I had shingles apparently in my early 20s on my back. it was very itchy and raised. my husband then boyfriend was scratching it never got it. i also have herpes simplex virus. he never got shingles or even cold sore ever. why if highly contagious?

Shingles is a re-activation of the virus that causes chickenpox or rarely the vaccine that prevents it. That virus hibernates in nerve roots when it finishes its first episode but returns as shingles later in some people. It is not the cold sore virus. If he had chickenpox as a kid or was vaccinated, he would be immune. Shingles exposure does not cause shingles, if vulnerable it causes chickenpox

Shingles causes chickenpox in a person exposed to it, if the person has not had chicken pox or is not vaccinated. Your BF/husband may have been infected with HSV before he met you. About half the adults have HSV infection and most are asymptomatic.