Shingles Support Group

Herpes zoster, colloquially known as shingles, is the reactivation of varicella zoster virus, leading to a crop of painful blisters over the area of a dermatome. It occurs very rarely in children and adults, but its incidence is high in the elderly (over 60), as well as in any age group of immunocompromised patients.

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Infectious Diseases
/ Shingles Support Group

Does this sound like shingles?

AusSue
AusSue
I get eczema all over my body which makes it very hard to tell if a rash is eczema or shingles.
Yesterday I had a red patch that was swollen on my right side of the face down on the chin bone. It does not look like a welt or like eczema, it is painful but not itchy. It does have one darker spot in the middle that is even more raised.

Today it is a bit more swollen, the cheek also feels tight like it is swollen but I asked a friend who saw it & she didnt think it was swollen. This morning I also had some red marks on my right breast on the underside, also scratch marks so I obviously scratched over night. It has been sore today & feels like it is burning (unlike usual eczema feel). I have put my usual cortisone cream that I use for eczema on it but it doesn't seem to be helping. It is red spots but not raised on the right breast, nothing on top part or other side or back.

I have had shingles 3 times before, once as a teenager & 2 times as an adult. The last time I didnt know I had it till I was in hospital with a ms flare & when Dr looked at my back asked how long I had blister/sore for? Didnt know I even had it. LOL I was admitted quickest ever & in a quarantine room, everyone had to put gloves & coat on etc to visit me as I was bad with it. I don't want that to happen again. I don't want that again.

Does this sound like shingles? I am due to work the next 2 days & don't want to miss more if I can avoid it as had 3 weeks off in January & 2 weeks in February due to different illness.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Is the mark on your face on the right side as well? If it is I suggest you go get it checked out, if it is shingles it can cause major damage like blindness or becoming deaf! Currently I have 2 marks on my breast and one on my back, I've never had any of them itchy just burning! It's better to catch it invthe early stage so your doctor can put u on meds right away! Shingles is not something to play around with, I've known of people not being able to walk with shingles! Please go get it checked and keep us updated! Good luck
deleted_user
deleted_user
I think your response to shingles is different than mine. I had one sore spot on my arm, that was the deepest itch I have ever had. I also had eczema all over my back and when the shingles started to spread all over my arm, the itching was the worst thing I have ever experienced. The back didn't itch at all, and it confused the diagnosis. I was told that the only real way to diagnose shingles it when the blister is first up, to get it tested in a lab. They can confirm that it is herpes zoster, and not something else. However, sometimes it is hard to make a doc appointment the first day you notice it, and sitting in the ER for 10 hours because of an itchy blister, because you have been assessed as "non life threatening" in order to get a swab done, isn't my idea of a fun way to spend the day. I would say go to your doc, get the swab done, if it isn't too late.

The big deal about shingles and isolation - is that anyone who hasn't had chicken pox can get it from your shingles, which means they can get shingles. That being said, it makes you wonder why for someone working in a hospital, having had chicken pox or the vaccine wouldn't be mandatory? Shingles happen, and they are just protecting themselves, when there are better ways to do it.
deleted_user
deleted_user
It's a know fact that you can pass shingles but you can chicken pox to one that's never had it
deleted_user
deleted_user
Yes, you need to go see an opthamologist right away!! They will check to see if it is in your eye. You can get damage to the cornea and the optical nerve if you are not careful and time is of the essence. They will examine you beyond what you can see by looking at you eye on your own, and give you antiviral drops for your eye. You also need to be careful of shingles on your head and face because it can affect your trigeminal nerve that goes across your head, face, eye and jaw. It is NOT good to have nerve pain there. That is what I have now after the shingles. The quicker you deal with it the better you will recover. It doesn't hurt to take antivirals if it is NOT shingles, but it does hurt to miss the boat and be too late.
Steroids also helps calm things down too.

Also, you are contagious to people who have never had chickenpox if you have open sores. I don't know what your job is, but if it is around children you need extra caution.

Good luck with everything.
J
AusSue
AusSue
Thanks everyone for your replies. I did go to the Dr & thankfully it wasnt shingles. It was a rash from the last lot of antibiotics, excema but looked different the way it happened.
She didnt thing the face was the same & thought that was swollen as apparently my sinuses were blocked again & one side of my nose is probably broken (again) which is why I cant breathe through it. I have had my sinus done surgically two times before so dont want to go through that again Thats why my face was swollen & my throat was still very mucusy so probably why the face was swollen.

All probabably's which I hate but at least it is not shingles. Didnt get more antibiotics as I have had 3 courses last month so dont want more.

Thanks again everyone.