I think shingles for 2nd time, 34 yr old woman and scared, what should I do?

I'm 34 years old and spent a month feeling very ill with no answer as to what it could be. The week of January 25th I had pretty bad chest congestion with yellow mucus and bad taste, later that week I started having a headache (pain behind right eye and in ear) that led me to stop exercising. The next day, Friday I woke up with nausea (no vomiting/diarrhea), ended up dehydrated because I had no appetite and felt sick, so I ended up dehydrated. Went to ER to help with hydration got a negative COVID test, no abnormality in bloodwork and was sent on my way.

The following week Feb 1, I started having chills, aches, vertigo (and being off-balance), random anxiety attacks, and waves nausea/fatigue, thinking it was a virus of some sort and new symptoms, I followed up with my PCP via virtual visit and she stated I should wait it out. By this time the mucus cleared up, the doctor offered me another COVID test, I took it, it came back negative.

Still feeling nauseated/low appetite, really bad aching on the sides of my trunk, and shooting pains in head mostly on the right side, along with vertigo/brain fog, I head back to the doctor on Feb. 11 for an in-person evaluation and the exam still revealed nothing, the doctor I am seeing never stopped to look at my trunk for shingles, but when she touched me there was some sensitivity. She prescribed me nothing, noted I might be anxious (of course I am because I feel poorly) and that my bloodwork was normal (although I have a history of low neutrophil count which she is aware).

The week of Feb 15 I noticed a burning tingling and aching sensation on my left side with a small red dots along a brown looking rash that might have changed colors because I never thought to look earlier. Later that week I started experiencing really scary neurological symptoms like tingling, numbness in arms, hands, feet, along with visual aura disturbances (flashes/sparkles), and a terrible aching pain in my spine (so bad it wakes me up at night).

So I head the ER again on Feb 18 to because of the numbness/weakness to be on the safe side. Their assessment is that this is something other than shingles (even after looking at my side/back) because my neurological exam is fine, the ER doctor insisted she try something for me because my regular PCP did not. I finished a course of Valtrex and 4 mg of prednisone and am still experiencing terrible aching pain along spine, trunk, nauseation/low appetite, weak/tired, and pangs of electric shock/tingling that make my body and head/thinking feel fuzzy and detached. The area on my left side is bothersome from time to time (itchy or pangs of burning/tingling). Nothing helps for the pain and the scariest part of this is I need to find a doctor who will believe me and look further. Does this sound like shingles? I had shingles along my T5 at 27 but only had a rash that burned/itched with a slight achiness...never the symptoms I've described. ER doc thinks MS or Lupus, but I am not sure I will even get that far because current doc will not treat me. Any advice is welcomed.

0 likes, 0 replies