Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Shingles?

Guest BERNESES

By Guest BERNESES
in Related Issues & Disorders

Recommended Posts

Guest BERNESES
Guest BERNESES
Posted

Hi Everyone- This weekend I developed two small but painful bumps on the scalp behind my right ear. I can't see them but my sister said they looked like bug bites. OK. Hurt to brush my hair in that spot but I figured they'd go away.

Tonight in class I developed a headache and another huge, hard bump behind my right ear. Right on the bone. It hurts!

I called the doctor and he said could be shingles so I'm going in tomorrow to get checked out. Anyone else had this? I did have chicken pox as a child and I know that's a prerequisite. I'm kind of scared. Thanks, Beverly

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Carriefaith Enthusiast
Carriefaith
Posted

I've never had it, but my grandmother had it and it wasn't too bad for her.

morrigan Newbie
morrigan
Posted

Besides shingles you might want to consider the possibility of DH. I am not familiar with your situation but I have DH and the bumps that I get on my head do not itch even though they are bothersome.

-Morrigan-

Guest BERNESES
Guest BERNESES
Posted

That occured to me too. Boo hoo! Don't know which is worse :(

Eliza13 Contributor
Eliza13
Posted

If the bumps are directly behind your ear, they could be your lymph nodes. If so, you are likely coming down with a virus (if it is your nodes). I am not a doctor, but I have had my nodes swell in the past and they hurt like heck.

:)

Guest BERNESES
Guest BERNESES
Posted

Yeah- it's definitely not a lymph node as it's on my scalp and the bone behind my ear near the hairline.

elonwy Enthusiast
elonwy
Posted

Heres the thing with shingles: if you take care of them, you'll be just fine. If you think you're just gonna deal with it like chicken pox you're screwed.

My grandma was a tough little (4'2") old lady from Ireland who never went to the doctor in her life and had 9 children that lived. She got shingles at around 75, didn't do anything about it and ended up being bed-ridden and half-crippled for 6 months.

That scary admonition out of the way, you're going to the doc, if you have it, just take what they give you, even if it has gluten in it. They have plenty of stuff to deal with it now.

Here's hoping its just DH. I get little bumps behind my ears and on the back of my neck that act like big pimples that never do anything and itch and hurt like hell and that's my DH. The good news is, DH can eventually go away and they have antibiotics to make it go away faster.

Elonwy

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


judy05 Apprentice
judy05
Posted
Hi Everyone- This weekend I developed two small but painful bumps on the scalp behind my right ear. I can't see them but my sister said they looked like bug bites. OK. Hurt to brush my hair in that spot but I figured they'd go away.

Tonight in class I developed a headache and another huge, hard bump behind my right ear. Right on the bone. It hurts!

I called the doctor and he said could be shingles so I'm going in tomorrow to get checked out. Anyone else had this? I did have chicken pox as a child and I know that's a prerequisite. I'm kind of scared. Thanks, Beverly

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've had shingles several times. Before I break out I get pain on the surface of the skin, weird!. Then I get these real tiny red bumps, very itchy and painful. It usually occurs on my thigh. The skin Dr gave me an Rx for Valtrex to take before the eruptions and Domboro soaks to apply to the skin. They usually dry up in a few days. I agree about getting medical help because they can be very painful and hard to get rid of if you wait too long. Yours don't sound like shingles but get checked out!

skbird Contributor
skbird
Posted

I got shingles when I was 18 and it was not pleasant nor any walk in the park. I had a pink blotch on my spine at waist level and one on my side and I went to the campus doc and he said "oh, shingles! Take some tylenol and get some calamime lotion - you'll be fine." Two days later I was back in tears and they gave me some codeine. It was rough. Two days after that I went back to my parents house and they took me to a dermatologist who said if I'd been there the first day I noticed the blotches he could have given me a powerful antiviral that would have stopped a lot of the process... well, I guess going to an on-campus doc isn't enough.

Anyway, the whole thing too about a month to get over, and I actually got some scarring on my waist for life. If it's even suspected, don't mess around and get thee to a doctor post haste. It won't kill you but it is really uncomfortable. I just met someone who is recovering from having it on her face - she said every time she gets stressed out now it starts breaking out on her again.

I don't mean to scare you, but I have said this many times - I would not wish shingles on my worst enemy.

Take care -

Stephanie

ponita Newbie
ponita
Posted

Berneses,

I saw your post and see now it's been 24 hours, were you able to see you doctor? What was decided? I'm curious ...

I want to tell you that for 10 years off and on I've been breaking out behind my ears, then sometimes across my shoulders, in my mouth, on my arms. Some of the doctors said it was shingles, some would say they simply didn't know. When I found out that I have celiac, I researched DH and couldn't believe what I saw.

The only time I break out now is if I ingest something contaminated that I'm not aware of.

Keeps me motivated to stay as pure as possible!

gluten-free since June 2004,

The day of my dx is like a new birthday for me as I feel WONDERFUL.

Let me know how you're doing.

Melissa

BRCoats Enthusiast
BRCoats
Posted

I got shingles for the first time.....RIGHT after I went gluten-free. Weird, huh? I went for months, thinking it was eczema, so I didn't go to the doc. Then, when I went in for a checkup, I told him about it. He kinda freaked, spent a whole lot of time examining it, and finally decided it was shingles (it looked pretty nasty - and it was on my forearm, below my wrist). He prescribed me Valtrex, and a cream (basically a topical Valtrex). I didn't apply it until months later, because I didn't think going to get the expensive meds outweighed haing the rash (but it did burn and itch and hurt like crazy!!!). I'm stubborn, what can I say! Anyway....then I had someone tell me that it can go to your brain, if you don't get it taken care of. She had a friend that actually died of herpes encephalitis (shingles on the brain, basically). SO....needless to say, I ran out and filled that prescription! <_< I never filled the oral, I just got the cream. And it worked like a CHARM!!! Great stuff. The bad news is that it cost me eighty bucks AFTER my insurance paid their part. And I have good insurance. :angry:

Anyway....the shingles are painful. Just get treated, and all will be well. I agree that you need to get it taken care of if it is indeed shingles.

HTH,

~Brenda

Guest BERNESES
Guest BERNESES
Posted

Thanks everryone for your support! Saw the doctor today and she is 99% sure it's not shingles. It looks like Scarlet was right- it is some kind of pimple or bug bite rash that got infected and the hard lump behind my right ear actually is a swollen lymph node so they gave me Augmentin but I haven't filled it yet because I'm trying to find out if it's gluten-free. I'm so relieved that it's not shingles as I've heard horror stories! I'm still wondering about the DH thing though. I've had these bumps appear on my scalp before.

So, does anyone know if Augmentin is gluten-free? And how do I go about getting a DH diagnosis? I went to a derm recently who diagnosed me with dermatitis without even examining me (no lie! ). I used the stuff she gave me for my ears (which itch, crack and bleed) and it made them worse so I just stopped using it and went back to OTC hydrocortisone. Her quote, without even looking at my ears, was "It's definitely not related to Celiac's" Arrrgh!

Kasey'sMom Enthusiast
Kasey'sMom
Posted

I had something like this and it was scary as well. My dh had the shingles and I've never seem him so sick. I'm glad an anti-biotic will take care of it for you. :)

I checked out Augmentin on this website and it looks like the tabs & liquid are gluten-free. Here's the website I got the information from

Open Original Shared Link

Healing Wishes!!!! :)

Guest BERNESES
Guest BERNESES
Posted

Thanks so much- I started the Augmentin last night. Hope it does the trick- this hurts (but I'm sure nothing like Shingles!! Thank you all for your help, B

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. trents
      - trents replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      Currently, there are no tests for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out and we do have testing for celiac disease. There are two primary test modalities for diagnosing celiac disease. One involves checking for antibodies in the blood. For the person with celiac disease, when gluten is ingested, it produces an autoimmune response in the lining...
    2. SamAlvi
      - SamAlvi replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      Thank you for the clarification and for taking the time to explain the terminology so clearly. I really appreciate your insight, especially the distinction between celiac disease and NCGS and how anemia can point more toward celiac. This was very helpful for me.
    3. Jsingh
      - Jsingh replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      1

      Son's legs shaking

      Hi, My 7 year daughter has complained of this in the past, which I thought were part of her glutening symptom, but more recently I have come to figure out it's part of her histamine overload symptom. This one symptom was part of her broader profile, which included irritability, extreme hunger, confusion, post-nasal drip. You might want to look up "histamine...
    4. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 posted a topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      1

      Son's legs shaking

      My 5yo was diagnosed with celiac last year by being tested after his sister was diagnosed. We are very strict on the gluten-free diet, but unsure what his reactions are as he was diagnosed without many symptoms other than low ferritin. He had a school party where his teacher made gluten-free gingerbread men. I almost said no because she made it in her...
    5. trents
      - trents replied to Paulaannefthimiou's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      Bob red mill gluten free oats

      Not necessarily. The "Gluten Free" label means not more than 20ppm of gluten in the product which is often not enough for super sensitive celiacs. You would need to be looking for "Certified Gluten Free" (GFCO endorsed) which means no more than 10ppm of gluten. Having said that, "Gluten Free" doesn't mean that there will necessarily be more gluten than "Certified...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,868
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    yooperjb
    Newest Member
    yooperjb
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By trents · Posted

      Currently, there are no tests for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out and we do have testing for celiac disease. There are two primary test modalities for diagnosing celiac disease. One involves checking for antibodies in the blood. For the person with celiac disease, when gluten is ingested, it produces an autoimmune response in the lining of the small bowel which generates specific kinds of antibodies. Some people are IGA deficient and such that the IGA antibody tests done for celiac disease will have skewed results and cannot be trusted. In that case, there are IGG tests that can be ordered though, they aren't quite as specific for celiac disease as the IGA tests. But the possibility of IGA deficiency is why a "total IGA" test should always be ordered along with the TTG-IGA. The other modality is an endoscopy (scoping of the upper GI track) with a biopsy of the small bowel lining. The aforementioned autoimmune response produces inflammation in the small bowel lining which, over time, damages the structure of the lining. The biopsy is sent to a lab and microscopically analyzed for signs of this damage. If the damage is severe enough, it can often be spotted during the scoping itself. The endoscopy/biopsy is used as confirmation when the antibody results are positive, since there is a small chance that elevated antibody test scores can be caused by things other than celiac disease, particularly when the antibody test numbers are not particularly high. If the antibody test numbers are 10x normal or higher, physicians will sometimes declare an official diagnosis of celiac disease without an endoscopy/biopsy, particularly in the U.K. Some practitioners use stool tests to detect celiac disease but this modality is not widely recognized in the medical community as valid. Both celiac testing modalities outlined above require that you have been consuming generous amounts of gluten for weeks/months ahead of time. Many people make the mistake of experimenting with the gluten free diet or even reducing their gluten intake prior to testing. By doing so, they invalidate the testing because antibodies stop being produced, disappear from the blood and the lining of the small bowel begins to heal. So, then they are stuck in no man's land, wondering if they have celiac disease or NCGS. To resume gluten consumption, i.e., to undertake a "gluten challenge" is out of the question because their reaction to gluten is so strong that it would endanger their health. The lining of the small bowel is the place where all of the nutrition in the food we consume is absorbed. This lining is made up of billions of microscopically tiny fingerlike projections that create a tremendous nutrient absorption surface area. The inflammation caused by celiac disease wears down these fingers and greatly reduces the surface area needed for nutrient absorption. Thus, people with celiac disease often develop iron deficiency anemia and a host of other vitamin and mineral deficiencies. It is likely that many more people who have issues with gluten suffer from NCGS than from celiac disease. We actually know much more about the mechanism of celiac disease than we do about NCGS but some experts believe NCGS can transition into celiac disease.
    • SamAlvi
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By SamAlvi · Posted

      Thank you for the clarification and for taking the time to explain the terminology so clearly. I really appreciate your insight, especially the distinction between celiac disease and NCGS and how anemia can point more toward celiac. This was very helpful for me.
    • Jsingh
      Son's legs shaking

      By Jsingh · Posted

      Hi,  My 7 year daughter has complained of this in the past, which I thought were part of her glutening symptom, but more recently I have come to figure out it's part of her histamine overload symptom. This one symptom was part of her broader profile, which included irritability, extreme hunger, confusion, post-nasal drip. You might want to look up "histamine intolerance". I wish I had known of this at the time of her diagnosis, life would have been much easier.  I hope you are able to figure out. 
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      My 5yo was diagnosed with celiac last year by being tested after his sister was diagnosed. We are very strict on the gluten-free diet, but unsure what his reactions are as he was diagnosed without many symptoms other than low ferritin.  He had a school party where his teacher made gluten-free gingerbread men. I almost said no because she made it in her kitchen but I thought it would be ok.  Next day and for a few after his behavior is awful. Hitting, rude, disrespectful. Mainly he kept saying his legs were shaking. Is this a gluten exposure symptom that anyone else gets? Also the bad behavior? 
    • trents
      Bob red mill gluten free oats

      By trents · Posted

      Not necessarily. The "Gluten Free" label means not more than 20ppm of gluten in the product which is often not enough for super sensitive celiacs. You would need to be looking for "Certified Gluten Free" (GFCO endorsed) which means no more than 10ppm of gluten. Having said that, "Gluten Free" doesn't mean that there will necessarily be more gluten than "Certified Gluten" in any given batch run. It just means there could be. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.