SO happy I found this community! I've been treated like a leper by 2 doctors when I was diagnosed with Shingles. Apparently it's "unheard" of in young people (I'm 34) unless we're immune compromised, but reading other young, healthy people on here who have had Shingles is a big relief!
My outbreak was kind of strange.. on my upper butocks, a small, isolated area with maybe a dozen blisters. Mild itching, almost zero pain, scabbed over and healed in less than two weeks. If I didn't get it checked out I would have assumed it was just an allergic reaction or bug bites. I had a lesion swab that came out positive for herpes zoster and was put on the valacyclovir beforehand, about 5 days after the rash showed up. Either the meds did the trick or I just healed naturally. So I guess my questions are:
1. Why did I get it at my young (and presumably healthy) age?
2. Why was it such a mild case? The pain-free seems to be unheard of.
Thanks!
Catching early and beginning treatment right away helped you as well as your youth. One thing to consider in the future is acupuncture. It works very well for prevention of future outbreaks. Best of luck!
I have had breakouts of shingles since the age of 20. It started as a small patch on the base of f my spine, just above my buttocks. I can't exactly explain why , except that some people are predisposed to having autoimmune issues early. In my case it started early and progressed, later.
I have had it in a couple of different places; but, it has primarily been in the same
spot. I don't normally have pain,just the raised sensation, irritation type feeling, and itching. I've had severe bouts, and small bouts(one spot). As I've gotten older, and had more health issues, I have had more quantitative bouts, and for the past 3 to 4 years, have had to be placed on Valtrex or Valcyclovir, daily, to prevent lots of reoccurring shingles. It was monthly.
I still once or twice a year, get shingles. I also get other debilitating symptoms, before and after. I first get mouth cold sores. I then either feel sick like a virus or flu, or get the sensation in my normal spot of itching and potential break out. If I don't get sick before, I get sick after,with the viral or flu like symptoms. Thus the reason for the prevention of the shingles outbreak, not because of pain. I almost always h ave diarrhea before or after. I also have noticed the larger the bout, and the area of shingles, has affected level of pain. Once on the stomach, was much worse, than on the regular back site. I did have a severe, huge bout, on my back in the only place on ur body where you can have it on both sides. At the last nerve endings, in the form of a horseshoe. The worst I've ever had.
If I can tell you anything else, let me know.
Sincerely
1Roswell
Hi, I had my first outbreak of shingles in my early twenty's even children get it. I to thought it was some kind of bug bite. Wasn't that painful wish I could say the same now, since then I have had it about 10 to 12 times a year, and it has been very painful. I had the shingles vaccine back in june this year, and yesterday my shingles are back. I have to say it is the longest I have been without them. I cannot take the meds for shingles as they make me sick. Hope you don't get them again, some people only get them once in a lifetime, hope you are one of them. Good luck.
i wanted to say my daughter is 34 and they said it was only the older people back in the 60 who had this shot as a child
i searched and searched and found the advice of lysine and mushroom complex and sublingual b12...if i use this there is no recurrence and if i forget to use and it starts to come back i start it up and it goes away immediately...i dont know where i found the advice but it was such a miracle i had to share it!!!
The doctors think they know everything but they never listen. Your age has nothing to do with it from what I readed a shock surgery or some kind of trauma can cause this also.
My children age 8 and 7 got shingles not long after they had chicken pox..so you're not so young...I wouldn't worry about it...
I also have Shingles without pain. I had the rash for about 10 days before I went to the doctor. I thought it was an allergic reaction to something, but then I started getting more blisters. Like yours, mild itching, almost zero pain. The antiviral is speeding up the process of healing the blisters and has kept them from spreading.
Hi all, I hope everyone is recovering well. Let me start with the fact that I am 49 years old, and have a compromised immune system from some Heath issues, so I asked my doctor about getting the shingles shot after watching my mother go through a terrible bout of shingles... 1 year and a half later, she is still dealing with moderate post shingles pain! My doctor told me no, I can't get the shot until I'm 50. Sigh... Well here I am 49 & 1/2 and it appears I have shingles. many here, I was researching shingles with no pain, because it appears I am one of the lucky few who is experiencing minimal discomfort. I woke up in the morning and my forehead was itching, so I reached up to scratch, and my fingers came back wet? Curious, I got up to look in the mirror to find I had broken a blister about the size of a quarter above my eyebrow. I concluded that I must have touched my face with with something I was allergic to, an developed a rash of some type. I didn't think much of it, except how odd that my face was fine the day before? Naturally I was bummed about my appearance 😕, but thought I would treat with neosporin, and wait for it to heal. A week later, my mid back was itching, when I went to scratch, I felt something odd? I went to the bathroom mirror and found what looked like I had been hit with a belt, 2 inches wide and about 5 inches in length. It was located mid back going across both sides ( Odd because I thought shingles was on one side or the other?) in the center of this nasty welt was several what looked like blisters that had already broken and were scanning up. Of course seeing this second location, I could only conclude that it was shingles. I have a Dr's apt. Tomorrow. Like many here, I have minimal pain, only a tingling feeling and some itching. I feel blessed, as I know firsthand what my mom went through! My fear is... Is it over since there was a week between the blister on my face and the lash mark on my back? Anyway, I just thought I'd share my experience.
Please anyone who wants to weigh in, I'd appreciate your thoughts. Speedy healing to all, and God bless!
I am 51 years and in excellent health. About six days ago I felt like something beat me below my breast. . It was very itchy ,when I got home saw this red patch and at first thought it was an insect the beat me. Then the next day it appeared like water blisters. I decide to research it and I think I have shingles. I am not in any pain it is just itchy. I have also noticed one one on my back and is starting to form blisters. I also have a little patch under my arm along the bra line. I am not in any pain. But very itchy and stinging. I am going to the doc. Tomorrow. Hopefully he can prescribe something to stop the spread. Presently I take oatmeal bath and bathe with emu oil soap. It seems to help with the itching. I also put calamine lotion on it. I am just curious as to the mildness in terms of pain. I know I got chicken pox when I was about seven years old .
I have shingles for months now in on the head I do not have any pain but the itching sends me mad I can't sleep for it can any one help
I have also a compromised immune system. After my Bone Marrow transplant, I became allergic to the sun. So I have to be careful at the beginning of the summer. My dermatologist said I have to use very high sun protectant.
This year, the bisters from "sun poisoning" appeared again, and mu new doctor says it is shingles.
It is on my shoulder, looks like shingles, it has the blisters but not necessary ly the widespread red zones.
I feel absolutely no pain, and no itching. I can sleep on my back and it does not bother me.
I am asking about patient experience. Are there others who had shingles with no pain and itching whatsoever (It has been about a week since the bumps appeared)
Thank you very much
Armand
I'm a 60 year old woman and I too had a strange itchy patch of what I though we're bug bites on my shoulder, it turned out to be shingles but it never spread and apart from horrible side effects from the medication I've had no pain and day 3 the blisters are dried up and I feel ok.
I really think the medication made me feel worst, when I stopped taking it I felt so much better, I don't understand but I am glad not to have gone through what I've heard shingles can be like, I wish it was like this for everyone🙏
You mentioned your shingles outbreak looked like a bug bite. Was it just one bite? Or a whole cluster of them? I had what seemed like a bug bite on my scalp. Just one. It was a raised area/bump like a mosquito bite may have been. Just curious if yours was similar, or looked more like a cluster.
I had shingles in my mid-30s. It was a small patch on the right side of my torso, and had little or no pain. My immune system's ok. I actually had chickenpox in my early 20s, with just a few spots. Others wouldn't believe i had shingles, as my symptoms were so light.
I read stress can be a huge factor. For me I am running a business, and needless to say its brutal on me mentally... for many various reasons of trying to wear many hats and doing pitches and demos (that freak me out). I think a lot of people dismiss the affect of stress and what it can do to your body especially if you are not sleeping properly over extended periods because of it. Just food for thought for all of us to try balance your working life personal life and so on 
I'm 69, had the vaccine, and got a strange rash on inner thigh. It was quickly diagnosed as shingles. It is very small, no itching, no pain. I'm on the anti-viral rx. I'm just confused as to the small 2" area of rash, and lack of any "symptoms."