Shingles?

[wendibird22]

Let’s play name that rash lol.

First, I did go to urgent care on friday and the PA couldn’t affirm or rule out shingles. She gave me an RX for an antiviral 3x a day for 7 days which I started Friday evening.

Back story...
I’ve been training for a half marathon which I’ll complete this coming Sunday. So I have been putting stress on my body. I am not emotionally stressed. Middle of last week I noticed a prickly itch, like when a clothing tag is poking you, around my left shoulder blade area but there was no rash or redness or bites. Friday morning after my shower I noticed a small rash area on my lower left shoulder blade. It’s right where my sports bra strap rests and my regular bra strap so I wondered if it was cause by sweat or other irritation. At the time it didn’t hurt or itch and the only reason I discovered it was seeing it in the mirror. But I also immediately thought of shingles based on how it looked and location. As the day went on Friday I noticed that the area sometimes hurt like a bruise and sometimes more like a sunburn. I had no other symptoms of being unwell. But I decided to go to urgent care because I knew I had this racing in a week and didn’t want to risk waiting for it to be full blown shingles and it be too late to do anything for it.

So fast forward to today and I’ve had 3.5 days of antiviral. The rash hasn’t gotten bigger or smaller and the only difference is it looks a tiny bit scabbed. Sometimes it prickly itches there or also above that area, under my armpit, or my left breast (none of those areas has a rash). Lying down on the area or rubbing up against a couch/chair back does hurt a bit (again like a bruise or a sore muscle like when you get a flu shot and your arm is sore).

DH had shingles about 10yrs ago, in his mid 30s, on his chest. Neither he nor I recall much from when he had other than he wasn’t very sick from it.

Do you think this is shingles? I’m fine to wait it out as I know shingles takes a while to go away and again other than it being annoying I’m not feeling unwell. But if it might be some other type of rash or condition then I’d want to see my doc for follow up as I’d hate to ignore something I could be clearing up with a different type or med or topical.

Here’s a pic of the rash from this morning. The image is reversed because I took it with my phone of my reflection in the mirror...which is why it appears to be my right shoulder blade. It looks like two slanted lines, higher at my spine and angling downward toward my side. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191001/7d29940a72dd65e56dad85e2a752d53d.jpg


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[gatorsmom]

Does it burn like hell when you touch it? I had shingles on my ribs (on my stomach) back in college and I have the scars to prove it. It left little white circles. Your rash reminds me of it. Mine itched like crazy but then burned and hurt when my shirt would even just graze them. They were very sensitive.

I hope whatever it is goes away before your run!

[AnnieW625]

Yes I think that is Shingles. I have had it four times and each times my symptoms were different, but all four times it was brought on by stress, but I was much more stressed the first three times I had it.

#1: age 37....start having this random back itch and then it went away....about two weeks later I thought I pulled my right lat muscle screwing around in my bil’s pool with the kids. The pain wouldn’t go away with Advil or Aleve. Symptoms lingered for a another 10 days and no rash. I was this close to consulting an acupuncturist to help alleviate the shoulder pain and itchy feelings. I wake up on a Friday morning and notice a small rash at the bottom of my bra line and by two days later I was horribly irritable and I went to urgent care.

#2: age 38....started having a rash like the one on your back on the center right side of my chest and I thought it was acne that wouldn’t go away. About two weeks later the tingles on the left side returned and I instantly knew it was shingles.

#3: age 38....about 5-6 months after #2 and I had the same symptoms again.

#4: age 41.....rash started above my right eyebrow and I wasn’t super irritable and didn’t have much phantom pain but again what I thought was initially acne got crusty and didn’t heal like acne.

I had the original shingles vaccine at 40, but still got shingles again. I need to get the newest two part vaccine.




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[cckwmh]

You have shingles. From your description it is probably a mild case. You received the antivirals really quickly, which is a good thing.

[wendibird22]

Does it burn like hell when you touch it? I had shingles on my ribs (on my stomach) back in college and I have the scars to prove it. It left little white circles. Your rash reminds me of it. Mine itched like crazy but then burned and hurt when my shirt would even just graze them. They were very sensitive.

I hope whatever it is goes away before your run!

If I itch where the rash is of if my shirt runs it too much it feels like a sunburn. Irritated. Sensitive. The tingly itching is the most annoying part. Especially when that feeling moves to other areas like my left breast!


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[wendibird22]

Yes I think that is Shingles. I have had it four times and each times my symptoms were different, but all four times it was brought on by stress, but I was much more stressed the first three times I had it.

#1: age 37....start having this random back itch and then it went away....about two weeks later I thought I pulled my right lat muscle screwing around in my bil’s pool with the kids. The pain wouldn’t go away with Advil or Aleve. Symptoms lingered for a another 10 days and no rash. I was this close to consulting an acupuncturist to help alleviate the shoulder pain and itchy feelings. I wake up on a Friday morning and notice a small rash at the bottom of my bra line and by two days later I was horribly irritable and I went to urgent care.

#2: age 38....started having a rash like the one on your back on the center right side of my chest and I thought it was acne that wouldn’t go away. About two weeks later the tingles on the left side returned and I instantly knew it was shingles.

#3: age 38....about 5-6 months after #2 and I had the same symptoms again.

#4: age 41.....rash started above my right eyebrow and I wasn’t super irritable and didn’t have much phantom pain but again what I thought was initially acne got crusty and didn’t heal like acne.

I had the original shingles vaccine at 40, but still got shingles again. I need to get the newest two part vaccine.




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Four times!!!! That sounds positively awful.


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[NCGrandma]

You have shingles. From your description it is probably a mild case. You received the antivirals really quickly, which is a good thing.

Sounds like this is the consensus. Definitely a good thing that you started on the antivirals promptly (in fact, there is some evidence that if it isn’t started within 72 hours after the rash appears, it’s unlikely to help).

Just one other follow up: talk with your primary care provider about if/when you should receive shingles vaccine (depends on age, various other issues, plus — if indicated — how long after your current rash is completely cleared).


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[KpbS]

I would definitely call and ask your doctor if guy should skip the half marathon. You don’t want to jeopardize your recovery.

[wendibird22]

Sounds like this is the consensus. Definitely a good thing that you started on the antivirals promptly (in fact, there is some evidence that if it isn’t started within 72 hours after the rash appears, it’s unlikely to help).

Just one other follow up: talk with your primary care provider about if/when you should receive shingles vaccine (depends on age, various other issues, plus — if indicated — how long after your current rash is completely cleared).


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Oh good point. Hadn’t thought about that. DH never received guidance from his doc about the vac after his shingles infection.



I would definitely call and ask your doctor if guy should skip the half marathon. You don’t want to jeopardize your recovery.

I know. I should. But I honestly feel fine other than the rash. No fever or fatigue. I’ll be done with the antiviral on Friday. Ran 7 miles Saturday and 4.5 Monday. After this Sunday’s race I have nothing planned running/race wise so plenty of time to take it easy.

ETA: I was also up front with the PA I saw at urgent care that I had a race this Sunday as to the reason I came in right away instead of waiting to see what evolved. She did not suggest that I not run.


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[Indianamom2]

I agree with everyone else that this seems like shingles. The type of pain you are describing is nerve pain, which would be common with shingles. Definitely glad you got meds right away. Hope you feel better soon.