SHINGLES AND BACK PAIN

[redoakrob]

I went to the hospital about 2 weeks ago, first I was diagonised with diviticulitus, then I went to my family doctor and she diagonised me with shingles.  I had a very small rash on my back not much, the pain in my right back kills me at night mainly but stays with me all day I take loratabs about every 4 hours doesn.t help much.  the pain is in my lower back right side and around to the front of my stomach.  could this really be shingles or do you think this might be a disc problem I had a MIR in 2003 and they said I had three herniated disc.  but I have been doing alright with my back until now.  my doctor is ordering another mir for my back (WHATS THE PERCENTAGE THAT THIS IS THE SHINGLES?  NEED HELP

[Madadivad]

If it is shingles, there is a special medication that your doctor may prescribe that specifically targets the nerves in a way to deaden pain caused by shingles.  Has your doctor mentioned any medications like this?

[PrairieBoy]

I am a week and a half into a shingles outbreak that started with severe back pain (especially at night).  I find that pain far worse than the pain of the rash.

As an aside, a few days before the pain started i pinched the EXACT same nerve in my back while doing some heavy moving at work.  That pain only lasted the afternoon.  When the severe back pain started a few days later, I assumed it was herniated disk or something from the back injury.

I still think that the shingles outbreak was triggered by the minor back injury.  I am an otherwise healthy, non-stressed thirty year old.  And it is just too coincidental that the shingles should infect the EXACT same nerve that I pinched while at work.