that give shingles overview. However, if you have a rash and head pain, you may be in the early stages of shingles. It takes a while for the rash to spread and the blisters to show up. This is what i found confusing.

I wonder if i should write a letter to that doctor? Luckily, online i read it recommended that you take Gabapentin for the headache, and I HAPPENED to have some (was prescribed for anxiety), and low and behold, it really brought the pain down a notch. How come the nurse knew but the doctor didn't?

I was diagnosed with shingles back in May, 2008, after having sharp electric-like pain around my left breast/ribcage. Of course I was terrified that it was cancer or something with my heart, but all of those tests were negative. I had a hard time trusting the diagnosis after I saw pictures of the "typical" shingles rash because I only had a few tiny red dots, not even pimples, over my left breast at the time. I was also prescribed Valtrex and eventually the pain went away. I still get twinges of pain from time to time, usually when I am very stressed (I have anxiety), but nothing like the original pain.

So, to answer your question, yes, it is possible to get shingles without a rash.

Good luck!