Odd sensations away from rash site
Posted , 3 users are following.
I'm at about week 5 since a shingles rash outbreak. The rash was fairly small and luckily didn't cause me much pain. I wasn't given antivirals - in hindsight I wish that I had pushed for them, but I get the impression that they are not given out to everyone in the UK.
For about 10 days prior to the rash outbreak until very recently I experienced strange sensations in my limbs away from the site of the rash. This ranged from tingling, to intermittent prickles, to cold patches to a sort of 'heavy' sensation. One day it would be below the knee of my lower left left, I'd wake up and it would have moved to my right leg. This wasn't constant and it has almost stopped now, but to start with it was happening most of the time in some form or other.
This doesn't seem to be a classic shingles symptom so I spoke to the GP who was quite dismissive that they were related (because the sensations weren't where the rash was). Blood tests were done and were normal, but his has caused me an awful lot of worry and I've been sleeping badly which probably hasn't helped my recovery. I've since spoken to a couple of pharmacists who have said that shingles can do this and it would be a huge relief if this were the case. I know there are no guarantees from an internet forum, but just wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar? Because the GP seemed quite sure, I've been left feeling very anxious these these sensations must be something else.
The rash site isn't troubling me at the moment but I'm still feeling groggy and tired. I have an odd tight sensation at the back of my head at the moment, which may be entirely unrelated, but it seems as though shingles does strange things. My sleep is still poor and I think the anxiety around all of this is probably getting muddled up with the actual illness.
1 like, 5 replies
barbara66703 s37351
Edited
have been in the same place while expressing the sensations your describe with physicians. it is nerve pain from the nerves are also effected with shingles. If the virus affects the nerves that control movement (the motor nerves), you may have temporary or permanent weakness or paralysis. Sometimes the pain in the area where the shingles occurred may last from months to years. This pain is called postherpetic neuralgia. plz ask about the Shingrix Vaccine. it is two shots a booster 8-12 months after the first injection. it can help you even though you have had a shingles outbreak.
i am surprised your doc did not tell you to get the Shingrix Vacvination right away. that is what was recommended in my case... it has lessoned the frequency an severity of the out breaks now for over 14 years.
There is no specific time that you must wait after having shingles before receiving the shingles vaccine. But it's probably best to hold off until the shingles rash has disappeared before getting vaccinated.
s37351 barbara66703
Edited
Hi there. Thanks for the response. So I am right in my understanding that you have experienced nerve pain/sensations elsewhere in your body during your shingles outbreaks i.e. not just where the rash was or on the same side? It obviously isn't a good thing for either of us, but it would be reassuring to know that this was a possibility.
I've read up on postherpetic neuralgia, though I'm hoping that my symptoms may still resolve themselves as its 5 weeks at this point. The shingles vaccine hasn't been mentioned to me at all - there has been an advertising campaign on TV here but I'm in my 30's so it wouldn't be given to me automatically. I'll give it some thought - just focusing on getting over this initial bought for the moment!
barbara66703 s37351
Posted
it doesnt matter what your age if you take the shingex vaccine after initial rash has concluded. them you are actually exercising the opportunity to have less nerve pain. rash recurrence over time.
good luck..
barbara66703 s37351
Posted
another thought ... I'm thinking since you have had the breakout rash already then you would be recommended to receive the vaccine automatically at your age. i was in a younger group when shingles hit me. we go to the pharmacy here and pay out of pocket for the vaccine. it is well worth every penny to know that i have milder outbreaks and less nerve pain as years go by. if you are in the UK you can ask for the vaccine or should i say insist for it for your future health. it's really been quite mild over the many years of experiencing shingles in comparison to others who did not immediately receive the vaccine.
APanda76 s37351
Edited
i have weird pain throughout my body. its temporary but odd. id do more research on the shingles vaccine if i were you or at least do not take it with a flu or covid vax
read the section on this site about side effects seems worse than shingles permanent issues and terrible
only 10% of people have more than one outbreak
younger people are getting shingles more often because small children get chickenpox vaccines, so we are not exposed to chickenpox regularly in the young population like we were in the past where we were constantly having our immune system boosted through exposure
l-lysine is a great supplement too
building a strong immune system and decreasing stress is paramount to not getting more outbreaks just like people who have herpes have to do to avoid severe outbreaks
I believe there are more side effects to the vaccine than is easily located, especially after reading the testimonies on this site
i’m 47 and if I get another case of shingles I will get a vaccine otherwise I’m just going to work on my mental health and my immune system
Sidenote, I’m including this in every post because it’s been so helpful. I highly recommend emuaid max or emu oil
also, there is a product called wisemen healing balm that is simply coconut oil, frankincense, and myrrh
You can get both products on Amazon
Homeo pathic nerve spray also helps they sell it at Walgreens in the United States, but there may be other things out there as well for nerve pain