Third time I've had shingles...and I'm 21.

Helllo

Sorry to hear of your situation and worry.

Are you under stress from school , a family situation or something else you cant control or fix? If yes, seek counselling, see a monister or someone who could offer you hope and concrete ways to change your situation.

If you are having ongoing nerve pain or itch, get Lyrica or Amytrtptaline from your doctor. Also, L-lysine helps with controlling the herpes virus in your system, take daily with your doc's approval

It is disheartening to have repeated shingles, ive have them 14 times in 25 years starting at age 36. I now get only one to three vescicles but all the burning and numbness and fluish feeling. You might benefit from the vaccine.

Best wishes, dont give up hope : they may not return!

Gets lots of rest, eat well and reduce your stress as much as you can.

Warm Regads

Sue B. RN

Hi. Sorry for your pain. I am not 21 but I had too my first shingles attack 4 years ago on my left high covering a large area and was very painful. Then I was fine for 4 years until I was sick with impatigo 6 months ago after an exhausting trip to Greece and then once impatigo was gone I had another shingles attck on my left hand palm but mild and since then I have had 3 more attacks. So in conclusion whenever something weakened your immune system (maybe just stress but not necessarily a serious problem) another attack is possible. Mind you recent study suggests that immunocompetent people get recurring shingles too and it can happen to younger people as well so don.t be scared, though still a good majority of cases are those with immunocompromised or older than 50.

From what I read there will be a new vaccine on the market which claims to provide 100% immunity for life so keep your eyes open for that vaccine and hope that until then you won't have another attack.

Kevin From Canada.

Hi. I had shingles in April this year on left hand, shoulder/upper arm and scalp. Doc said all from same dermatone C4. Each outbreak occurred at approx 3 week intervals. I took the advice from some of the letters on tis forum eventually and bought some L-lysine tablets. epensive from popular health food store but cheaper online. So far, (I'm crossing fingers now!) it's not come back again. I saw the Doc again recently though as I had itching in some the areas where rash was plus tingling and strange sensations in same areas. She said it was  PHN, Post Herpetic Neuralgia and prescribed Amitriptylene to take at night. It's started to kick in now after a couple of weeks. Might be a good idea to ask your GP for some blood tests to see if you have any auto immune problems as they can cause recurring bouts. I was also very tired before, during and still am! Don't know how long this goes on for but lots of sleep when you feel like this does help. Hope you feel better soon. Best Wishes, Ellie UK

Hi, Shark bait!

I was in my early forties, but the physicians were convinced initially the severe recurrent Herpes Zoster I had in my right ear every three to five weeks for the last 19 years was Herpes Simplex. I have autoimmune diseases that make me prone to Herpes Zoster Oticus or Shingles.

The wisest course of action is to find a physician who will give you antivirals on hand that you can start immediately upon onset of symptoms, as the pain in your thigh usually appears before the rash. Also, you need Opioids such as oxycodone from the physician for the excruciating pain. The sooner you start the antivirals, the shorter the course of the pain and less intensity of pain you shall experience.

You actually probably have flu like symptoms before the pain and rash appear as you have a viremia circulating. You may have a headache, fatigue, chills, low grade fever, aches and pains for one to two weeks prior to onset of the rash. I start my antivirals then.

Hopefully, this has helped.

Most physicians are abysmally ignorant of this disease.

Merry Juliana

​You're not alone! 

I had my first outbreak of Shingles at age 18 in April of 2012. It was a mild case, the blisters fully developed and filled with fluid. The rash clustered primarily on my back directly on the center of my spine, and wrapped around my left side in two other clusters that were not as developed. Before the development of the rash, I had flu-like symptoms for 3-4 days. When I was diagnosed, I was prescribed Valtrex to fight the infection. Exactly a week after taking the meds 3x a day, the infection disipated and left me with a scar. I believe this outbreak was brought on by massive stress in my life, including finals at school in my senior year, discovering I had a half-sister, and fights with my boyfriend.

I was shocked that I had the first outbreak; the only thing I knew about Shingles was that it was an "elderly disease". My immune system has always been great, but I have continually endured great amounts of stress in my life. After the first outbreak, I never even considered the disease resurfacing... I was wrong!

For about a year and a half, I was fine; sure, stressful situations came and went, but no sign of shingles or the thought that they would return. In July of 2014, I broke out in a small rash on the right side of my abdomen. My immediate thought was, "This can't be Shingles.." and all of my family members doubted me, calling me paranoid! The rash grew, but not as prominent as the outbreak that I had had before. It develped into three small patches that were bright pink/red. I went to an Urgent Care facility, and the doctor took one look at the rash and confirmed it was Shingles! I panicked: What could be wrong with me? Why am I having two outbreaks of Shingles at age 18 & 20? I was prescribed Valtrex again 3x a day for seven days. The rash left in that time-frame and left no scar. Aditionally, I had no signs or symptoms of the disease aside from the rash; the rash developed and barely had an itching sensation, but nothing more. I believe that a combination of returning to school and my boyfriend's family issues gave me this outbreak. I can remember having the same level of stress and dismay in these situations that mirrored the events leading to my first outbreak.

Now, here we are in September of 2015, and I am currently experiencing my 3rd outbreak of Shingles at 21! I felt a bump or two on the left side of my neck a few days ago, and I noticed it grow in size and shape over the days following. Yesterday, I was certain it was Shingles due to its appearance, and contacted a Teladoc to diagnose me over the phone. He prescribed me with Valtrex, which I am to take 3x a day for seven days; I am on my 3rd pill. Again, the rash is more mild than the initial outbreak, but it seems to itch a little bit more than my last outbreak. I think this is due to the fact that it is on my neck, which is more sensitive. The rash has not developed into blisters like the first time, and it seems to be taking the same mild development as my last outbreak. Similar to the other events leading to my outbreak, I felt the same amount of stress and emotional pain. I was just laid off from my job of 3 years two weeks ago, and I am facing great financial hardship with my bills/tuition payments.

I can't begin to understand why this is recurrent in my life. Aside from three definitive moments of concentrated stress, nothing about my life seems to factor into the onset of this infection. Once my rash passes and I have some stability in my financial situation, I plan to contact an infectious disease specialist to hear my history and evaluate me; aside from that, I plan to manage my stress better. 

 

Hey,

im also 21 and i am suffering from a shingles outbreak right now. I had a very small patch of blisters on my neck and theeeeee worst pain in the side of my neck that goes up behind my ears down to my chin and my shoulder armpit area! Not to much of a numbness feeling! Its now starting to scab over.

This is my second outbreak in 2months! I live a normal life and i dont know what causes mine either. Stressful! Your not alone😑

Dear Sharkbaitstar, 

 I am 22 years old and I had my first spout of shingles when I was 14. It took the doctors forever to figure out what it was because they immediately almost ruled it out because of my age. I am a healthy normal 22 year old and have now gone through shingles I believe 15 times... I started to lose count after about 12. I get it on the side of my face near my right eye. And have been told unfortunately someday if the spouts continue I will end up blind in my right eye. I am actually currently going through another episode as I write this. Was looking up more information about the virus to see if I could come up with anything new when I came across your post. I am beyond DONE with this crappy virus.  When I get it my head pounds and aches like no headache I've ever felt. My face swells up and I can't touch the right side of my face or neck because the pain is so severe. I get about 2-3 episodes a year and I too cannot find a pattern as to what triggers it... I'm sorry to hear you're going through the same thing. I guess this doesn't really help other that to let you know you're not the only one. Im on the search for a specailist. Please let me know if you come across one.

Sincerely, morghan04003

I am also 21 and I have had shingles about 7 times or more in the past 4 years. Last year I got them 3 times within the year. You're not alone!!!

Hi, I'm 24 and this is the 4th time I've had shingles. I also have epilepsy, and I always thought there was a connection. My shingles appear on both sides of my upper back and my lower right side. They show up in the spring and fall, every six months. I've been told to see an infectious disease specialist to ask for the vaccine, but it will be $500 and only work for a couple years. After my second outbreak I started using cannabis (weed) to control my seizures, and it also makes my shingles outbreaks shorter and much less painfull. I have stopped going to the doctor for Valtrex because I find its not as effective as weed and other natural cures.

I have reoccurring shingles otherwise I am very healthy! I found this in WEBMD archives...

The article is from Nov. 2, 2009 (Philadelphia) however, I just recently discovered it. I was unable to post the link so I sent part of the article -- "People with shingles are more likely to suffer a recurrence than previously thought. .."We don't know what causes reactivation of the dormant virus," Moore says. Moore and colleagues studied the medical records of nearly 1,700 people with a confirmed shingles attack from 1996 to 2001. Only 8% had compromised immune systems, she says. But 95 of them suffered 105 recurrences by the end of 2007. "Clearly most recurrent attacks are occurring in people with healthy immune systems," she says.

The time between attacks ranged from 96 days to 10 years. Recurrences were:

2.8 times more likely in people with shingles-associated pain for 30 or more days during the initial episode. 4.8 times more likely in people with shingles-associated pain for 60 or more days during the initial episode. 60% more likely in women than men. 40% more likely in people who were 50 or older when they had their initial attack... I tried to post the link to this article but, for some reason they didn't allow it to be posted. " ...

About me and my reoccurring shingles - I am now a 54-year-old female. I have been getting reoccurring shingles since I was 12 years. I also had shingles with both my pregnancies. I read an article that said it happens frequently during pregnancy. I am in excellent health I am very fit just last weekend I rode my bike in 2 days over 300 miles. I was a college gymnast and performing arts major in dance. I have always been athletic and continue to maintain my fitness. However, since getting older the frequency of my recurrences seems to come quicker and are becoming more painful with each episode. The pain is more in my hip-flexor on the side I get it in on my back. Sometimes it's my left side sometimes it's my right side. I also get a neck ache if I get it at the base of my neck. I feel very frustrated because the pain can be quite debilitating in my hip-flexor or hip joint when I get it on my back. When I get it at the base of my neck it causes my neck to be stiff. It's also very frustrating because no one believes you. It's embarrassing to share with anyone that I have reoccurring shingles because they think there something wrong with me, or they do not believe me.

My favorite part of the article (the one that I was unable to send the link for so everyone could see the whole article) is... "Clearly most recurrent attacks are occurring in people with healthy immune systems," ... Doctors need to become more aware of this information because it's almost like the Doctors shame you if you tell them you've had it more than once. I'm so tired of feeling embarrassed and ashamed for having shingles. So not only do I have to feel embarrassed and ashamed but, while I'm feeling this way I'm also in horrible pain from the shingles. I do hope that they will continue to do research in this area. I also hope Doctors get the word out some people just have reoccurring shingles and it's nothing to be ashamed. NO one knows exactly what reactivates the virus for some people it could be as little as a small amount of stress. I have also had  the vaccine for shingles it lasted about nine months then I had the worst outbreak ever. I keep wondering what maybe we all have in common. I know that I'm allergic to Bacterium. I also know that I'm have A- blood. I do you take Celebrex for my hips, I have arthritis in my hips from overuse (the dance and gymnastics) .

Mine didn't start in my 20s, mine started when I was 11 and I have had a minimum of 4 outbreaks a year ever since. I'm 33 now... My daughter had her first outbreak at 7 and at 9 is on her fifth outbreak, the last two were just a month apart. It is aweful and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.