I drove today so I could go see the doctor. Yesterday I developed a curious rash on the left side of my chest during afternoon commute. It wasn't there when I left work, and my chest was all red on one side when I got home. My left arm has also been aching for several days. Long story short, it seems that I have the shingles. The lab test will take a week to confirm, but the doctor seemed very certain of the diagnosis.

The good news is that I caught it early and the doc says I can continue riding and exercising. Hopefully the medication will clear it up soon as I've heard some horror stories about severe cases.

Wish you a speedy recovery!

Shingles can be ugly and painful. My dad had a bad case a year or two ago, in his back and right arm. He recovered so he can still use his arm like before but it always feel a bit numb and his skin is badly scared.

Good to know you caught it early. I hope you recover quick and well.

Ouch!!! Wishing you a speedy recovery with minimal discomfort!!!

How old are you, Tarwheel? They have a vaccine for shingles now. I had chicken pox really bad when I was about 22 years old. I don't know if the severity of chicken pox has any relationship to the severity of the later shingles, but I plan to get immunized when I'm old enough. However old that is....

Any idea how you got it OP?

The same way the rest of us get it. Stress/time. Shingles is actually Chicken Pox, the disease can hide in your nervous system and will spread along nerve lines years later.

I recently got over my case, it took 2-3 weeks. I went to the doctor because of chest pain near my heart. For about a week it felt like someone had hit me with a bat. After that it gradually got better. You may want to stop commuting for a little (if you have a long commute) just so you aren't stuck in an uncomfortable place.

I had an outbreak during law school. Mine manifested itself in a band over the top of my head and ending at my right eyelid. I still have a gap in my eyelashes there. It was awful. I hope you are able to do something for the pain. Good luck!

on the plus side, you didn't develop it on your head, which can be REALLY bad. Good luck on your recovery. Do they have you on the antiviral medication? My case wasn't all that bad, aside from the occasional feeling of being punched in the kidney or family jewels, but I still have scars from the rash, thankfully all hidden under my shorts...

I honestly don't know how I got the shingles, but if you ever had chicken pox, then your body harbors the virus. I definitely had chicken pox as a kid. I am 59 now, and they usually recommend the vaccine for people 60 and over. My case might have been brought on by stress related to cycling, ironically. I took a cycling vacation last week and rode 300 miles in 6 days followed by another 115 miles in three days after I got back. A lot of that cycling was on hilly roads and/or at fast pace.

The doctor told me it was OK to keep cycling and exercising. However, I'll probably take off a couple days and then take it easy for a while. I've been doing some heavy duty riding lately.

You're right, take a good rest, that will help me catch you on the 2013 commuting mileage thread.

The FDA moved the approved age for the vaccine down to 50 years from the previous 60. Even with the vaccine one might still develop shingles, but they claim it'll be a milder case. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to the OP.

Shingles suck! I've had it recur every 10 years or so, and mine is a narrow band around the left side of my waste to the back. Can't sleep, can't ride, hard to sit and bend down. I can still curse really well, but it's not comforting to know. God speed the recovery man!

Last I checked, it was 65.

Reading this thread has given me a case of the hebie-jebies

The shingles? I need some of those for my house!!! Anyway I hope you get better and thats great that you can continue to ride your bike.

Ha! I did the opposite yesterday. Rode my bike on mountain dirt roads and pavement for 15 miles to a follow up opthamologist appointment yesterday only to discover, during the exam, that I had a retinal tear requiring immediate laser surgery. They actually assured me it would be okay to ride home once my vision cleared (about an hour) despite having a 1440' climb on some pretty gnarly roads.

I opted for a ride home in a car.

Glad you caught it early. Best wishes for your recovery.

Shingles really suck. I hope you recover soon! Another war story: I had them on my face. Still have a dent on my nose from one of the scars. I got them while I was recovering from chemo when I was 23.

Wishing you a speedy recovery. I heard shingles can be bad so glad yours isnt too bad and you can still ride. Not sure about the cause being stress related though.

The shingles have me down but not out. The pain is the worst I have experienced other than a kidney stone, but that was over in a few hours and this has lasted for nearly a week now. Went back to the doctor on Friday and they prescribed a stronger pain-killer as well as steroid pack treatment. I would definitely recommend getting the shingles vaccine if you are old enough to qualify. This is not something you want to experience if you can help it.

Ironically, the only time I seem to be pain-free is when I am riding my bike. I took two days off riding, but was going stir crazy so went for an easy spin on Friday. That felt good, so I rode on Saturday and Sunday as well and those rides were the only times all weekend when the shingles quit hurting -- so I actually extended my ride today about 10 miles farther than I had planned to go. Maybe the 'roids are helping too!

Sweet Jeebus, Tarwheel! My grandfather is the only person I know who got shingles; at age 79. He's better now, but he swears that was some of THE worst pain in his life, and he's an old vet.

I hope your recovery is as quick and painless as possible...wishing you and your family all the best at this time...

Tarwheel if you are taking 'roids does that mean you are doping? haha

Due to the nature of my job, I need to drive in at least one day per week. Today, for example, I have to go visit a client and a supplier. Setting up the appointment with each on the same day because I want to limit the days I drive the car. BTW: I also used the drive in as an opportunity to bring fresh clothes.

One day my wife was going on a professional trip with other members of her office, so they drove together. She insisted that I take a day off from riding and commute to work in her car.

That morning, a couple of hours into the work day, the owner surprised everyone by calling us into his office and telling us that we were all laid off, everyone.

So I had a car to take all my stuff home that day. My wife was sure surprised that evening when she called up and asked how my day went.