Hi,
I've been miserable for 3 weeks. For 5 days I had unbearable pain and thought I had the flu. I took a lot of ibuprophen for the pain and slept for 3 days pretty much non stop. Then I went to work for two days and a small rash appeared on my back. I thought it was wearing a new pair of slacks! A day later boy did I blossom. I got the most hurtful rash in the pubic area, groin, inner leg, and more on the low back!

I went to the Emergency room and they diagnosed it as shingles and gave me the anti viral pill that is suppose to help. I was in serious pain for at least another week. They also gave me percoset. I took two with 800 mg. of ibuprophen (that must give you an idea of the pain! ).

Finally, almost a week later I got an appt with a dr. Because this happened before Christmas, no one could see me. My gyn most definitely wouldn't see me as it is very contagious and not a good thing for pregnant ladies. The md. Gave me neurontin which is suppose to control the pain. About a week later, last Thur, one lesion in my groin still was there and I went to her to see what to do and to get another note about work the following Tue. She said she couldn't do that for 4 days away and again, sent me to the skin dr. who was not very helpful. She told me to walk around the house naked, which I cannot do, so I did the next best thing and am wearing a skirt! She would not give me the lidoderm patch as she said that was a MD thing!

In desperation, I called another dr. I know on Dec. 23 and he prescribed the lidoderm patch. Finally relief at night. Oh, I forgot to mention that I was waking up every 3 hrs in serious pain and taking vicadin and tylenol (the skin Dr's office did prescrib that after Christmas but only 20 so I used them sparingly). I should have used two at a time and not suffered!

So I am supposedly suppose to go back to work today, Tue, and can't. I am still wiped, tired, sleeping loads and have a lesion in the groin that isn't drying out the way the others have!

Any suggestions? I can't see me going back to work this week, or at least not for full days. I am on my feet all day and walking as I am a teacher! Sitting is not better either because of where I have the former rash.. it gets irritation.

I am thinking that I should go to a female neurologist and maybe she will know exactly what to do. My gyn won't see me and I can understand why but this running from MD to skin Dr. is the pits. Why would I be so wiped out? Stress? Possibly from all of the pain from the last few weeks.

I forgot to mention that it spread to my butt, and leg and possibly crotch but no one has looked there. It is itching and part of my body is numb, which I understand is also from the shingles. I had chicken pox 2 times and shingles once as a kid. Wow, I sure got this in a vengeance.

Any info and/or advice would be so appreciated. Any thoughts on whether this can get worse by stress? I have a stressful job? I am calling MD today and hope she is not going to send me to the skin dr. again!


Thanks

Hi! I had the chicken pox once as a child and shingles twice as a young adult and then again as a "not so young adult'! I was exposed to herpes 2 thanks to my hubby ....so when I had my last shingles/herpes outbreak I was so confused!! To my knowledge I only had one herpes outbreak and it was really bad BUT not as bad as shingles. I have autoimmune disease that has been incorrectly diagnosed several times. I have been told I have lupus, R/A and sarcoidosis. The latter has been proven through xrays/ct scans and blood tests. Just lately I had severe pain in one buttock, and thigh. I was so sick I went to bed for 2-3 days with chills fever and nausea/ I kept looking and looking for the telltale rash of either malady ....and finally one week to the day I got sick I noted a few red spots on my thigh and a few on my crotch. They are flat red spots with no liquid ....several look like burns and are peeling and flaking off. The only herpes attack I ever had was just a single red painful blister with fluid. It was closer to my thigh too than my genitalia. The pain was similar to shingles though with the ache and pain in the surrounding muscle. My problem is that I use alot of meds now for sarcoidosis and have NO clue how to care/treat what is "bugging" me now. I live too far from my doc just to go in for this. I also would have to quit my sarc protocol meds to treat either so I am living on pain meds... sigh... what to do? Lee

If you already know you have sarcoidosis, the red bumps are probably eryhtema nodosum. They are flat and for me the skin often looks shiny before it starts peeling off. Your doctor should be able to diagnosis it easily just by looking at it - although he or she can take a biopsy to be sure. Usually, if that's what it is, it will go away in about 3-6 weeks. EN responds to cortisone. Bed rest and elevation are also often recommended

Sorry for the misspelling - erythema nodosum