Great! Now I have shingles too

  Had a strange stinging, nervy type pain in my right leg last week.  Went from my lower back, wrapped around my outer hip and down the front of my leg down to my knee.  Thought it was just typical firbro or RLS symptoms.  3 days later, I developed a rash on my right hip.  The rash grew bigger and developed blisters.  I went to the Dr. who confirmed it was shingles.  Shingles can also bring on flu-like symptoms, but again, so does fibro, so I ignored that at first too. 

  I am young, 34.  Most people get shingles after age 60, but my Dr. said that having fibro could weaken my immune system allowing shingles to show up early.

Just something else to add to my list of ailments.

I had Shingles for the first time about 12 yrs ago. about a wk before that I had bursitis in my shoulder, the dr gave me a shot of cortisone in the shoulder to get rid of the pain. A lady at work had come down w/ shingles and recognized the pain and burning I was describing. She told me to go to the dr w/i 72 hrs for best results. I called to make the appt and the receptionist didn't feel it was as pressing as I did, as she had never heard of Shingles. I pushed and got the appt. The dr gave me three different meds to take, oral and topical. I had no ins at that time and it was so expensive. The dr told me you can only get this once - WRONG. I have had at least a dozen bouts of it. It usually rears its very ugly head when I am badly stressed.

Mine went down the spine and around the waist. I asked what could have caused it, I knew about the chicken pox connection, but I meant what was the trigger. The dr didn't know. I read a few yrs after that that a cortisone shot can put it in motion.

I have had drs suggest since then I should get a cortisone shot for other ailments, I have refused. The pain of Shingles is horrible, don't want to have that again, if at all possible. I was in my early 40's when I got it the first time, my mother had it also and she was about 75 the first time. Age is not the deciding factor.

I hope you're feeling some relief and hopefully you don't get it again. Hope you get some rest tonight!

God bless.  Alice.

Ang,

I am in the same boat as you.  I couldn't believe it when I logged in and read that you have shingles to.  I was diagnosed to late for any medication, I was really bummed.  I had severe back pain for three days along with tingling and itching on my left side (I also had two small bumps that looked like bug bites) so I went to the doctor (my doctor was not available so I had to see someone else) who diagnosed a kidney stone.  The bumps got bigger and spread and the itching was horrible so I went back to see my doctor who diagnosed shingles and then informed me it was to late to treat (it had been over a week from the first spot).  So I'm waiting for the spots to clear and the itching to go away.  It really stinks because the rash is on my waist line and my pants irritate it something horrible.  The cortisone theory makes me wonder if that's what triggered my shingles.  I had an injection in my shoulder this past year, I think it was in the fall (Fibro Fob strikes again).  I won't be doing that again.  I also thought that you could only get shingles once, I really don't think I want this again.  I'll not be getting another injection.  Stress, not sure how to avoid that.

One top of the shingles, I do have a kidney stone confirmed by a CT.  It's small and not causing any problems right now but who knows what the future will bring.

I hope you feel better soon and know that you do not suffer alone.

Fibro has yet to be diagnosed as an autoimmune disease. Chicken pox is probably the cause. Oh, I never had the chicken pox and neither did my mother who died at age 83 or my brother who is in his 60s. the doctors never want me to get chickenpox now.

I hope you feel better soon and am glad something could be done to relieve the symptoms.

Donnaeil