Shingles - Questions & Answers
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From: dale pryce

Q :is it unusuall to feel the symptoms of shingles with no change in appearance of skin(it has been 6 days) if so,is there any way it can be confirmed(tests?)before a rash appears?i would like to get on mediction before the outbreak if possible.

Answer : Hello Dale. Yes, it is possible to have shingles without a rash but this is rare. It is called zoster sine herpete. The shingles rash may also go unnoticed. Shingles typically starts out without the rash. The patient may experience burning or shooting pain, numbness, tingling,itching, headache, fever, chills and nausea. While the rash almost always follows, it may be disregarded or mistaken for something else. Tests are not normally needed to diagnose shingles, because the type and location of the blisters are usually distinctive. However,sometimes a test to identify the varicella virus is carried out. This involves a blood test to measure antibody levels in the blood. Please get in touch with your local hospital for a detailed examination and treatment.

Source:

http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/Mosby_factsheets/shingles.html 
http://www.vzvfoundation.org/shingles&phn.html  

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