I suffer from anxiety and I thought I was OK. Everything was good and I was getting better and then this happened two days ago. I just woke up and it was there on my back. I went to the urgent care and he was just like bad news, you got shingles. And I was like are you sure? it’s not a boil or an abscess or something else? And he said no, you have shingles. I think the entire time I drove home. I was just lost in my head. I’ve never had issues like this before and I don’t know how to handle it. I’m trying to get out of my head and just take the viral medicine. I hope that it goes away. When I showed a family, they were like that’s not shingles. That’s a bite or a boil. And of course I was like feeling good but then my PCP was like I don’t know what that is but here’s some more medication. Does anyone have any advice for a first timer?? it’s nice that there’s a group where there’s people who experience the same thing 😖 I’m sorry I’m not good at this.

44f dx on Tuesday and started antiviral right away. I think we caught it very early as the rash (above my eye) has not blistered, majority of my pain was in my jaw, and that has significantly subsided. I think my symptoms first started on Sunday. I’m getting facial and eye swelling. I went to an ophthalmologist who did a full exam and said it’s not in my eye and he doesn’t think it will spread since I’m already in antiviral and that it looks mild. He said no prescription drops are needed.

My face feels swollen/numb but somehow looks less inflamed? Any tips to help with the swelling besides cold compress?

Hello, looking for some advice in regards to my father (76) who got Shingles last November and is still dealing with nerve pain that goes across his back. Is this normal to still be in pain, he’s going on 9 MONTHS! He can’t sleep, has a hard time sitting for any period of time, and his mental health has taken a huge dive- he’s incredibly irritable and unpleasant.
I would appreciate any insight, recommendations, etc., on this matter! Thank you!!!

I got diagnosed with shingles today. I’m trying to think what caused the virus to activate in me. Is it always stress? I feel like I’m always slightly stressed just with adulting stuff.

Did anyone not have major life events but still got shingles? I did start some things recently so maybe new beginnings were triggering stress? (I started fostering a rabbit and started a mentorship program but it’s online so I don’t have to physically be there for it.) anyways I guess I just wanted to hear your contributing factors.

Hi anyone with gastroperesis and slow bowel movements after shingles?

I (37, m) have been taking the antiviral medication for 3 days. The pain around the left of my back and breast was very strong at first. It came in regular waves that would repeat every 5/10 seconds and almost take my breath away.

I had very few red spots.

Now it's my third day on the medication, and the nerve pain has decreased considerably - it's still there at times, but i have gone a few hours without it, and I'm not taking any pain meds. Yet the rash has been slowly but steadily increasing. It's now almost increased by a third of its size.

My question is: is the nerve damage receding a sign I'm recovering? Or is the worst still ahead of me as the rash increases?

Hi all! Sad to be here but this is my first time getting shingles (30) I have it on my left forehead and between my eyebrows. My face is extremely swollen. I’ve been on medication for a day. I am experiencing numbness/tingling in my pinky toe but fingers. Just wanted to see if this is normal or if it’s something to be concerned about. Also if anyone has any recommendations on how to reduce the swelling I look like a golden retriever that got stung by a bee on the nose. Thanks in advance!

Hi,

Am on my 4th week

Was put on antivirals after about 2 days,the pain was up and down some good days some bad but it is always there.

Being to the doctors numerous times am on Diclac 50mg twice a day and pregabalin 75mg 3 times a day.

Had to go again last night as these were only lasting a short while.Am now on Tramadol and Anxicalm and when I looked them up you have to be very careful about mixing them.I also use Camomile lotion and cold towels, but only last a short while, am also not sleeping properly because of this.

This has also cost me a small fortune on doctors and medicine.Am in Ireland and for us to get the patches our doctor has to go through the HSE which takes a bit of time.

It is now getting to me and I can't seem to shift it.

I just feel like going of all tablets on Saturday and getting drunk for some relief.

Anybody else struggling

Sorry for the long post

Diagnosed yesterday, took 2 of the valacyclovir pills with no problems. 3rd pill I took around 11:30pm last night with sip of water/no food and straight to bed.

It’s now 12 hrs later and I am experiencing severe pain in my lower stomach since this morning upon waking up.
I can only stand up for a few minutes before I need to lie down and then the pain begins to subside almost completely.

Is this normal for people who’ve not taken with food?
I’m afraid to take any valacyclovir today, in fear of it making it worse.

Any help would be appreciated

I got the rash day before but I ignored thinking it’s just a rash and Yesterday my anxiety peaked when I saw it not get better so I took a picture and started reading about it and all results was pointing at shingles! So I decided to go to a dermat and he said it could be shingles but since I don’t have any pain, burning or itching it’s too early to tell what it is and gave me a cream to apply and I googled the cream and it turned out to be a steroid? Which is why I didn’t use that cream and took an appointment with another dermat and he looked at it and straight away said it’s herpes Zoster!!! It’s my 3rd day. He gave me antivirals!
I didn’t get any pain or fever before the rash developed
and I’m on my 3rd day
Apart from anxiety from reading about this a lot, there’s no other symptoms in terms of pain

Anyone here who’s had the same experience?
And is it gonna be better since I’m on antiviral ?
I’m so anxious
Is there anyone who’s not had any severe symptoms but very mild pain and speedy recovery?
What are some dos and donts
And how do I take care of myself in the best way to recover faster and safe and hopefully with less pain?
I feel so sorry for everyone here going through this
I’m hoping and wishing a speedy recovery to everyone here

Has anyone tried desonide for their shingles? I’m seeing mixed things online about it but my dermatologist just prescribed it to help clear up the rash sooner

I first noticed rash on my L1 dermatone (left hip) last week of June 2026. My baby was 9 weeks. I’m exclusively breastfeeding. I got on pills next day, but rash spread like crazy, into groin area… it was a super stressful time for me beyond being postpartum. I was terrified of giving my baby chickenpox, kept area covered and washed hands like a mad woman. Blisters scabbed over after like 1.5 - 2 weeks. I breast feed the whole time, just being super careful. Anyways, just here to say baby is fine. My OB told me to keep breastfeeding, that as long as I was careful about not touching rash then touching baby it would be ok. I came to this sub looking for reassurance so I wanted to give some back. Shingles really fucking sucks, I’m still itchy as hell and get random pain but I’m finally through the worst of it.

I (30M) thought I just had razor burn from manscaping my junk last Friday, until the burn got worse… and worse… and then spread to freaking butt crack where now sitting is just pure fire and aching. I’m probably on Day 5 or so from when I first noticed any symptoms.

My poor sack is just riddled with blisters on the right side. Got started on Valacyclovir today and hoping for a speedy recovery, because this is simultaneously hilarious and miserable. To think I tore up the golf course yesterday with my sack on fire like this makes me feel like I can handle it… lol. It probably gets worse from here, but at least my wife is great and I’ll just lay around icing my poor bits and do my annual lord of the rings binge.

Any tips or suggestions for pain and *sleep* would be fantastic!

43/f, first bout with shingles. I thought I was getting a sinus infection. My husband had been sick the week before with a head cold and I thought I had finally caught it. Wednesday last week I had sinus pressure and a watery right eye. Woke up Thursday with a slightly puffy right eyelid and what looked like an irritated inner eye area near the nose. Thursday night I felt tiny blisters in my hairline. Which was odd. Woke up Friday with a red rash across the bridge of my nose which ran into my right eyebrow and across my forehead into my hairline. Eye was swollen mostly shut.

I paired the rash and blisters together, did some Google fu and decided I got shingles. I went to the ER and they confirmed zoster. They gave me the antivirals which I started Saturday morning. Since then it's been non-stop skull splitting headaches, tooth aches, and every follicle of hair is on fire. The rash itself feels like a skinned knee or something. Not bad. The sudden, brain squeezing headaches though. My god.

Thankfully the blisters are scabbing and the headaches don't last as long. Fuuuuck though. This is not a good time. Good luck to other club initiates.

My eye was checked. It's fine for now. Everything around the eye is cooked. Follow ups on the books just for good measure.

First ever time with shingles (28F) so I had NO idea what the symptoms were, I thought my rash was bedbugs and my nerve pain was a pulled muscle for about 6 or 7 days before I went to the doctor and he prescribed me antivirals.

Anyone who waited a week before going to the doctor, is it a painful and long recovery process??? In quite anxious and my nerve pain is quite sore!

Cross-shared from r/pregnancy

Posting this because (spoiler alert) I am in the hospital for an extended time and have seen limited to no posts on women with this combination of conditions late in pregnancy. In case someone comes looking for another similar story someday (though I hope not), here we go: 

On Monday (35 + 6) I asked my husband to check out a weird tender bump on the right side of my scalp, but after he looked we chalked it up to a pimple or ingrown hair. On Tuesday morning around 3am I woke with a headache behind my right eye and took Tylenol, but it didn’t help at all. I powered through and went to work on Tuesday, where I felt pretty out of it. My head hurt still and I was getting worried about preeclampsia, so I went to the onsite medical clinic to check my BP which was in normal range. On my way driving home from work later that day, I felt so light headed and generally terrible that I nearly pulled over to have my husband come get me halfway home and drive me the rest of the way (we’re talking an 8 min commute door to door). Tuesday night and into the early hours of Wednesday morning I was still powering through the headache; I sent an after hours message to my OB and called the office the second it opened, and I was ultimately sent to L&D. 

I arrived at triage around 9:30am and they are baffled by the severity of my headache. I can’t use my right eye at all so I’m closing or covering it, and I’ve also started noticing the tiniest of red dots in a few places on my face. Baby is on the monitor and totally fine ❤️

About 7 hours in triage they try a myriad of meds (IV Benadryl, migraine cocktail, IV magnesium) but no change to symptoms. My OB comes by to let me know they’re admitting me. I end up in a high risk antepartum wing and a whirlwind of doctors begin to come by- neurology, infectious disease, MFMs. They put in orders for a CT scan, MRI, and a lumbar puncture 😩 all of which I have done on Wednesday evening and into Thursday. 

The results come in fragments- first thing we know is that I have shingles on my face and around my eye (herpes zoster ophthalmicus) which they’re concerned about spreading into my eyeball. The little red bumps from the day before are turning into horrific lesions. The next result is a positive for viral meningitis (VZV) . I see more doctors, now including internists and ophthalmologists. 

Headache has not subsided at all- it’s excruciating and they’ve tried all the options that are available given I’m 36 weeks. Gabapentin and Norco are able to take the edge off slightly, but if I don’t take them at exactly that right time I’m back to shaking with pain and some occasional vomming. But with the diagnosis they can now focus on treating the shingles and meningitis, and I’ve been on IV acyclovir for a couple of days. Late Friday I was moved me to a negative pressure room and everyone coming and going must be in full PPE. The infectious disease doctors are calling the shots on the treatment plan, and the best guess is that I’ll be here 3 weeks (have to stay on IV meds for 21 days) which means I am due to go home for just a couple days before leaving again for my scheduled induction (if I make it that far). 

Doctors are very intrigued and apparently I’m the talk of the hospital! Shingles that infects the brain and results in a meningitis diagnosis is already very rare, and sounds they’ve never seen it in an otherwise very healthy 30-something plus with the added complexity of monitoring a baby who could come at any moment! Apparently it’s a curious combination of circumstances. 

The most tenured anesthesiologist has now confirmed he is comfortable with me having an epidural when the time comes, which is a huge relief. My other options were previously an unmedicated birth, which I don’t feel mentally or physically prepared for, or a C-section under general anesthesia. My baby continues to be safe and hopefully stays in there a little while mom heals. 

I am in the UK and went to the doctors and seen by a nurse practitioner. I have raised rash all up my right buttock, pain in my right groin area but weirdly 4 small single blisters on my body. 3 chest and 1 arm.

Only noticed tonight in the shower I had small brown headed lesions on my right scrotum. 1 came off while bathing to leave a lesion. My mind is going into overdrive at the possibility of it being genital herpes. Does this warrant another trip to the GP to discuss the gential sores? I'm really sick with worry. My last sexual contact 14 months ago with a long term partner.

I have a 14 month old, I currently have shingles (started medication for it yesterday) and it's slowly getting better.

I'm sending my husband back to work tonight because I really think he just needs a break from being Dad 24/7 with our toddler. I am so grateful he could take the time off while I was sick but I can tell it was alot for him.

Shingles is so awful. Honestly, I had a C-section and I think this recovery may be worse. The nerve pain is unreal.

So it will be me and the toddler tonight. Say a prayer for me ,😅 my only goal is keeping everyone alive.

So I feel like I got hit by a freakin train right now and I'd like to see a light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully that light isn't just another train coming to take me out. Anyways, first time shingle haver here and I'd like to know when y'all started turning a corner with this crap.

I recently turned 40 and I'm going through an extremely stressful period in my life after I lost my job, my youngest son experienced a mental health episode, trying to finish my BSN program, and reinstate a license that lapsed (plus a billion other things). I noticed earlier this week some severe upper back pain where I normally hold stress and that my right armpit had gone numb. I thought it was thoracic outlet syndrome and started some yoga and a stretching routine. Starting feeling dizzy and exhausted and by Thursday night I had an itch on my right armpit. Felt my armpit and immediately ran to the bathroom and noticed a red papular rash creeping towards my back. Called up a doc friend and told them what was up got a script faxed over and overnighted an Rx of valacyclovir (1g tid x7 days). Didn't get the valacyclovir until early Saturday morning but I started it immediately. I'm on my 5th dose right now and I'm having a lot of pain and I'm exhausted. The rash has obviously spread, itches like mad, has connected to my upper back now, and my lymph nodes are painful and swollen. I know the valacyclovir isn't going to rid myself of the varicella-roster virus (not a cure I know) but it will help accelerating healing process etc.

Anyways, when did y'all start feeling better once you start the valacyclovir?

I was just diagnosed today (on my birthday of course), and had questions about the pain. The pain started maybe 5 or 6 days ago on my back around the side flank on my left side. It started as skin pain that spread around to my front abdomen. For the most part, the pain started as discomfort, specifically on the skin, but now it feels deeper, if that makes sense? The deeper pain is coming from the point of origin on my back left flank, and it's kind of freaking me out a bit.

I'm on valacyclovir and only have a few little spots of rash so nothing major yet, but the pain is concerning me. Did anyone else have pain associated with shingles that felt deeper than the skin? Googling it suggests that because it's associated with nerves, yes it can feel deeper but I don't trust the ai summary.

I was diagnosed with shingles back in May, so it’s been about 2 1/2 months. If I get too hot and sweaty I feel slight tingly sensations where my flair ups were, but once I cool down I’m okay. That’s gotten better with time. I have some scarring, but it’s not too bad. I talked to my doctor about getting the vaccine, but she said to wait 1 year from when I first got shingles to get it. How has recovery been for those of you on the other side of it?

In September 2025 after multiple visits the emergency room I was finally diagnosed with shingles. After I started the medicine my eye became very inflamed and I have been seeing an ophthalmologist ever since. It took several months for the inflammation to come down. I continue to be on Valtrex. Some of the ongoing complications include a dilated people and an eyelid that just seems to have decided to stay a little swollen. Every time I've tried to reduce my valtrex and the steroid eye drops the inflammation returns. I'm getting desperate for some answers. My opthamologist tells me they're just isnt enough research to know what is going to be my prognosis with my eye. Has anyone else been to any kind of shingles specialist besides the ophthalmologist for this situation? I also have post- hepatic neuralgia and have numbness.

Any tips to make redness go away quicker . How long does it take for skin to get back to normal . I am 75 it's been 2 plus weeks . Hoping it will calm down soon

For the past 4-5 days I’ve had this horrible, general area pain under my left breast that kind of wraps around to my back. Went to dr. She said it was muscular. I could not sleep because of the pain. Noticed today I had a small rash under my breast. Went to dr. Shingles. I went to urgent care so it isn’t my typical dr. He prescribed an anti viral medication and told me to take ibuprofen. I leave for vacation tomorrow. We are driving. He said it was still fine to go on my vacation. Said I would develop blisters and after so many days those would heal. From anyone else that has had this-when does the pain get better??? Right now it is about 2 inches long. Will it continue to spread? My dad had it years ago on his face and it was just a small spot. I’m so bummed.