Shingles on labia.... help!

Posted , 48 users are following.

I was informed that the burning, painful sore on my labia is shingles. I have scoured the internet and have not found this location to be very common. It's been 3 weeks and 1 round of anti virals. The sore has healed but there is a hard lump where the blister was and it still really hurts! I'm not sure what to do. I'm pretty sure I have some nerve damage as my left side gets tingly from the sore both up and down my body. Gabapentin 100 hasn't offered much relief. I'd really like to know if this will go away or if I should be seaking more medical care.

Thanks.

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  • Posted

    My mom got her first and only shingles outbreak on her labia at 75! Imagine her surprise. She knew it couldn’t be HSV2 since she hadn’t had sex in years! It is NOT that uncommon to get it there. There is a lot of misinformation out there about Shingles. You can get on more than one dermatome at a time and you can also get shingles more than once. Most important things to prevent Any herpes outbreak is monitor your stress, get sleep and exercise and eat right. 
  • Edited

    i just found your thread and was relieved to learn im not alone with with my current situation of shingles on my labia, under my buttocks, back of my leg and in a separate dermatone on my flank and under my breast. im currently taking anti viral 5x a day and also started cephalexin for a possible secondary infection from them. i take tylenol and ibuprofen for the pain and use steroid cream and arnica cream topically. i am using bacitracin ointment on the labia but im thinking of stopping so it can dry out and heal faster. this is no fun at all and im super uncomfortable sitting down or being touched on my back. i am curious to hear if the people who posted two years ago are pain free. what i read doesnt sound hopeful.

    • Edited

      hi there have you healed up yet? i have exactly the same. i really want to use creams but Dr said no, and i should use baby powder and keep as dry as possible .

      i cant sit at all have been booked off for 5 days . such an embarrasing place to get shingles

    • Edited

      yes ive healed up! hang in there. i had the radiating pain too on the right with the s2 dermatome and really bad in my hip . at first when i had it, it seemed like the pain would never end and it was truly awful. i took acyclovir anti-viral 3x a day for 10 days and then they upped the dose to valacylovir 2x a day for third week. once they scabbed over i put a mixture of powdered aspirin and arnica cream and lidocream over the painful areas. i took lysine and vitamin c and vitamin B complex in high doses. i also took alot of ibuprofen and tylenol in the first week. i layed out in the sun to dry the sores and just to cheer myself up because i was essentially living in a mumu dress with no underwear. i found that taking long walks distracted my nervous system from the constant pain. now - 7 weeks later its like a bad memory. hang in there. it is an embarassing place to get shingles but you will laugh about it later. the girl friends i was brave enough to tell came running to my rescue with the powdered topical aspirin and one wrote the funniest poem i should share.

    • Edited

      I am semi relieved to read these posts. I am so lost and was racking my brain trying to figure out where I'd been to contract this especially with this covid thing going on. when this all began I honestly thought I just had a UTI or Yeast infection or something. all the symptoms I have had the last week or more. The itchy/burning hiccups, headaches, back pain, etc then a little labia swelling and out of no where I though a bug bite on my lower back over night turned into an ugly severe rash that went from my lower back all the way down to my vulva or the other way around. waited a day called the doc and told her I had a rash and despite having my only option as a telehealth call; due to me being immunocompromised she said come to my office right now. She took one look up in stirrups and backside and said you have shingles. Now I'm on Viral and antib 5 times a day along with a steroid and pain killer. I've tried some creams only to see that I think they make it worse. I'm using cornstarch that I want to believe is helping clear dry it up a bit. I'm reading on so many different forums that it will be weeks and months before I get any relief. if any of you are that read this have any info or ideas to heal or get thru this, I sure would love any help on knowing more. I hope we all get thru this unscathed with nothing but a bad memory.

    • Posted

      I'm curious after putting all your symptoms together. Weeks after you remember the symptoms starting or after the rash appeared? I am trying to gauge my anticipated down time. I am overwhelmed with pain and swelling, after putting it all together the symptoms starting about 1 and half weeks before any rash and now it's been 5 days since rash took full affect. help

    • Posted

      thanks for sharing your experience! sounds pretty much exactly like mine I am on day three of the antiviral do you remember when you started to see any improvement? just trying to brace myself for what I am in for because it’s been a rough four days so far lol

  • Edited

    Hi there

    i went to gynea yesterday with these weird bumps on the left side of my labia majora she said it was herpies( ive been happily married for 5 years)

    then went to my gp, with what i thought was insane sciatic back pain also on my left side, my leg was numb and felt like i had electricity flowing through my leg and hip.

    he examined everything and noticed the same bumps on my bum.

    he confirmed it was shingles and not herpes . the pain is undescribable. but ive been prescribed anti viral meds and pain meds along with some anti inflamatories . my poor lady bits on the left are so swollen and full of bumps, runs all the way around my labia over my bum and onto my lower back(all on left side) . hows that for a good dose of shingles. I hope you feel better soon!!

  • Edited

    I have the exact thing going on as you. i went to see my Dr yesterday, and she was clueless. thank God I have a medical background, and was able to educate her on this. it is very uncommon, and misdiagnosed. even i had a hard time figuring out what it was. i knew it wasn't herpes, because ive been married for years. I actually thought I had a razor burn from shaving. im on an antiviral and gabapentin. I just started yesterday, and im in week 5 of this. i have no more rash or burning pain, but i have 3 hard lumps that are painful, and so much pressure type pain . everything you described is what I have, also.

  • Posted

    Hi

    I hit on this site by chance, and so happy I did. I was looking for reassurance about what has happened to me recently, and there it was. I had some discomfort and didn't know what it was. Then I had a high fever and awful pain. I saw I had ulcers on the inside of the left labia. They rapidly spread round and a rash developed on the left butt. The whole area was quite swollen. I was in great discomfort. My G.P. sent me to an emergency women's clinic, The doctor at the clinic was annoyed I came because of the Corona and I had a fever. He had a look. He gave me Zovirax for 5 days.and said I probably had Herpes. I was shocked . He said I should go for follow-up to a gynae. By luck I had an appointment for a check-up for the following week. The doctor was all masked up and was reluctant to examine me. I was still in great discomfort and very frightened about the ulcers and the rash.. She gave me to take a course of Valtrex. The rash gradually disappeared. But the irritation and the pain went on for ages.I couldn't sleep, and put ice packs. It is now 2 months. I have since been to a more sympathetic gynae, who did examine me. Ulcers and sores are all clear and there was nothing internal. But I am in great pain. Interestingly enough, the whole event was on the left, and that seems to be something in common with other people. I went to a skin doctor this week about something else. I discussed the whole matter with her, as skin doctors understand these things. She asked if I ever had the shingles vaccine. I didn't as I take medication that does not permit me to take it. She said, that's it. You don't have Herpes Simplex. You had Herpes Zoster - Shingles. I feel the original doctor at the clinic should have taken a swab to help his diagnosis, but it was the height of the Corona scare and they were very nervous. The pain may last for ages. You need to discus with the family doctor a suitable pain control. I also found Lidocaine to be quite helpful. I feel the original doctor at the clinic should have taken a swab to help his diagnosis, but it was the height of the Corona scare and they were very nervous. Sorry this is so long.

  • Posted

    i was told i have a bad rash inside the vagina and dr thinks its shingles never knew u could even get it there

    been dealing with burning and pain thought it was yeast infection she took cultures too

    wants to do biopsy not crazy about that

    im on valtrex but have side effects rapid heart rate dizziness only for 7 days said my back pain and sciatica most likely nerve pain

    i cant see any rash as all internal very upsetting

    anyone have it inside?

  • Edited

    for anyone who finds this thread, know you're not alone. the only thing i would add to the advice from everyone else is... sitz bathes!!!! i would highly highly recommend getting one and using it with either epsom salt or baking soda (both small amounts to begin otherwise it burns like f*ck).

    oh... and, also... if you can, cannabis to sleep. its been a game-changer.

  • Edited

    I'm sooooo glad I found this thread. I've had a long, depressing 5 weeks trying to understand what was wrong with me. ❤️❤️ Finally found a Dr. who's treating me for vulva shingles.

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