Has anyone ever had the shingles?

[sangria]

I have a very suspicious itchy/painful/ burning rash on my back and it's spreading to my side.

I feel totally fine otherwise. I'm nervous because I have a 2 month old and I'm ebf.

Has this ever happened to anyone? I'm seeing the doc in a little bit

[iamali]

I had them in 6th grade.

[sangria]

Damn. And I thought 35 was young to have then

[snipsnsnails]

Yep. I've had them 3 times. It would feel like pins and needles/tingly right below my skin. The first time when it progressed, it felt like little needles stabbing. It was always on the trunk of my body and spread around.

The meds work very quickly.

[sangria]

Yep. Little needles is exactly how I would describe. Shit.

I didn't realize there are meds!

[SKP82]

Yes. I had shingles when I was 21. The rash was on my side and super itchy.

Unfortunately, people who have not had chicken pox can get them from shingles.

I had to take Valtrex to get rid of it.

[sangria]

The itching is throwing me off though.

[iamali]

Dec 19, 2013 13:53:22 GMT -5 sangria said:

Damn. And I thought 35 was young to have then

35 is young.  Mine was extremely rare. The doctor told us that in all of his years in medicine he'd never seen a case on someone so young.

[caddywompus]

Have you ever had the chicken pox? If so, then you have the shingles virus inside you. It can flare up in times of stress.
The Dr should be able to give you something to speed up the process, and make it go away quicker. If it is shingles, it sucks-Sorry!

[SKP82]

Dec 19, 2013 13:55:57 GMT -5 sangria said:

The itching is throwing me off though.

What do you mean? The rash can be itchy. You could also have pain associated wit it. I didn't, but have been told it can be very painful, like shooting pains.

[carawestt]

I had it last August, my son was 4 months and EBF. I wasn't able to take the medication, since it's herpes medication and not safe while nursing. I was told to put plain blistex, in the white tube, on the area throughout the day and cover it with a bandaid. And as long as DS didn't touch the area, he was fine. It cleared up in about 10 days. GL!

[onomatopoeia]

I had them when I was 16, on my side. My mom thought it was an allergic reaction and that I was being a wuss (it hurt like a m-f'er) and wouldn't take me to the doctor. I walked there during school on my lunch hour after 4 days of misery. I still bug her about that, poor neglected me.

The meds work fast, not sure if they are safe while breastfeeding though? Hope you feel better soon!

[Bernadine]

I had a patch in high school. They were itchy, but I mostly remember them being scabby and gross to look at.

[sangria]

Dec 19, 2013 13:58:06 GMT -5 SKP82 said:

Dec 19, 2013 13:55:57 GMT -5 sangria said:

The itching is throwing me off though.

What do you mean? The rash can be itchy. You could also have pain associated wit it. I didn't, but have been told it can be very painful, like shooting pains.

I always thought it was excruciating pain, not itchy

[goaskalice]

Dec 19, 2013 13:52:55 GMT -5 iamali said:

I had them in 6th grade.

Me too. It took my doctor weeks to diagnose bc it shouldn't happen that young.

It was the most painful thing I've ever experienced. I remember we had a kitten at the time. He would try to play with me and if his claws caught any part of my body it felt like a thousand knives sticking into my back and side. 

[junebug]

I had shingles when I was 16. They were on my upper shoulder area and they were super painful. like others said, needle prick pain. Mine didn't get itchy until they were almost healed. mostly, they were painful.

[snipsnsnails]

Yep, Valtrex and as it progresses the pain will worsen.

[sangria]

Fuck this. Can I even take valtrex while bfing?

[carawestt]

Dec 19, 2013 14:07:50 GMT -5 sangria said:

Fuck this. Can I even take valtrex while bfing?

Unfortunately, no.

[pantsparty]

I had them about 2 years ago. Started off feeling like a rash and then became very painful. I was shocked when the doctor told me it was shingles, I assumed it was a rash. Get to the doctor ASAP. It can get worse pretty quickly, you'll wanted to start treatment as soon as you can.

[mumofcharlie]

I had shingles last year (I am 41). I wanted to DIE! So painful. Mine did not itch a great deal.

[auntie]

Dec 19, 2013 14:01:26 GMT -5 sangria said:

Dec 19, 2013 13:58:06 GMT -5 SKP82 said:

What do you mean? The rash can be itchy. You could also have pain associated wit it. I didn't, but have been told it can be very painful, like shooting pains.

I always thought it was excruciating pain, not itchy

The post herpatic neuralgia (severe pain) is more common in older people and in those whose lesions are ocular or in the genital regions. Taking Valtrex early on can lessen your risk of ongoing herpatic pain.

DS had shingles when he was about 8 with no more fuss than a couple of pox along his ribcage. He had a couple pregnant teachers, so he had to stay out of school for several days. They over reacted, but I wasn't going to argue.

DH had them as well. He complained that his were itchy. Valtrex cleared his right up and he had no residual pain.