How will you know if you have shingles?

Symptoms of shingles: Shingles is a condition where there is a reactivation of the virus that causes chicken pox. That is why shingles is also known as herpes zoster. Symptoms include a rash and pain, usually in a linear pattern that corresponds to the nerve that is affected. The classic rash looks like water blisters on a red flat area of skin. A hint to shingles is that it happens on one side of the body.

Pain: Shingles usually presents with pain followed by a typical rash on one side of the body in the area of the skin supplied by one nerve, called a dermatome. Any good primary care provider can make the diagnosis. You should consider getting the shingles vaccine which can decrease your chances of getting the miserable complication known as "post-herpetic neuropathy".