Do herpes and shingles interact?

[Phatkatt83]

I recently went to a clinic for lesions and pain while urinating and they did a culture. It came back positive for herpes, but they didn't test whether it was HSV-1 or HSV-2. They put me on Valtrex which I've been taking for nine days, and yesterday I was symptom free when I went to bed. I was awoken around midnight with an intense outbreak of what I I'm fairly sure is shingles, which I have had only one time before and that was years ago. It was on both sides of my body, especially on the entirety of my hands. I took another Valtrex and by this morning the shingles were all but gone.

Could the herpes have triggered the shingles? Or could it have been a weird "last throes" outbreak of herpes? Or just a very strange coincidence?

I am going soon to get a more accurate blood test.

[Phatkatt83]

I just got my tests back and I am HSV-1 positive, HSV-2 negative, which is what I expected. The doctor didn't think my short outbreak was shingles, although she didn't have a satisfying theory on it either. Maybe it was a physchosomatic outbreak of hives due to stress and worry. I really have no idea, but it was real.

[feelingundone]

You and me both. Hsv of the hand or whitlow is very painful and usually breaks out on a finger. Never goes away so quickly. Please keep me posted if you figure this out.

[feelingundone]

I have never heard of shingles coming and going that quickly. It would not be your genital hsv infection as that will stay in that nerve ganglia (boxer shorts region) the outbreak on your hands is very strange. Like I said, hsv of any kind doesn't go away in the matter of hours.

[Phatkatt83]

Thank you. In all my online research the last few weeks I had never read anything like this. I am perplexed!