My teenage grandson has shingles.

I had shingles when I was about 12. It was just a little, itchy rash on one side of my waist.
My mother took me to the doctor's straightaway (remember those days?) and after getting the diagnosis asked if I should stay off school. I was quite dismayed when the doctor said I was fine to go.
The next day one of my classmates wasn't at school, and I was even more aggrieved when I was told she was off with shingles.
The shingles had caused me no more than a slight itch and I had hoped it would protect me from getting it again much worse in later life.
I was most put out for a third time when I learnt it wouldn't 😏

My son was about fourteen when he had shingles. He said it was painful around his arm pits, I saw the rash and took him to the doctor. The antibiotics cleared it up quickly.

I had shingles when I was 19 and in my first year at college but there were no anti-viral meds then and the pain was severe as the rash faded so painkillers and sleeping tablets were prescribed!

Many years later, aged 62, I contracted it again but anti-virals reduced the severity of it. On the day after my 70th birthday, I was offered (and accepted) the vaccine which was a single dose at that time.

Yes I head shingles 4 times while I was working. I was fortunate to get the tablets to stop it progressing so I was not very ill with it.

My daughter had shingles aged 7 yrs old, she’d previously had chicken pox as a baby aged 1/ months, I myself have had shingles 3 times, last episode just before Christmas ! It’s not pleasant !

@jocork, I think the reason that the shingles vaccine is not offered to younger people that older people tend to be hit much harder with it and don't bounce back as quickly as younger people. They are also more at risk of side effects and complications. When the shingles vaccine was released for 65 year olds, it was for those born on or after the 1st September 1958. My husband and oldest cousin were both born in July of that year so just missed out. I can see that I may well be offered it before my husband and I was born in December 1964, so four years to go. I really don't understand why the NHS come up with arbitrary cut-off dates. I suppose it is to save money but, surely, it would cost far more to the NHS if someone, like my husband, who was born a matter of weeks before the cut-off date were to become seriously ill as a result of shingles. After all, surely he is just as much at risk.

I went to the surgery to request my shingles vaccination the week I reached 70 as I had shingles in my 60s. The illness was pretty unpleasant and I certainly didn't want it again as I knew someone who was very ill with it and had it more than once. I later received an invitation to go for the jab so their record keeping wasn't accurate. I was glad I had it as early as possible and didn't suffer any ill effects from thevaccine.
The vaccine became available to 65 year olds but if you were over 65 you had to wait until 70! I woud advise anyone to get the vaccine when they reach the age to do so whatever that is now. Sadly it isn't availble to young people and I hadn't realised it was common in younger people. I hope your GS recovers soon.

Related to this post last year my 39 year old son had blisters on his gums between his teeth, on his tongue, the back of his throat and on the roof of his mouth. He was very ill for 3-4 weeks. As he was abroad he wasn’t allowed to fly home. They said they thought it was oral shingles which I’d never heard of.

My middle son had it when he was six - twice. The first time, my daughter, who was three at the time caught chickenpox from his shingles as she wasn't born when he had that.

I had shingles the week I was due to start senior school, back in '78. The rash was across my abdomen and the GP said it could have been caused by the virus or stress, which is apparently a thing.

My cousin got shingles many years ago in his mid twenties and was really for months.

He has the sores on his head and the itching was really irritating.

Grandma70s - my daughter had it when she was 18. She was exposed to the virus because I had shingles a few weeks beforehand and she'd had chicken pox as a child. She was off school for about a week - it was painful but thankfully didn't last too long. Anti-virals don't work unless they're started straight away and often it can't be diagnosed immediately.

minniemouse

My 15 year old Grandson recently has had terrible and sore blisters on his feet and toes. Previously had mild red bumps known as Covid toes. These have been much worse. No diagnosis from gp. Antibiotic cream given. Any ideas ?

Could it be chilblains? I believe they can be quite painful. I’ve never had them myself, in spite of dire warnings when I hugged the radiators at school. My son (father of the shingles boy) had horrible chilblains when he was a teenager, but on his fingers, not his toes.

My son had shingles aged 13. He was so poorly. I remember him crying in my arms because of the pain.

My 15 year old Grandson recently has had terrible and sore blisters on his feet and toes. Previously had mild red bumps known as Covid toes. These have been much worse. No diagnosis from gp. Antibiotic cream given. Any ideas ?

Yes our son had it when he was 16, started with aching shoulders. Which I said was growing pains. Thankfully it wasn’t too bad overall.

I'm ancient but as I live in France we are entitled to the shingles vaccine simply by asking at the pharmacy. Its a 2 shot programme with a 2 month break between each. I've had the first one.
I'm sorry this is no help for your DGS, poor lad. But my post could warn others to go and get vaccinated. A friend contracted shingles last July and is still suffering, she's 89 and can't get to see her GP with it. Another example of broken Britain.

Thank you all for your helpful replies. Yes, I think my grandson has been stressed, mostly about what to do after GCSE. He went into the sixth form but was unhappy. He is normally a very fit, healthy boy, plays a lot of sports and so on. I’m sure he will recover eventually but it is certainly taking its time.

I was vaccinated 15 years ago, when I was 70. It was just one dose then, and I imagine it has worn off by now.

I had chickenpox when I was 10 and it took the virus 75 years to have another go at me. I got the vaccination about 18 months ago so was slightly peeved when the unmistakable spots appeared. The GP confirmed my diagnosis, and issued a prescription for an anti-viral. Luckily for me, the vaccine came to my rescue and by Christmas, most of the itching had gone. It's never too late to have the vaccination.

There seems to be a lot of shingles at the moment, and there is some evidence to suggest that this has been exacerbated by children being given the chickenpox vaccine, which is doing something undesirable to 'herd immunity' or some such. The rationale seemed sound, but I can't for the life of me remember where I saw this. However, the endless parade of vaccines that we are currently bombarded with cannot be good for the immune system generally, in my opinion and also in the opinion of many independent-thinking medical practitioners. In America they have a lot more vaccinations and health there is worse than here - although the food has a lot to do with that, no doubt. As always, a healthy lifestyle, good nutrition and a positive outlook seems to me to be the best defence against disease. For myself, I caught chicken pox from my small children when I was 36 years old. A couple of people told me I might die! I was better within three days but one of the spots was on my lower eyelid and I have always lamented the lost little patch of eyelashes!

My son had it aged 14. He was pretty stressed at the time , school and the fact that his sister was in a bad car accident we think brought it on . Stress is a big factor in bringing it on.
I will be 69 in a months time and am not allowed to have it on the NHS. I worry as my sister got it when she was younger than me and suffered really badly with it. She had it over the top of her head and on her left eye. I would pay for it but think £400 is a bit much.

My granddaughter had shingles 3 times before she was a teenager. She also had had chickenpox 3 times in the same time frame . DH is 20 now and hasn’t had either for years.

I always understood that you can get it at any age, as long as you had CP in the past. It’s just more serious in the elderly. I had it on my left sided chest in my 60’s. So much pain they thought I was having a coronary. The rash didn’t come out immediately. I’m vaccinated now, and I understand you can still get shingles, but it won’t be as serious.

Has GS been experiencing stress as that could trigger shingles. I had shingles, got the vaccine, got shingles again. Just didn't believe GP's diagnosis as no spots but horrendous
pain. He took time and explained due to stress I'd had this would be likely reason for triggering problem. It's a horrible condition. Do hope GS recovers well.

I had it at 12, can still remember the pain 51 years later