Can anyone identify this??

[Seiya174]

Hi all...I am a 25 year old male living in the Philadelphia Area.

So yesterday morning I woke up with this itchy rash on my right trunk and a small patch on my mid-right back (not pictured.) All I know is that it is very itchy and there are no other symptoms and no sign of it getting any better since yesterday.

Here is what I have determined so far:
1. Of course the first thing I thought was maybe an allergic reaction? But it hasn't gone away or shown any signs of improvement since it began, in fact it may have gotten worse.

2. Secondly, I thought it may be shingles (a re-activated chicken pox virus). Usually shingles only effects the immunocompromised (people with weak immune systems), and as it turns out due to a car accident 2 years ago I don't have a spleen, which is an important part of the immune system. This coupled with the fact that the rash is exclusively on my right side, and shingles can also only affect one side of the body.
However, I am having no pain which is one of the hallmark signs of shingles, and the small patch on my back indicates that it probably is not shingles because shingles follows one nerve fiber, which the chicken pox have been lying dormant in, until it is reactivated, so it is usually only in one place.

3. Bug bites? I have no idea! I thought maybe bed bugs but my partner is not experiencing these symptoms, and there is no sign of little blood left over and no reason to believe that I may have bedbugs.

Please, can anyone help!?

 

[Alistair]

It sure looks like the pics of shingles I just googled.

Make a doctors appointment

 

[Stoffe]

Looks like Shingles to me as well. I had those when I was a teenager.

 

[Corny]

my ex had some bed bug bites in australia and an allergic reaction to it .. it looked almost exactly like what you have, but they were not in small clusters .. more like connected clusters forming a big cluster .. if that makes any sense.

that being said .. i just googled shingles, too and from the structure it looks a lot like it, just that it doesn't look as red (more darker with discolored pimples) compared to your pic .. you should see a doc ASAP especially with your weak immune system it is important that it gets treated quickly if it is shingles!

 

[Seiya174]

I can agree that it looks a bit like shingles but it lacks a lot of the clinical evidence that it is. They aren't painful, don't follow the nerve fiber, they arent blistering which shingles does and then they break and it heals and I don't have any other symptoms at all whereas shingles is accompanied by flu-like symptoms in most cases.

I think I would rather it be shingles than bedbugs but...

 

[justboy123]

Its probably ALMOST SURE that its Shingles (Herpes Zoster). I had something looking EXACTLY LIKE whats on your pictures, in a very similar area (on the area of my left ribs, and a little bit on my mid-back), and I was told by my doctor that it was Shingles.

I didn't get any fever nor headache or anything. Just a LOT of ichyness.
You should see a doctor soon. You're probably just going to have to take antivirals and put a special cream on the affected area every so often. As soon as you start treatment, it'll go away in some days. Go as soon as possible because the rash continues to spread over time and it can get blistery and worse if you don't treat it or if you scratch it.

 

[KaraBulut]

It is odd that you're having itching but not pain... but that looks like shingles.

Grape like, red, pustules along the margin of the lats/ribcage is very classic of shingles.

As you know, shingles is a reactivation of herpes zoster- the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you get chickenpox, it can lay dormant in nerve endings. The key thing with shingles is while it can be linked to immunocompromised people, it occurs more often in otherwise healthy people who are under stress. It does occur in the elderly and the immunocompromised and sometimes it happens for no apparent reason.

You should contact your physician to get a final diagnosis. If it is shingles, you can be placed on an antiviral for a short time to suppress the virus until your body resolves the outbreak on its own. But antivirals need to be started very early in the outbreak, so you should contact your doctor today if possible.

 

[T-Rexx]

Yep, shingles.

 

[vulgar_newcomer]

I agree it looks like shingles. I had a break out when I was 26 that were very painful on my shoulder, neck and upper back and thought it was burns until I went to the Doctor. After they visibly disappeared it still hurt for at least a year. Very painful I couldn't believe how long it went on. As a kid I had really mild chicken pox infection but oh wow, this was awful. It was also a indication that led my Doctor to suggesting a HIV test due to the fact of my age and the rareness of getting shingles which isn't so rare for a 65 yr old dude.

Last year at 37 I had them just about where you are showing them. On one side of my torso in the standard lines that you show in following nerves,
I knew what they were however still went to the Doctor to make sure. Preparing for the worst with pain, they never hurt nor itched much and faded within a couple of months leaving no scars. Thankfully. Also as stated above it likely was early enough that the medication, I think Valtrax (?) was somewhat effective in treating it.
I think I took these pills for 7 or 10 days.
Also isn't there a vaccination that is available for shingles now?

At both times I had them I was under extreme mental stress and the first time I had recently had surgery prior to the outbreak.

 

[seven2go]

Looks like shingles to me too.
I had a terrible case.......
If you are not experiencing any pain or itching you are one lucky son-of-a-bitch.
I was on vicodin and tylox to ease the pain part for about a month.......the best thing I found to help ease the itching was Solarcaine.
I experienced on and off symptoms for over 2 years........just little twinges here and there......enough to scare my into paying $200, out of pocket, for a shingles vaccine.

And to the above post, Valtrex, which costs a FORTUNE, is the standard treatment.

 

[Chardius]

It also looks like poison oak/ivy/sumac. Have you been NEAR any of them? The oils can travel by wind and are not washed out of clothing without a special additive. The oils are more concentrated on the branches themselves than on the leaves so even in the winter you are not safe from it. It's itchy, painful, and takes a couple of weeks to clear up. If you Haven't been within 5 feet of any sort of woodsy area though then its something else. Regardless get it checked out.

ALSO: It can be spread by pets. Human beings are the only animals that react to Urushiol (the offending substance in oak/sumac/ivy) oil in this way.

MORE EDITS: Treatment for severe cases can involve powerful antihistamines and oral steroids (prednizone). I caught this 2 summers ago, my knee swelled up 3 times normal size and I couldn't walk. I can attest though that it WILL NOT scar.

I hope its just this, shingles would be a bitch.

 

[palemale]

Ditto for those who said shingles. I had a small patch on my butt that mildly itched and weren't at all painful.