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shingles without a rash

Is it possible to be diagnosed with shingles without having an external rash?  The pain is on my left side only in a band near my waist line.  The pain is horrific - even to the touch.  All symptoms seem to be consistent with shingles but after 2 weeks of this, there is no rash.  Narcotics, vicodin and darvocet have helped some but not completely.
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Avatar universal
Hi there...I'm not sure how long ago you posted this, but I am experiencing the EXACT symptoms. It started out as excruciating ear pain leading me to my family Dr with him telling me that I had an outer and middle ear infection. He put me on strong antibiotics and it just kept getting worse! It was unbearable and had me in tears constantly. I ended up at the emergency room where they changed my antibiotic again to biaxin and after 4 days on that garbage it was still getting worse, that's when the facial paralysis started. Terrified me!  I couldn't hear anything out of my ear except a loud muffled ringing sound. I ended up at the emergency room again SO sick and they admitted me. I had tons of tests ran with no real results pointing to a diagnosis. The ENT specialist finally said he was going to treat me for shingles with the Ramsey Hunt syndrome. I was in the hospital for 5 days. I was put on valtrex, prednisone pack and keflex. He has me taking 1000 mg of the valtrex 3 times a day but the EXTREME fatigue and shortness of breath has me on a break. Please respond back
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Avatar universal
chezza1968……………….

Hi, last night the hospital in Saskatchewan told me that I have shingle's and gave me a prescription to fill if the rash appears. I did have some redness on my left side mid back, but this morning that redness is gone. Right now I am just watching it closely.
I'm in severe pain in my lower spine and a burning sensation into my left groin.
It's extreme pain and I received muscle spasm meds and nerve meds.
They are not working very well yet, but I am hoping still. This is my Fourth day of extreme pain in my spine.
All of my family claim that I have "never" had chicken-pox so this is really baffling me.
Please let me and other's know how everything turned out for you.

Thank you everyone.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi, last night the hospital in Saskatchewan told me that I have shingle's and gave me a prescription to fill if the rash appears. I did have some redness on my left side mid back, but this morning that redness is gone. Right now I am just watching it closely.
I'm in severe pain in my lower spine and a burning sensation into my left groin.
It's extreme pain and I received muscle spasm meds and nerve meds.
They are not working very well yet, but I am hoping still. This is my Fourth day of extreme pain in my spine.
All of my family claim that I have "never" had chicken-pox so this is really baffling me.
Please let me and other's know how everything turned out for you.

Thank you everyone.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Howdy new community,
Can't believe I have ended up here after all my 40 year old body has been through! 2 major accidents that have left me with lifelong problems 20 and 21 years ago. Since the past four years, 2 knee surgeries, wrist surgery, 2 major abdominal surgeries... all while caring for three 3 little ones 7and a half, 4 and a half, and 2 and a half.  While pregnant with the two and a half year old I got the swine flu that ended up an ear infection that went so deep it got into my ear bones and went systemic!  Thankfully we survived and his only damage that we can tell are the white stains on his teeth from the antibiotics he received while in utero.  After years of stress and an occasional excruciating stabbing pain behind my right ear (the one with the worse of the infections) I was suddenly brought down HARD yesterday while caring for the four of us with the flu. Two days ago I was sweating and freezing within moments of each other. Yesterday I was just plain freezing.  Under three blankets all day on the couch alternating babies snuggling me for their warmth during our all day movie watching, though truth be told I just lay there with my eyes closed until someone whined for popsicles, juice or a toy swiped by a sibling. The pain behind my ear was excruciating for about 36 hours, it would come and go every few seconds or minutes depending on if I was lying in a hot bath with the lights out.  After realizing I was making the same sounds I had made while delivering three 9 pound babies with no medication I knew I needed to go to Urgent Care this morning.  A very long 45 minute drive and a two hour wait once there and the doctor surprised me.  No ear infection!  I had just seen my ear doc last week for a follow up from a dizzy fall I had in the night when I cracked my ear on the edge of the dresser as I went down hard in the dark.  He had drained the fluid from the cartilage so I hopefully don't end up looking like a kickboxer with Cauliflower ear. He also cleaned my ears out so I knew they would be squeaky clean for the doc today although with no pain in the actual ear canal I was just assuming the nerves were doing something weird.  They were, the doc this morning told me Shingles!  He looked for a rash under my hair and found none and said he hopes we started the antivirals in time to prevent them. I had chicken pox at 6 months old and what do you know...so now I am taking 2 different antivirals, an antibiotic and cough syrup with codeine.  Aiyiyi! I have learned three major things today... 1) I hope I am one of the lucky ones to have this be my ONLY experience with Shingles.  2) Like preventing cauliflower ear, immediate attention is mandatory when shingles is in question.  3) I will definitely be getting my kids the chicken pox vaccine when they are all better from this flu.  It seemed like a silly one but after this experience I couldn't let them face it.  I do have fear about introducing to their perfect bodies this little creep of a virus and I read on this post about the 61 year old that developed shingles months after her vaccine...  Hang on people, this is what they call the human experience ;)
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Avatar universal
I have had many bouts with pain under my left shoulder blade and will suffer for about a week and then it goes away.  Last October (2011) I also went to ER thinking it was something more serious.  In the past I thought it may have been a muscle pull or cold in the back. The hospital found everything negative and sent me home. I get this at least once a year.  This passed Friday I woke up with the beginning of the pain, it has gotten prgressively worse and has not subsided at all.  I called my doctor, got checked...did some blood work but could not find any specific reason or cause.  He referred me to an orthopedic man, thinking possible bursitis but orthopedis couldn't explain it traveling down to my right elbow.  Today I go to a neurologist!  I too am thinking shingles without a rash.   I am a 56 year-old female who is not a smoker, excersises regularly and is not overweight.  I eat well too and I am so frustrated that no one can tell me why I am in such pain and why is comes and how to get relief!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
have u had a mri of your knee, could be a torn or injured maniscus?
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