I work at a day care where some children have come down with chicken pox, I have already had the chicken pox but have red bumps on the back of my neck and shoulder. They are not very itchy or painful but they are itchy and feel like some one is pinching me at times.

Do I have Shingles?

and if i do Are they contagious?

purplewings

I goggled 'recurring chicken pox' and got this. I would suggest you visit your doctor to see what treatment would help arrest this. It's probably not too serious but always a good idea to seek treatment. Also, try to get plenty of rest and eat healthy. Children are always getting something and you'll get it with them if your immune system is down.

Chicken pox is a common childhood disease, occurring in 80-90% of all children. It is most common at about 5-8 years of age. Barring any complications, this disease should run its course in a couple of weeks. Chicken pox rarely occurs in adults. If it does, the symptoms are generally more severe.

After a bout of chicken pox, you are essentially immune to re-infection. However, this does not mean that the virus is gone. Threatened by the immune systems developed in the body, the herpes virus seems to implant itself in the cell bodies of spinal nerves. It remains there in a dormant state.

Later — if the immune systems run down due to physical or psychological stress — that person may develop shingles (herpes zoster), a re-activation of the chicken pox. (It is extremely unlikely that an adult will get shingles from another person.)

twinkiedooter

My mom had shingles and she was in her 70's even though she had chicken pox as a child. She was driven nuts with the itching. Please go to your doctor if you experience severe itching. She would use Benadryl lotion on the itchy parts to give her some relief.

squeaks77

I'm sure you've heard "you only get chicken pox once", but that is not entirely true. The majority of people get it only once, but I've had it several times and it was less severe each time. But then in my twenties I did get shingles on the back of one of my thighs, since my body can't really get rid of the pox. You will know when you have shingles: they look like little tiny blisters and hurt like HECK!!!! There's medication for it though :-) Sorry I can't remember if they were contagious, but I avoided children just in case.

N0help4u

I think shingles is from a virus and a lack of some B vitamins.
You probably do have reoccurring chic pox.

snickersnake

These are the symptoms for shingles:

Pain, burning, tingling, numbness or extreme sensitivity in a certain part of your body
A red rash that begins a few days after the pain
Fluid-filled blisters that break open and crust over
Itching
Fever and chills
Headache
Upset stomach or abdominal pain

Typically, the rash occurs on only one side of your body. It may look like a band of blisters that wraps from the middle of your back around one side of your chest to your breastbone. Sometimes, the rash is on just one side of your face. My mom's was on the right side of her face, neck and chest. Compared to chicken pox, the rash is less itchy and more painful.

You can't catch shingles from kids with chicken pox...but they can pass chicken pox to someone who has never had it. A person with shingles can pass chicken pox to someone who has never had chicken pox. A vaccinated person is safe.

Although anyone who had chicken pox can get shingles, it usually happens to those over 60 years old.

My mom, aunt and cousin all get shingles. My mom just had the vaccine so that she doesn't have another occurence. The vaccine is expensive so anyone under 60 can't get it. In most cases, insurance does not pay for it.