Please help - Is this shingles or Herpes?

BTW is it possible to spread it there? Yes, but very low chance for autoinoculation, as you likely already had antibodies to it, before it spread to your hand. You'd had to basically touch your soreand then rub your finger into open skin on your hand for autoinoculation

Thank you for the feedback. Based on what I have read though most likely on face around the lips and genitals but herpes blisters and sores can occur any place on the body including the hands.

For those autoimmune diseases blood count will be out of normal range (eithertoo high or too low). Mine blood count including lymphocytes were normal.

Usually if herpes appears outside of the mouth and genitals, it's because of what I have already described or mainly do to what is called herpes gladiatorum, that wrestlers get from close contact. The other one that appears on the fingers is called herpes whitlow and is caused by having an open wound around the mail bed like hang nail and getting the virus in it.

You are incorrect on the autoimmune diseases and blood testing, as I have two autoimmune diseases and it does not change your blood count levels at all.

You actually have to go see a rheumatologist and they have very specific blood tests, to find out of you have autoimmune diseases. There's one to test for inflammation antibodies and an ANA, among others testing for glucose and such.

Thanks again for further feedback.

I guess what I am pointing out is that though autoimmune diseases are certainly a factor in recurring herpes but overwhelming majority with repeat herpes outbreaks (which is quite frequent in herpes sufferers) don't have any autoimmune or other immune weakening diseases like AIDS or Cancer. It is mostly due to stress, exhaustion or sometimes no reason at all whereas based on what I have read (and it can be incorrect) recurring shingles is very rare (1 in 50 cases) and mostly associated with badly compromised immune system and the diseases you described as well as cancer and aids.

If my case is recurring shingles then I have something to worry about and if it is recurring herpes then I am a member of a vast club who suffer from recurring herpes and most are otherwise healthy. What worries me about herpes though (if it is herpes) is that next time the sores may be on my face rather than palm of hand which I can easily hide.

Have you ever had cold sores? If so and they never broke out on your face, then I wouldn't worry about it. If it is in fact HSV on your hand, then it infected a different nerve, by auto-innoculation. W oral herpes, HSV 1 which infects the trigeminal ganglia only supplies the nerves on the face and does not travel down to your arm and cause an OB there. You would have had to infected yourself some how on an open wound, if you already had kral herpes, which would be rare, because you have antibodies already to it. A new infection of herpes in the arm is possible, say if you were a wrestler or happened to use your fingers to sexually please say a female, infected w herpes and that would display as herpes whitlow, not how you're describing.

Yes, there are some rather healthy people who have recurrents, but keep in mind that although we refer to there just being two strains of HSV ( 1&2), there are different sub strains of each simplex and some more aggressive than others.

Why haven't you had the blisters swabbed yet to find out of it is HSV? Do you have a picture of them?

May I ask your age, as that's something really only seen in people of senior age.

No I have never had cold sores before and all these is new to me so I am lost why it is recurring and on the same spot on the palm of my hand half an inch in diameter.

A couple of days before I feel pain in my left arm. Then my skin around the left wrist and fingers become sensitive to touch and tingling and burning (not the spot where I get the blisters/sores later) and then a day after I start seeing very tiny white blisters on small area on my left palm and the day after these tiny blisters join up to form a few larger white blisters and then a week later these white painful blisters turn red and stay for another week (no pain when they turn red) and a week after they fall off. $ times already since May I have gone through this exact cycle. Now I described my symptoms in great detail since I am hoping yourself or anyone who may have experienced simplex attack to tell me whether it is simplex or zoster and in advance I thank you all especially feelbroken for your feedbacks and comments. What you say about using my fingers to please another female (females) is quite possible and makes sense.

I never had blisters swapped because my doctors (I have seen 3 for this since May) never ordered it. Here in Canada we must have a doctors letter in order to test something. My doctors appear to be sure it is shingles by observations but now that I read about herpes simplex and see pictures I am beginning to second guess my doctors.

What I am saying in summary is that if it is herpes simplex then I belong to a vast group of people that have recurring attacks most of them not having a serious health problems like you mentioned (mostly because of stress or exhaustion) but if it is recurring shingles then I belong to a very small group of people (1 in 50 based on what I have read) which again based on what I have read (I am no expert) most of them appears to have badly compromised immune system (like the diseases you listed and more) and I have siomething serious (possibly) to worry about so please those who have experience both or one (shingles and herpes) please help me to identify which one it is. Thanks in advance.

Oh I forgot. I am 59 and here I need to have doctor's order for any test or see specialist (like autoimmune specialist you suggested) but everything in my blood (tested by my family doctor) was normal so no grounds for him to send me for further tests or see specialist. He believes that recurring shingles though very rare but can still happen without any reason. I hope he is right. Also I hope that if it is herpes I don't get it on my face. With my job it would be devastating.

I don't think it's shingles, I think it may very well be hsv.

So you tested positive in blood for HSV 1, but not 2? Did you go get tested because the blisters on your hand, is that what made you go? How soon since first seeing your blisters appear, did you take a blood test.

You already have HSV 1 and it hasn't come out on your face. Obviously when you are noticing symptoms that an outbreak is about to occur, keep your hand away from your genitals and face. Although autoinoculation isn't common, doesn't mean it is ruled out.

I have googled and found some others having the same as you. One female gets it on her palm, but has never had a genital OB and she swabbed positive for HSV 2 & apparently she passed it to her partner. Let me do some further research and get back w you on this.

Yes when I came down with these blisters the second time my doctor ran a full blood test on me and everything came back normal or negative except HSV. The type of test that he did on me did not distinguish between hsv1 and hsv2. I was hsv positive about 4 weeks after very first time I had the attack.

Thank you very much for google searching and your time. I did google search a lot too and it appears both shingles and herpes has occurs on the palm of sufferers hands with identical symptoms and looks!!!. My conclusion is that it is impossibe to tell which one is mine as I was reading an article in which the lady was describing my symptoms and she tested for shingles and another similar article by another lady who also described my symptoms and she was diagnosed with herpes (whilow). Not sure how my doctor could tell by observation that my case was shingles (and the other two doctors asked me what my family doctor said and followed his diagnosis). The other thing I learned is that a few people have indicated recurring shingles but they are fit and healthy (I also posted in the shingles section of this forum).

Again appreciate the time you are investing on this for me feelbroken and your responses. Thank you very much.

Ok, time to see a new doctor, because any doctor w half a brain, would never run a combined HSV teat on you, as it can cross react and come back w a false positive, because it can pick up on other herpes viruses that most humans are infected w... Such as heroes zoster!

You need to have a swab done on the blister's period. Next time if you go in for a blood test, it needs to be a type specific IgG Elissa test.

Your doctor cannot tell by observation between which herpes type it is and proves his incompetence further for not swabbig you. Please go see a dermatologist or an infectious disease doctor. GPs are absolutely cuekess when it comes to herpes and go off old outdated info from medical books written in the 70s/80s.

Please seek to be swabbed immediately after your next OB.