If you have had shingles &/or took pics...*Update #21*

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Could you please link them to me? I think I may have a mild case of shingles but all the photo's I can find online are the worst case usually. My dh took some pictures for me but you really cant see detail. I am posting them for you all to see but dont expect much.

Day 2 Morning
Day 2 Evening
Day 3 Evening
Day 4 Evening

Let me know if I didnt link that right.

My symptoms:
1)rash started on my right mid shoulder yesterday extremely itchy but when dh scratched it for me the pain was intense
2)Noticed yesterday as well that I was having deep mild pain directly across from the rash on the front under my breast
3)I feel kinda feverish and just off
4)The rash itself feels like needles sticking into it from time to time but rubbing it dosnt cause a lot of discomfort
5)I have a headache but any more that isnt that odd for me

[mama2toomany]

I never took pictures but it started right under my breast on the left side of my body.

The first time I noticed it, it was a tiny little scale on me, and I was like "wth?" then after a little while it grew and totally wrapped around my left side from under my breast to my back.

It was so painful I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I hope you get the answers you need, and I hope it gets better soon!

ETA: You picture looks like my shingles when they first started.

[balancedmama]

That looks like my mom's early shingles.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I did find that some people can have milder cases than others. I am not currently in much pain some with sharp pains on occasion. That is what has me confused.

[wife&mommy]

Originally Posted by mama2toomany

I never took pictures but it started right under my breast on the left side of my body.

The first time I noticed it, it was a tiny little scale on me, and I was like "wth?" then after a little while it grew and totally wrapped around my left side from under my breast to my back.

It was so painful I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I hope you get the answers you need, and I hope it gets better soon!

ETA: You picture looks like my shingles when they first started.

I haven't had it but my mom did and she said it was awful. This sounded exactly like what she had. At first she thought it was bug bites, but it wasn't (obviously) and it lasted a few months. She finally went and saw a doctor in the 2nd month and they gave her something that helped a little. They told her that if she had come really early it would have helped much more (just to let you know, since you are early in it, might be beneficial to see someone now if you are into that).

[wife&mommy]

Also doesn't shingles have some other symptoms? I can't remember exactly what but I seem to remember something digestive?

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I am going to try my best to see the Dr. tomorrow because if it isnt shingles it is something odd. For it to hurt like it does and the pain in my right chest is worrying me a bit as well.

Right now my stomach seems ok I just feel off. I do have some lower digestive issues if you know what I mean but that isnt really new for me either.

[ASusan]

you might want to google lysine and shingles. It is used to treat viruses like herpes and chicken pox. Even if you boost your lysine intake and it is NOT shingles, I don't think there is any risk in that.

[lillian]

i had a one time outbreak of shingles on my shoulder - about the size of a quarter. it looked like yours did early on but got angrier and redder. and then the pustules started to ooze. honestly, my outbreak was not very painful.

but it did give both of my kids chicken pox.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Thank you for that. That is the kind of information that I am looking for since I am not in a lot of pain but it does hurt and if I lean back against something it feels like something poking me. Like having a splinter in your shirt KWIM?

Then it shoots pains on occasion are very sharp and come from out of no where. It itches a lot and I can rub it if I do so gently otherwise it really hurts.

I actually wouldnt mind exposing both my kids if it is but ds right now has a suspicious tick bite and he has had a fever and some swollen glands so I am making sure they dont come into contact with it so they wont catch it.

My poor dh on the other hand who has never had cp scratched it yesterday before I knew what was there. Thought it was just a zit itching so he has been exposed for sure. I hope that he dosnt get cp because I dont want to deal with him then of course the odds of the kids getting exposed will go from nearly zero up to very probable.

I will know for sure tomorrow if I can get in to see the Dr. Even if it isnt shingles the pain I am having in my right chest needs to be checked out since I have bp issues.

Is the pain mostly surface pain or is it more like a deep pain? I am having surface pain on the place itself but deep pain in my right chest that goes all the way through into the area of the rash.

[lillian]

yes, mine would hurt if i slept on my shoulder or put a lot of pressure on it. but otherwise i did not feel it.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Definitely hurts if I lay on it or sitting with it against the couch.

[onetrumpeter]

I've never had shingles but the pain you're describing sounds similar to when I get a cold sore outbreak (same virus family, IIRC). I just feel "sick" - usually have a headache (I've come to recognize it as a different headache than a tired headache or sinus pressure one) and it kind of hurts/itches/stings. I second the lysine idea. It does help me. Unfortunately what really helps is an antiviral cream - Zovirax, I think. I hope you get some guidance at your appt. Sorry you're dealing w/ this

[azdesertrn]

My ex had shingles a few years ago and his started with deep pain in his shoulder a few days before the rash appeared. He went to the doctor thinking he had done something to his shoulder. 2 days later the rash started appearing, starting with his shoulder and traveling down his arm. He even had a few lesions under his fingernails. His was a pretty severe case and he was in pain for months- the rash only lasted a week or so. He would try to sleep with his arm up in the air because it hurt to rest his arm anywhere.

I have taken care of patients with much less severe cases who didn't have much pain. There can be a wide variation.

Hope you have a mild case -if it is shingles.

[azdesertrn]

See if this link works. It looks like a relatively mild case of shingles.

http://dermatology.about.com/od/derm...es---Day-2.htm

[ikesmom]

It looks like shingles and sounds like the beginning. Have you been extra stressed? My dh had them at the end of Dec. and it was not easy for him. I would go to the Dr. tomorrow and ask for the medication to reduce the duration ..you have to get it within 3 days of the first symptoms. Normally I am not one to run to the Dr. or for medicine..but I would if I caught them.


http://www.medicinenet.com/acyclovir/article.htm

Dh didn't know it was shingles so it was too late for the medication. I went to the health food store and bought him Bee Propolis Tincture. The lady printed out info stating it had a 90% success rate for help for recovery. Dh already had it full blown , but he still used it.

I just noticed you were the one responding to my post earlier this week..that is weird.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Originally Posted by ikesmom

It looks like shingles and sounds like the beginning. Have you been extra stressed? My dh had them at the end of Dec. and it was not easy for him. I would go to the Dr. tomorrow and ask for the medication to reduce the duration ..you have to get it within 3 days of the first symptoms. Normally I am not one to run to the Dr. or for medicine..but I would if I caught them.

Yes some wicked bad stress in the last month or so to the point where I thought I was going to need treatment at a mental facility Things have eased off now thank the good Lord.

Originally Posted by onetrumpeter

I've never had shingles but the pain you're describing sounds similar to when I get a cold sore outbreak (same virus family, IIRC). I just feel "sick" - usually have a headache (I've come to recognize it as a different headache than a tired headache or sinus pressure one) and it kind of hurts/itches/stings. I second the lysine idea. It does help me. Unfortunately what really helps is an antiviral cream - Zovirax, I think. I hope you get some guidance at your appt. Sorry you're dealing w/ this

I have never dealt with cold sore's of any kind in the past and didnt think of that as a possibility. Thank you for mentioning it.

Originally Posted by azdesertrn

See if this link works. It looks like a relatively mild case of shingles.

http://dermatology.about.com/od/derm...es---Day-2.htm

I saw that picture when I was googling and it does look very much like what I have. Wish my camera could do up close photo's well like that.

It is hard for me to see it where it is since I wear glasses looking around at it distorts the view but I can see some little "tops" that where not there yesterday and I can tell but it hurts worse to just lightly rub my fingers over it. My head still hurts the pain seems to be coming up out of the shoulder up my neck into my head on that side and I am slightly nauseated as well. The whole shoulder itself is a bit achy this morning not enough for me to say ouch but enough that I am very aware of that area in general.

Thank you all for your help and thoughts

[Bea]

I sounds like shingles and looks like shingles to me.

I had an identical rash (except on my inner leg, just above my knee)

For a day or two before the rash appeared I kept pulling up my pants leg to see if I had a bruise...I had this ache in my leg like I'd whacked it off something. I got occasional sharp twinges of pain higher up around my thigh like toothache. I felt vaguely fluey. The itch when/as the rash appeared itched like the blazes. Then it blistered, crusted and took a few weeks to resolve completely. Once the rash was fully there, I felt physically fine.

I'm pretty sure your pictures are of shingles.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

My appt. is at 1:00 this evening. I will come back and update when I know something.

[KimPM]

Yep, I've had shingles and it sounds and looks like shingles to me, too. (That said, sometimes rashes are hard to really diagnose, as many are similar.) The worst of it for me, was maybe about 4-5 days. Hard to remember, as it seems so long ago.

You could try Aveeno or just oatmeal baths/cloths soaked in oatmeal water to help the itching. Also I wonder if calendula (topically and internally, either tincture or tea) would help the itching. I would try it if I had shingles again. I would also try nettles (either tincture or tea) as well.

Also, I'm concerned about your low immunity in even getting the shingles in the first place. I got the shingles when my adrenals were pretty much exhausted and I was having lots of stress, so I couldn't handle any more. Are you taking lots of vitamin C (Sodium ascorbate form)? That will help the adrenals during this time of stress. Also pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) helps the adrenals. I also second the suggestion of taking L-lysine, it helps the body deal with viruses. I would also take all these supplements for awhile afterward, to help your adrenals recover and prevent further issues.

The Dr. will likely give you corticosteroids. I would only use corticosteroids as little as possible (and not at all if you can find something else that helps). The steroids will further suppress your adrenals...which will not help your condition. But if you need a little to get through a day or two...it's your decision.