1. Community
  2. Infections
  3. Shingles

Is it shingles?

Posted , 6 users are following.

s00586
s00586

Help! I had shingles two yrs ago and I now have a similar painful rash accompanied by pins and needles, flu like symptoms and extreme exhaustion. I actually just got my flu shot and was already so run down I think it pushed me over the edge. My pcp was booked so I saw the np who says it’s 100% not shingles so I go online to look at pictures and now I’m freaked out it is bed bugs because not only is it on my thing it is now on my other shin and my wrist. I know I is rare and can be in multiple places and since it looks like and feels like the shingles I had two years ago I feel like I should follow my gut but I’ve got myself all worked up and need some help, I’m gonna try to post pictures. Thank you to anyone who replies 

1 like, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • s00586
    s00586

    Posted

    Oops I meant thigh not thing. Anyone know how to post pics?
  • alison63966
    alison63966 s00586

    Posted

    Can you get a second opinion - I thought mine was bed bugs at one stage as it looked very similar to a bite where a bug had a good feed - mine was definitely shingles ( bloody awful) poor you - take care 
  • babs99203
    babs99203 s00586

    Posted

    We're not doctors here, but you can get shingles multiple times and you can (rarely) have the rash in several places. However, you can sometimes feel run-down after a flu shot. This is a quandry. If it were me, I'd contact my PCP or NP again and be firm that you can a prescription of an anti-viral like Valtrex. With shingles being so awful, I wouldn't want to risk it. My husband had shingles 3 times, twice within a few months. He then got some odd spots that could have been either bug bites (and we think a few actually were, as he had been sitting on a porch two nights before). But other spots definitely seemed to be shingles. Our doc thought it was shingles, I questioned if that was correct, but others here have mentioned that sometimes they can be atypical like that. Iin the end, I think the doctor nailed this and I'm glad he got the meds. I never got them, it was too late, and today is my 1 year anniversary, and I'm now dealing with PHN and miserable.

  • Goodwater_Betty
    Goodwater_Betty s00586

    Posted

    All I know is that if it’s shingles, you need to get on the antiviral meds within 72 hours.  My shingles began right after I got my flu shot last year and I actually thought the first pain I had was related to the shot.  I wasted time and didn’t see rhe doctor until it was too late for the antiviral med to do any good.  If I were you, I’d get a second opinion today and request antiviral med to be on the safe side.
  • Merry19451
    Merry19451 s00586

    Posted

    Hi S

    If you have symptoms of the flu, ie: headache, aches and pains, chills and sweating, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue and exhaustion, and malaise, but no respiratory symptoms, it is most likely Shingles, not bed bugs. Bed bugs are itchy, but do not cause " Constitutional Symptoms."

    Shingles causes the Constitutional Symptoms, the burning pain, the vesicle-blisters.

    I would see a different health care clinician and get on an Antiviral. You have nothing to lose if it isn't Shingles, and everything to gain.

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.