My teenage grandson has shingles.

Shingles is a close relative of the varicella (chickenpox) virus and belongs to the herpes group of viruses.

Shingles lies dormant in the nervous system of most people following a chickenpox infection.

At some point in the future it can be triggered and produces the severe symptons you describe.

I had a friend at school who got shingles at the age of 14 so it isn't that unusual. She was off school for weeks.

My son got it in his 20s. It was affecting his eyes and he was referred to eye hospital and prescribed antiviral drops. It was nasty but he recovered fairly quickly.
It's a good reason for children to be given chickenpox vaccine - if you don't get chickenpox, you won't get shingles.

One of my sons got shingles at 4 years of age! 4 doctors confirmed it. They seemed to think it was because he had Chickenpox at 3 months, caught from his brother. I was breast feeding at the time, so much for giving the baby immunity.

Yes, I had shingles round my middle as a small child. My mum had to apply a silver cream. I remember hearing someone say that if the rash met round your middle, you died! It didn’t!

When my daughter was 6 a friend of her's at school had to cancel his birthday party because he had shingles. He had had chicken pox the year before.

Luckily my grandson’s rash is on his back, so nowhere near his eyes which I know can cause trouble,

Thank you for your replies. It’s a comfort to know it is not so unusual.

Years ago, a friend’s 2yo got shingles. Like your GS, it was a while before he was diagnosed because it was ages before the rash developed. This was pre-antivirals so they all just had to suffer with him until he was through the illness. Hope your Gs feels better soon.

You live and learn - I always thought shingles was a disease of old age. I got the new vaccine recently ( 2 shots) and it was most uncomfortable. Vaccines never usually bother me but I would rather have that than actually getting the disease.

Grandma70s your poor grandson, his illness sounds terrible ☹️
I hope the antivirals help and he feels better soon 🤞🏻

A warning to us all .
It's unusual and I don't know of anyone who has had it at such a young age .
Another illness to be aware of is glandular fever .
I've watched one teen to twenty after the other get it in my area.
Both indicative of being extremely run down.
I hope that he gets well soon - bless him.

I caught Glandular Fever from my daughter when I was 40. This morphed into severe M.E. and I have been ill ever since. Many people with M.E. have developed it from Glandular Fever.

Our 15 year old GS had shingles before Christmas, similar symptoms as your GS Grandma70s

Took several weeks for diagnosis, totally floored him, he is still recovering and his energy levels are low.

Very worrying as it is his GCSE Year.

DD got shingles when she was 18/19. It affected her face and eyes. She was fortunate to only have it lightly, but she was till quite ill for several weeks.

I had it at 14, my father died a few months earlier and they seemed to think there was a link as I was obviously upset. For me the pain was the worst thing. My first outing after weeks at home was a trip to the cinema. As we left it was raining and as rain drops hit me it was like electric shocks and I was crying all the way home.

I hope your GS is well soon.

DD had shingles saved 12 then glandular fever aged 17. No one suggested a link but I suppose there could be one.

My dd got shingles aged 15/16 . She had a rash on her back around bra strap . She was studying for her GCES and the gp thought it was stress related. . Luckily she wasn’t too ill and only took a week off school . We were surprised as we thought it was an older persons illness .

I had shingles a couple of years ago. I had quite a rash and read that if you get to a GP within 48 hrs they can prescribe pills to stop it. It worked!

I know what you mean about the appearance of the rash being a relief Grandma70s, really painful though it is, as it makes a diagnosis possible and takes away the stress of wondering what's going on.

Shingles is absolutely horrible, I'm still suffering acute nerve pain, PHN, & flare ups down my neck and right shoulder/back five years after contracting it.

Wishing a speedy recovery for your Grandson, hopefully with youth on his side he won't be suffering too long.

Shingles is such a horrible, painful thing.
Sympathies to all those affected.

I think it’s worth repeating that there is an antiviral medication which should help reduce the severity of the symptoms, but it has to be taken within 48 hours of the first symptoms appearing.

Also the Shingrix vaccine ( two doses) has been found to be much more effective than the previous one used.

i was the ‘wrong’ age to get the Shingrix on the NHS last year so I paid to have it done privately at a local pharmacy.
It was about £400 but worth every penny if it prevents me getting the horrid disease.

Another one here with experience of a really young one, mine was junior school year 5 so miserable.

Yes, I had shingles at 17, a rash around one side of my waist. It hasn’t reoccurred though it tingles when I’m run down occasionally.

My DD had it at 13 years

I was 19 when I first got shingles and was really unwell. I was away at college and they say stress plays a part.
Since then I’ve had shingles three more times so I must have had a powerful dose of thé varicella when I had chicken pox as a child. Unfortunately, the vaccine now available, even though ‘dead’, had side effects for me - I guess my immune system was on high alert for it even so, so I won’t get the second dose.

J52

One of my sons got shingles at 4 years of age! 4 doctors confirmed it. They seemed to think it was because he had Chickenpox at 3 months, caught from his brother. I was breast feeding at the time, so much for giving the baby immunity.

All my four children had chicken pox at the same time, the youngest was just a few weeks old and had just one spot which I always put down to her being fully breast fed.
She's never had chicken pox since so must have gained immunity from the infection, and didn't get shingles when her own children had chicken pox.
I should add that I had shingles whilst they had chicken pox, and put this down to being run down after pregnancy so more vulnerable to infection.