Aa
Shingles or something else
Hi,
My sister for the las two weeks had a small rash with 8 individual bumps clustered together on her front shoulder and two on her lower neck a few inches away. She initially thought it was some sort of bug bite. A week and a half after it developed she finally went to a derm doc who said it looked like shingles. No testing was done.
She thinks she had a cold sore as a kid and she's now 38 and I can not recall her ever having one. However, I believe she did before the age of 10. and never again.
She had fooled around with a guy only two weeks or less before the shoulder rash appears but says she does not believe he had any cold sore and she did not have sex.
My question is is it possible that this rash,which is clearly herpetic, possibly HSV 1 reactivated or a new infection (if she is wrong about having it as a child)? Or does the placement (front side of body, rt shoulder and neck) sound more in line with shingles? Also if the rash has dried up but not fully healed can it still be biopsied or cultured? And if she doesn't take anti virals can it spread even though it appears to be going away. She says she has pain there and I'm thinking she should take the anti virals to avoid the post nerve pain that the med community says is common with shingles( assuming it is shingles)
My sister for the las two weeks had a small rash with 8 individual bumps clustered together on her front shoulder and two on her lower neck a few inches away. She initially thought it was some sort of bug bite. A week and a half after it developed she finally went to a derm doc who said it looked like shingles. No testing was done.
She thinks she had a cold sore as a kid and she's now 38 and I can not recall her ever having one. However, I believe she did before the age of 10. and never again.
She had fooled around with a guy only two weeks or less before the shoulder rash appears but says she does not believe he had any cold sore and she did not have sex.
My question is is it possible that this rash,which is clearly herpetic, possibly HSV 1 reactivated or a new infection (if she is wrong about having it as a child)? Or does the placement (front side of body, rt shoulder and neck) sound more in line with shingles? Also if the rash has dried up but not fully healed can it still be biopsied or cultured? And if she doesn't take anti virals can it spread even though it appears to be going away. She says she has pain there and I'm thinking she should take the anti virals to avoid the post nerve pain that the med community says is common with shingles( assuming it is shingles)
at all possible, given the location (shoulder front side and one or two areas on neck) that she did not have HSV-1 as a kid and that she could have got it from someone kissing that area or from a gym mat?
She's had no testing done to know what she has. It's doubtful this is her hsv1 infection reoccurring there. A triip to the dermatologist would be best.
grace
grace
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
