Shingles type pain...

A few times in the past I've had what can only be described as a shingles type pain on a thigh in a smallish area roughly 3 inch diameter and it fades after an hour or so and that's it gone.

I'm having a similar thing right now but it's most of my left thigh. Started 2 hours ago. I'll have to sleep on top of the bed, can't have anything touching it. Never had shingles before just these strange short episodes with no markings on skin but this time it's a large area.

I had a bath with Epsom salts and ACV, when the water was hot it helped, as soon as temp dropped to warm the pain would return.

Currently have the burning raw feeling, with zingy electric shocks giving me a slight heart twinge with the shock every few minutes.

Had chicken pox age 11. I'm praying this eases like it usually does this is the last thing I need during lockdown while my GP surgery is shut and like Fort Knox to see a doctor and I don't want to go anywhere near a hospital or outside for that matter... Not only am I isolating but if it was shingles doesn't that mean my immune system is shoddy right now?

Even just calling my GP receptionists is a minimum of a two hour battle (no answer machine or queue, just engaged so you have to keep redialling for hours)

 

I can't help but

 

Thank you

 

Thanks Trish no I had to go to bed, so I fished out some pregagablin and tried to sleep, I may have got an hour

 

This could be neuropathic pain, as I’ve had shingles before, and it’s an awful neuropathic pain. And then I’ve had similar awful pains like shingles (but without the actual shingles) on my body and it’s been called “chronic pain” and “neuropathic pain”. I get feelings like heart shocks as well, I always thought as it’s due to some nervous system thing. If it’s neuropathic pain, there’s medications that could possibly help. Like gabapentin, pregblin, maybe even the ones I’m taking like nortryptyline. (oh I just realised you said above you’re using a med already!). Maybe you could set up a telephone appt with a GP, to ask if this is also neuropathic pain. (But as it’s always on your thighs, I’m not sure, and it could be something else?).

 

I feel it's neuropathic pain too (hoping) also hope it doesn't last long as I can only take pregagablin for a maximum of 3 days before bad side effects start kicking in.

 

Sorry to hear this @Hell..hath..no..fury...

I do occasionally get patches on my thighs (well, only one thigh at a time & usually the right side) of either numbness or a stinging, burning pain. No marks or redness. Can be an area as big as my hand. I don't think it's anywhere near as painful as what your describing though.

Unfortunately, I have no idea why and as it generally goes away by itself in a few hours though it can occasionally be a few days, I've just left it.

I've had chicken pox but not shingles.

 

Thank you I definitely think it's an ME thing especially as I've had this kind of thing before. Just not to this scale.

I noticed something odd 2 days ago that I sometimes get too which is an instant patch of goose pimples on one thigh (the one that has now flared up) under my clothes while not remotely cold. The goose pimples last for around 10-15 minutes, and are very intense, almost painful, then fade. It's always on a section of left thigh that this happens.

So that was 2 days ago, now this.

Had to wear a thin gypsy skirt all day for getting parcels and that is agony on the skin. I've never had a patch this big before, it's pretty much the entire front of the left thigh. Thankfully not the underside so I can lie down/sit on it.

The electric shocks every few minutes have stopped, don't know if the pregagablin is helping that or if it's happening naturally. So I'm just left with the raw, nerve pain, burning skin which is a slight improvement. At least if nothing is touching it I can temporarily forget about it.

I wonder how all these latent virus's in our body's interact with each other? What if dormant herpes zoster and EBV flared at the same time? what if we test positive for covid 19 and that's lying dormant too. How many virus can you have lying dormant in your body for life? Sorry I'm rambling from one hour sleep and pregagablin fog cloud

Just wondering if it's possible to have a phantom type of shingles without it being full blown shingles with blisters, the same way we have a phantom flu at the start of PEM occasionally which I also had a couple of days ago.

 

@Hell..hath..no..fury...

Although shingles can occur anywhere on your body, it most often appear as a single stripe of blisters that wraps around either the left or the right side of your torso. I hope this brings you a little comfort.

 

I got a strip of blisters just above my eye and a strip of blisters just above that strip of blisters! It was one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced.
(Confirmed as shingles).

 

@lunarainbows I worked in healthcare for many years before coming ill, and patients who had shingles around the eye area (for years!) said it was the most excruciating pain of all shingles location. They couldn't even wash their hair.

 

Yeah I read that last night which helped a bit

ETA: though I do remember my dad having it on his left thigh when I was a kid.
I'm definitely thinking ME related now (fingers crossed - I think )

 

@Hell..hath..no..fury...,

for a more specific term, look up the word “allodynia“. See if that fits. My father years ago had a simlilar pain and location as yours and he managed to achieve some relief with capsaicin cream..., but it hasn’t worked for me...

best of luck to you.

 

Have you changed your salt balance by drinking more fluids or taking extra salt lately? Sometimes that can cause electric shocks if you have neuropathy.

 

Definitely no change. Apart from having a slightly unhealthy diet lately than what I would usually have due to no choice.

Thank you! I completely forgot that term. I have looked it up in the past, I'll check it out

I don't know if the pregagablin is doing it's thing as it is fantastic for nerve pain, but I can now touch my skin with my hands and it's only mildly sore now.

 

It's finally gone, phew!!! That was the largest area and longest time yet All day yesterday all that was left was severe muscle ache in the areas directly under the area of skin that had the nerve pain.

Very relieved it wasn't shingles, but hoping this doesn't become a regular thing. Haven't had any sleep for days

 

Oh for crying out loud, it's back already, but back to a smaller patch like I used to get. I must have had a whole 5 hours reprieve. Bugger.

 

@Hell..hath..no..fury...