chickenpox or what

On Jan 13 I started feeling a little ill {fever Chills } would go away with advil. On jan 15 i noticed some red bumps with a clear fluid on my back. By the morning of the 16th they were in full bloom {back ,scalp, chest face}. Over Christmas my mom developed shingles IE. 18-20 days earlier. I saw my Doc on the afternoon of the 16th, he thought chickenpox was probably the cause and prescribed valtrex 1000mg 3x daily i should tell you that i'm 41 male. My question is the doc is a really busy guy and spent about 2mins looking at me . He said he thought chickenpox and said because I look healthy no blood test required . If not chickenpox what else could it be? I should tell you I was recently in india, isreal, china , and japan for work. One last note I seem to be getting a sore throat Ive heard this can be serious for someone my age . Thank You your 2 cents are appreciated.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

The kind of rash you describe sounds viral.  Chickenpox is indeed a strong possibility.  The classic description of chickenpox lesion is a "dewdrop on a rose petal," which certainly fits your description of "red bumps with a clear fluid."  The time interval between exposure to shingles (zoster, which sheds the chickenpox virus) also fits quite well.  An experienced clinician should be able to diagnose this quickly, without a blood test, which would not be helpful at this point anyway.  As much as I can say from a distance, your doctor sounds right on.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff