Diagnose me

[Jalapeñomel]

Do I have shingles?


So I have this pain in my upper thigh...it started over the weekend in like a quarter sized area. AT first it felt sort of like numbness or itchiness.  Now, the area of pain is quite large, and I'd describe it as burning? Stretching? I'm not quite sure, but it seems like it's nerve pain? 

I do not have a rash. I do not have a fever. 

Do I go to the doctor? Wait to see if it turns into something else or nothing at all?

[fernweh]

Did you have a cut/scratch in the area? A few years ago I got cellulitis from a tiny scratch in my leg and the symptoms I had sound very similar to what you are describing.

I would do to the doctor.

[starburst604]

Google says that shingles can present with no rash, though it’s rare. So maybe? The discomfort you describe does sound like how singles feels. I’d see a doctor asap so they can start antivirals if that’s what it is. The sooner you start the more effective they’ll be.

[fluffycookie]

I was told that the pain is the first symptom and that the rash comes out. When I was told I had it, I had the rash and they put me on anti-virals so I am not sure if they will put you on them without the rash. I hope you feel better!!

[Jalapeñomel]

Oct 9, 2024 8:39:37 GMT -5 fernweh said:

Did you have a cut/scratch in the area? A few years ago I got cellulitis from a tiny scratch in my leg and the symptoms I had sound very similar to what you are describing.

I would do to the doctor.

No, nothing that I know of! 

[dexteroni]

I was just talking about shingles with my doctor at my physical yesterday (I really need to get the vaccine). She said the rash can come later, but the itching / burning sensation you described is really a unique telltale sign. I’d call your doctor now and see if she agrees. Maybe she’ll put in for an antiviral without you having to wait for an appointment.

[stpancras]

I went to urgent care once with the symptoms you described, no rash, and they started me on the antiviral. It was on my torso and felt like I’d been scraped in one spot. Only had a couple spots ever erupt.

[Eagles]

Definitely go to the doctor or urgent care, whomever can get you in first. The sooner you get the antivirals, the better.

[Jalapeñomel]

Ok, I will phone my doctor!

[Susie]

I just had shingles this summer, so it's still very fresh.  It's possible to have pain without the rash at all, but I don't think that's super common.  It is common for the pain to start before the rash appears.  

For me the pain started on a Monday.  It felt prickly, and reminded me of the sensation of clothing moving over skin with raised hairs while having a fairly high fever.  MH could not relate to that description, but it's very exact and specific.  On Tuesday I started having significant back pain on the right side.  I would have believed it was a kidney stone if a doctor told me I had one.  I first noticed the rash on Wednesday and called my doctor.  All of the symptoms were clustered around the same area & side of my torso.  I was dx'ed on Thurs. AM, and started an antiviral Rx that morning.

From Fri night to Sun AM I had a period of intense flu-like symptoms and basically spent 36 hours in bed.  My temp was in the 99s, so not a true fever, but I felt feverish, chills, muscle aches, fatigue, etc., plus the intense nerve pain.

That broke as suddenly and completely as it started, and from there on it was another week of intense nerve pain, and then another week of milder nerve pain, and somewhere around then it turned from pain to itching.  The crossover period where there was still some pain but also itching was not fantastic.  Then there was another week after that while it was all still tapering off.  Around the time the scabs from the rash fell off, the pain and itching subsided.  

The antivirals do nothing to make it feel better, but they do help you get through the active phase more quickly.  The sooner you start, the more effective they'll be and the better off you'll be.  Calamine lotion helped with the itching when that came.  I didn't have anything for the pain phase.

The antivirals made me nauseous, progressively over the course of the 10 days I was on them.  By the end I was struggling to eat much at all.  Bland carbs was all my doctor could really suggest.  I was on 1000 mg acyclovir 3x/day for 10 days.  
 
Shingles pain typically maps to a particular dermatome, and is only on one side.  Mine was T11, right side.  

[sdlaura]

I had shingles a month ago (I am 43). Mine started with a bump and itch, prior to pain. Just anecdotal but doesn’t sound like shingles from my experience. Who knows, though!

[Jalapeñomel]

Oct 9, 2024 8:39:37 GMT -5 fernweh said:

Did you have a cut/scratch in the area? A few years ago I got cellulitis from a tiny scratch in my leg and the symptoms I had sound very similar to what you are describing.

I would do to the doctor.

I’ve been thinking about this all day, but I looked at the area, and there’s nothing.

It’s making me feel kind of bananas, as it doesn’t look like anything is wrong, but it hurts to touch.

[sadie]

Oct 9, 2024 16:09:45 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Oct 9, 2024 8:39:37 GMT -5 fernweh said:

Did you have a cut/scratch in the area? A few years ago I got cellulitis from a tiny scratch in my leg and the symptoms I had sound very similar to what you are describing.

I would do to the doctor.

I’ve been thinking about this all day, but I looked at the area, and there’s nothing.

It’s making me feel kind of bananas, as it doesn’t look like anything is wrong, but it hurts to touch.

I had this for a few weeks -localized, no rash. My doc suggested it could have been from covid. It eventually went away, but it was super annoying.

[turkletsmom]

By any chance do you take Ozempic/semaglutide, etc? I've been on wegovy for about 18mos and get areas like this randomly. It seems to be a pretty common side effect per the facebook groups I'm in. People call them "hot spots". They seem to just show up for a week or two, then disappear and show up in another spot. I wouldn't call it painful, but it's definitely an irritating nerve feeling.

[mags]

Could be shingles, could be cellulitis. Go to Dr.!

[Roc A Bee]

Does it feel like pins and needles? That’s how mine started out. The rash came later.

[Jalapeñomel]

Oct 9, 2024 17:51:44 GMT -5 turkletsmom said:

By any chance do you take Ozempic/semaglutide, etc? I've been on wegovy for about 18mos and get areas like this randomly. It seems to be a pretty common side effect per the facebook groups I'm in. People call them "hot spots". They seem to just show up for a week or two, then disappear and show up in another spot. I wouldn't call it painful, but it's definitely an irritating nerve feeling.

I’m on tirzepitide, so maybe this is it!

[mountaingirl]

Is it anywhere else on that leg? Could it be nerve pain from a back issue or is it more of a deep skin sensation.
I had to convince my father that his leg pain was from a back issue, that it can cause leg pain.

I had shingles at 38 on my torso it was an Intense, deep itching pain but nothing was there for a few days.
It finally turned red and I joked with my father that it was shingles as I knew it was nerve pain. He looked at it and said you really do have shingles, there is a red spot there now. I laughed until I realized he was serious.

Don’t freak out if it is shingles. Mine was just a deep nerve itching but was not really painful.
I can send you pictures if you want to see what it turned into.