Has anyone ever had shingles? Please tell me it's not completely horrible. I'll obviously go to the doctor to confirm, but I'm pretty sure this is what is causing the nasty rash/blisters on my chest & neck 
Dr. Google tells me there isn't really anything you can do to clear it up faster. How long does it usually last?
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@MediaNaranja: oh no
I've never had it, but I hope you feel better soon!
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I have. Go to the doctor as soon as possible. If you get there within 72 hours, they can give you an anti-viral that makes the experience less bad. Is it only on one side of your body? That was one of the tell-tale signs.
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I had them when I was super little, like 6. It's pretty rare when you're young! I was out of school for a solid two weeks ... It was bad
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@Hoots: Craaaap. Yup. Just on my left side. Started with a small patch on my neck, and has now spread to my chest and I can see it on my shoulder. I guess I'll see if I can go in tomorrow!!
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@MediaNaranja: I had them! I took tons of valtrex for them, which was embarrassing to carry around with me. I may be the only person that says this, but my experience with them wasn't that bad. The band of sores were itchy hurty and I had flu-like symptoms, but mostly I just felt self pitying and mopey!
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oh and keep an eye on it - if it crosses the mid-line, it's not shingles! shortly pp, I got a pair of crazy infected mosquito bites that were pretty much exactly like shingles, except that they eventually spread across the mid-line.
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I had a super mild case of it with blisters on my side/back and leg I think. I didnt even think to go to the doctors until a few days or a week later to confirm what it was. It didn't bother me at all which the doctor said was unusual and I was super lucky it wasnt painful. If it hasnt really bothered you so far, I think it should be ok. They didnt bother giving me anything for it either.
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Oh no!! I hope if you do have it, that it's a mild case. I've heard it can be really awful or not so bad.
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@MediaNaranja: me! I just had them this past March. My Dr said she's seeing it more often in younger people. I had it on my rib cage and boob on one side. Apparently that's a hallmark of Shingles - it won't cross over to the other side of your body. Like @Rockies11: it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The rash was SOOOO itchy and then sore, but not the terrible nerve pain that I'd heard about. I took Valtrex for it, and start to finish the rash lasted probably about a month. Maybe you have poison ivy? The rash did look similar (bubbly)
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I'm so sorry! I agree with getting seen sooner. Go to instacare if you need to.
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@Shutterbug: Oh man, if only it was poison ivy! Sadly, I haven't taken a walk in the woods anytime recently
The rash is definitely itchy and my arm feels sore, too. Hopefully my case will be on the mild side!
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@MediaNaranja: Mine wasn't so terrible I couldn't function. It hurt and it looked like bug bites. I thought I had bed bugs in my apartment because DH had just come back from an international trip. I think I had to be off work for 2 weeks because I was infectious. If you call the doctor and say you suspect shingles, they will usually try to get you in ASAP to confirm and evaluate. It also will put you at higher risk to get it in the future and some other things down the road. I still think the anti-viral helped because it had started to spread. After I started taking it, it stabilized and the blisters didn't get worse or hurt as much.
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@Shutterbug: It was on my boob too. Sooooo embarrassing as a 21-year-old. The PA took a look (who was a guy) and then called like 3 more docs in to look and confirm. There were 4 men staring at my boob and discussing. At the time, they had never really seen it in someone so young (it was a college town).
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@MediaNaranja: haha bummer. I was also hoping it was poison ivy, but it was winter
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I had shingles this past April during my second trimester. I had a small patch on the back of my upper thigh and it basically felt like a moderately itchy bad bruise. It actually wasn't that bad because I went to urgent care right away and was taking Valtrex within 24 hours of noticing symptoms. Get seen as soon as you can - my husband had it a few years ago but waited to go to the doctor and had a much worse experience.
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If the onset of the rash was within 72 hours starting and anti-viral can decrease severity! Ouch!
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I had it in high school and it hurt so much! The blisters were on my right side....I didn't do much for 3ish weeks!
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My husband had it on his back when he was only 22! apparently it was brought on by stress. It was very painful and he couldn't have anything touching his back, even a shirt. I got him in to urgent care in time to get antiviral, because when I saw the blisters I thought it looked like cold sores on his back so I had a feeling it was shingles
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I've had it twice!!!!! Go to the dr ASAP...do NOT scratch or pick at it (I did that the first time not knowing it was shingles and it got infected). Take Valtrex, it will clear it right up! Good luck!
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My husband had shingles about 7 years ago. It got very bad. He waited too long before getting it checked out to use the antivirals and had nerve pain for months. He still has scars from the blisters. If I even suspected shingles were coming on, I'd see a doc immediately to get the antivirals.
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Thanks for the advice everyone. I did wind up going to care and it was shingles. I got the anti virals so hopefully things won't get too out of hand. The Walgreen's pharmacy was totally mocking me...every surface was plastered with signs saying how they offer the shingles vaccine
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You could only possibly get the shingles vaccine if you were over 50 so the signs weren't mocking you!
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I had it when I was a teenager, the rash was all over my right side under my bra, it wasn't that bad. I never told anyone until it was too late so didn't get any treatment. Sure I felt ill a bit like first tri fatigue but I never missed a day of school and even swam in a swimming gala, it was actually when I didn't do as well as I normally did (2nd instead of 1st) that my mum suspected something, she went into the changing rooms and saw the rash. No idea why I never told her before! We went to the docs the next day but the antiviral only works if you catch it early.
Basicly, don't fret yet, it might not be that bad if you are young, healthy and strong. -
Oh and the scars from the blisters last ages but the do go completely evrntualy
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@MediaNaranja: So glad you went in and have the anti-virals. Good luck. Hope it doesn't get any worse and you start feeling better soon.
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@MediaNaranja: I had shingles about 4 years ago... didn't even realize it because I did not have blisters, so I didn't start the anti-virals until probably about 2 weeks in!! I was breastfeeding for the first time and my nerve pain was right next to my breast so I figured it was related to breastfeeding. Then I saw three bumps (again, no blisters, no itching). I thought they were spider bites! But the nerve pain was ridiculous-- I had pain starting there, under my arm, and shooting up my back towards my neck, 24 hours a day. That's why it's called shingles-- the nerves go around and up each side of the body, all the way down the torso, in a shingle-like formation!
Because I didn't start the anti virals until much later, my nerve pain lasted almost a year
It was awful. But at least I didn't have blisters and scars. I don't know which is worse! Probably the nerve pain? Anyway, I hope it clears up QUICKLY for you!!!
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I had them in elementary school, it was awful and very contagious. I had to stay at my great grandma's house during the day while my parent's worked but had to be in the basement away from her so she wouldn't have contact. She would leave food and that was it! get in as soon as possible, it's extremely contagious!
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@MediaNaranja: just to clarify (although I'm sure the Drs did
) it's only contagious to people who have not had Chicken Pox, in that you can give them Chicken Pox if they come in direct contact with your rash (or the pus... ewww). You can't catch Shingles from someone else. Hope the antivirals help!
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@MediaNaranja: I have it as we speak! My doc said she's seen 30 cases in the past month, and it's really not considered contagious. Mine is patches on my chest and near my arm pit. The nerve it's affecting wraps around my back so I've had pain back there too but no rash. She have me valttex which helped,..but FYI is the biggest most foul tasting pill I've ever taken.
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I had it in college. I think I must have gotten a mild case of it because I dont remember it being really bad. I did have the blisters and they did hurt, but it wasnt unbearable.
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I'm glad you got the anti-virals!! I had it when we were planning our wedding, just on the left side. I was tipped off by the weird nerve feelings and caught it early with the anti-virals and it never got bad thankfully. I'm definitely scared to get it again someday.
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@Tidybee: Glad I'm not alone, ha! My rashes are on my chest and neck, and I'm starting to see rashes forming on my shoulders, boo. Turtlenecks for me until it clears up (luckily it's nice and cool here so I won't look like a weirdo). I agree that these horse pills are foul!! Luckily I'm not really in pain, my left side just feels really sore, like I slept wrong or started a new workout routine or something.
@Mrs. Chipmunk: Good to know, haha!!
@loveisstrange: @Tidybee: @Shutterbug: @mrs. wagon: @Hoots: @Snowdrop: @Ginabean3: @autumnlove: @Rockies11: @erind425: Did any of you use calamine lotion or something similar for the rash? The more I tell myself I can't scratch the itchier the rash gets
Anything else over the counter that worked?
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@MediaNaranja: I tried everything under the sun! haha. I used calamine (mostly the clear gel kind) and the biggest thing that helped me was ice packs, actually. I don't know if any of that is recommended or not, but the only way I survived the itch was to put on the calamine and then ice it like, alllll day.
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@MediaNaranja: nothing worked for me for the rash besides tylenol - no creams or anything - I tried everything. It didn't take very long after starting the Valtrex for it to hurt a lot less though - couple of days, max.
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@MediaNaranja: I honestly don't remember what I used....aloe or lotion or something! I'm old and it was 20 years ago..haha!
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I've never had shingles, but had a pretty horrible case of scabies while in college (ugh wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy!) and I found that dabbing tea tree oil over the worst of it helped to cool and sooth the itching a bit. Maybe that will help your shingles too?
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My husband had them right before I had Liam. It was not fun. I hope you can get into the doctor soon!
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@Circusbee: Oh, I think I have some tea tree oil at home, I'll try that tonight!
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@MediaNaranja: I used calendula cream that I got at Whole Foods, and alternated that with hydrocortisone cream when it got really itchy. I think it helped, but my blisters were so close to my butt that it was easy for me not to scratch unless I was at home; otherwise it probably would have looked like I was scratching my butt in public
The rash is definitely itchy and my arm feels sore, too. Hopefully my case will be on the mild side!
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