Has anyone heard of getting shingles but NOT breaking out with them?
newbe asked:
He went to the Dr. and was told he had shingles, but there was not rash or blisters. Just the stinging and painful skin.
He went to the Dr. and was told he had shingles, but there was not rash or blisters. Just the stinging and painful skin.
Tagged with: Blisters • Painful Skin • Rash
Filed under: FAQ
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Shingles is the same virus that causes chicken pox, so if you had chicken pox that virus lies dormant in your nervous system. If you are under stress you may develop shingles.
Before a rash is visible, the patient may notice several days to a week of burning pain and sensitive skin. Before the rash is visible, it may be difficult to determine the cause of the often severe pain. Shingles start as small blisters on a red base, with new blisters continuing to form for three to five days. The blisters follow the path of individual nerves that comes out of the spinal cord (called a dermatomal pattern). The entire path of the nerve may be involved or there may be areas with blisters and areas without blisters. Generally, only one nerve level is involved. In a rare case, more than one nerve will be involved. Eventually, the blisters pop, and the area starts to ooze. The affected areas will then crust over and heal. The whole process may take three to four weeks from start to finish. On occasion, the pain will be present but the blisters may never appear. This can be a very confusing cause of local pain.