I was recently tested for shingles even though I don't have a rash. (see details)?
366453
I am not 100% sure about the normal values of the IgM and IgA for varicella.  I will tell you that it is possible to get zoster (shingles) without a rash.  It has a french name that I cannot remember, but it is a true entity.  You are correct that IgM signifies are current or recent infection.  IgA I am not sure of.  IgG usually signifies an infection in the past or immunity.  Hope it helps.
821819
You need to call your doc and ask for a referral to an allergist.  The allergist will test you for all sorts of allergies at the same time.  They usually use the skin test not blood test to test for allergies.
208983
Sounds like some kind of allergic reaction or rash, I would go see a doctor.
660357
You may have come in contact with something you may be allergic to. It could also be eczema or psoriasis.  It's best to let a professional diagnose you then us.
638925
How big are the rashes (dime sized? palm sized?)? How long have you had them? Are they symetrical? Have you been exposed to anything recently that may have caused them, such as poison ivy or poison oak? Have you bitten by anything recently? Need a LOT more information before anyone could begin to guess at what it may be.\n\nThere are hundreds of different types of rashes, and many have multiple causes, so without better info it is very difficult to think of what it might be. It can run the gamut from cancerous lesions to hives. Sorry can't be of more help.
235319
Do they itch and/or hurt? Do they run in a straight line on just one side of the body? Have you ever had chicken pox? If you answered yes to these three questions, odds are it's shingles. But you can always get a second opinion from another doctor.
188491
I got tested for allergies and they kind of tested me by sticking around 50plus needles of different known food stuff on either fore arms. They also told me that I was very allergic to peanuts and which happens to be my favorite. The final conclusion was that I was allergic to 90% of food stuff. In your case it could possibly be that they must be testing you for all toxins derived from edible nuts. These tests are done to check out which stuff is toxic for us by studying how our body reacts to these minute quantities injected into us. Depending on the swelling at the place of the prick and using some scale they decide how toxic is that particular stuff. When I was told that I was allergic to over 90 % of food stuff I inquired with them what I should be doing and they were kind of prepared to put me on some immunity altering injections and drugs. When I consulted certain other doctors all that they could say was we really wouldn't be able to predict the outcome and one of them even asked me to go home and eat whatever I could in moderation. After that I have kind of begun eating each and everything and now I don't seem to have that severity of allergy. I would however suggest that you try out whatever you want to eat in little quantities first and then see if any change is there like itching, rashes etc. If there is stop it if not go ahead nothing will happen. Best of Luck
450592
Shingles is a painful blistering rash caused by reactivation of varicella, the chickenpox virus. It is correctly known as herpes zoster. \n\nChicken Pox is the primary infection with the virus, Herpes zoster, also called ‘varicella-zoster’. During this widespread infection, which usually occurs in childhood, virus is seeded to nerve cells in the spinal cord, usually of nerves that supply sensation to the skin. \n\nThe virus remains in a resting phase in these nerve cells for years before it is reactivated and grows down the nerves to the skin to produce shingles (zoster). This can occur in childhood but is much more common in adults, especially the elderly. \n\nThe first sign of shingles is usually pain, which may be severe, in the areas of one or more sensory nerves, often where they emerge from the spine. The pain may be just in one spot or it may spread out. The patient usually feels quite unwell with fever and headache. The lymph nodes draining the affected area are often enlarged and tender. \n\nWithin one to three days of the onset of pain, a blistering rash appears in the painful area of skin. Sometimes, especially in children, shingles is painless. \n\nIt starts as a crop of closely-grouped red bumps in a continuous band on the area of skin supplied by one, occasionally two, and rarely more neighbouring spinal nerves. New lesions continue to appear for several days, each blistering or becoming pustular then crusting over. Shingles occasionally causes blisters inside the mouth or ears, and can also affect the genital area. \n\nThe pain and general symptoms subside gradually as the eruption disappears. In uncomplicated cases recovery is complete in 2-3 weeks in children and young adults, and 3 to 4 weeks in older patients. \n\nOccasionally pain is not followed by the eruption - shingles "sine eruptione". \n\nThe chest (thoracic), neck (cervical), forehead (ophthalmic) and lumbar/sacral sensory nerve supply regions are most commonly affected at all ages but the frequency of ophthalmic shingles increases with age. Rarely the eruption may affect both sides of the body. \n\nIn elderly and undernourished patients the blisters are deeper. Healing may take many weeks and be followed by scarring. Muscle weakness arises in about one in twenty patients because the muscle nerves are affected as well as the sensory nerves. Facial nerve palsy is the most common result. There is a 50% chance of complete recovery and in time some improvement can be expected in nearly all cases.
568055
It depends, where is the rash, and what does it look like? Could it be the side effects of the medication you are taking? Have you consulted your doctor?
173988
Office of Disease Prevention\n\nSHINGLES (herpes zoster)\n \n\n\n(This material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical care. Direct specific questions to your medical provider.)\n\nWhat is shingles?\nShingles is a localized infection due to the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. It occurs only in people who have had chickenpox in the past and represents a reactivation of the dormant varicella virus. Why the virus reactivates in some individuals and not in others is unknown.\n\nWho gets shingles?\nThe disease is primarily seen in the elderly, but occasionally occurs in younger individuals. It affects both sexes and all races with equal frequency and occurs sporadically throughout the year.\n\nHow is shingles spread?\nA person must have already had chickenpox in the past to develop shingles. Contact with an infected individual does not cause another person's dormant virus to reactivate. However, the virus from a shingles patient may cause chickenpox in someone who has not had it before.\n\nWhat are the symptoms of shingles?\nThe first sign is often a tingling feeling on the skin, itchiness or a stabbing pain. After several days, a rash appears beginning as a band or patch of raised dots on the side of the trunk or face. It then develops into small, fluid-filled blisters which begin to dry out and crust over within a few days. When the rash is at its peak, symptoms can range from mild itching to extreme and intense pain. The rash and pain usually disappear within three to five weeks.\n\nHow soon after infection do symptoms appear?\nThe virus lies dormant in someone who has had chickenpox in the past. It can reactivate many years later.\n\nWhen and for how long is a person able to spread shingles?\nA person exposed to a patient with shingles will not get shingles but may get chickenpox. The virus is present at the site of the rash and is contagious for a week after the appearance of lesions (blisters).\n\nWhat are the complications associated with shingles?\nShingles is not usually dangerous to healthy individuals although it can cause great misery during an attack. Anyone with shingles on the upper half of their face, no matter how mild, should seek medical care at once. There is some danger that the virus could cause damage to the eye resulting in blindness. Complications are rare but may include partial facial paralysis (usually temporary), ear damage or encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).\n\nWhat is the treatment for shingles?\nMost cases of shingles resolve on their own without specific treatment. Two medications available for use by physicians in treating immunocompromised patients are vidarabine and acyclovir.\n\nWhat can be done to prevent the spread of shingles?\nChickenpox must be prevented in order to prevent shingles. A live attenuated viral vaccine against chickenpox was licensed in the U.S. in 1995 and is very effective (95% efficacy).\n\n \nChickenpox is an infection with a blistering rash, which is caused by the Varicella virus. This virus also causes shingles. \n\nCourse and Symptoms\nThe incubation period, the length of time from exposure to the virus to developing the condition, is two to three weeks. If someone in the house has chickenpox, the likelihood of someone else in the house catching it, who has not already had it, is as much as 90% ie 9 out of 10. \n\nChickenpox usually affects children and starts with a slightly raised temperature, and feeling under the weather, along with the development of red spots, mainly on the body and face. \n\nThe spots appear over a few days and progress from being red spots to forming blisters, which eventually burst, dry, and crust, ultimately to heal. The spots are very itchy, and if the child scratches and infects them they will leave scars. \n\nBy the time the spots have stopped forming and are dried over and the temperature has fallen back to normal, the child is no longer infectious. Usually
601246
Try the link below. It has some answers for you.\nhttp://www.medinfo.co.uk/conditions/shingles.html
1144973
This is a mild form of shingles.
1023068
It might be a mild allergy to the sun or just an anxiety reaction.  Whenever I feel my temper flare or feel anxiety or stress come on really quickly I get itchy...but no rash.
715615
I don't Think There is a Vaccine Against Shingles In Particular, but , I Think, There is One for the Chickenpox Virus (a Herpesvirus, VZV).
802327
hmmm. It sounds like an allergic reaction to UV rays, meaning photo-sensitivity. I'm mildly photosensitive and I get the same kind of rash if I go out with out the SPF50 sunscreen than my doctor recommended. Give up on tanning and talk to your doctor. It sounds like you're photosensitive.
425118
I'm not a doctor, but I do know people who've had shingles. Most people who have recurring outbreaks have weakened immune systems, either from disease or stress. It's important to take good care of yourself and try to avoid stressful situations. At the first sign of another outbreak, contact your doctor who will probably prescribe aciclovir.
823675
Since you have been out of the country you should call your primary physician and tell them your symptoms and get their adivice.  \nIt could be some kind of rash from fever.