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kloofnek | 10:49 Mon 25th Jun 2012 | Health & Fitness
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Is there anyone out there who can tell me more about this:
twice a year I get a sort of boil(it is not one),which has like little water blisters on the surface.It gets very red, hot and sore....always in the same place.

I have just been to the docs where I saw the nurse,after being told she could diagnose it...she said it was "shingles"...I nearly fell through the floor,I had shingles on my shoulder years ago and it was very painful,so I know what it is like...this is NOTHING at all like that.

I shall seek a second opinion from a DOCTOR ,surely nurses are not qualified to diagnose and prescribe..they.don`t have the knowledge.
The only reason I agreed to see her was that there was no doctors available.

Be interested to hear what you all have to say.
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Yes..........shingles can recur.

Yes......it doe sound like shingles.

No.....there is little that you can do to avoid this....posts will talk about "boosting your immune system" but i have never been impressed as to how this can be improved.

Good luck.
My GP diagnosed shingles on my stomach. In reality it was an allergic reaction to the metal button fixings on my jeans.
What sqad said. My DH got it when he was stressed so maybe look at your lifestyle.
Shingles is the same virus as Chickenpox and never leaves your body. Thats why it reoccurs every so often. There is a vaccine for chickenpox but obviously no good after the event.

///Shingles is an infection caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus responsible for chickenpox. Once a person has chickenpox, the virus lies dormant in the body. It can emerge years later as shingles.

Shingles causes a painful, red, and sometimes blistery rash to form on the body or face. The disease can cause intense pain, called post herpetic neuralgia. Other symptoms include fever, headache, and chills. In rare cases, complications, such as pneumonia, blindness, and brain inflammation (encephalitis), can occur. Shingles is most common in adults over age 50///.
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Oh dear,it looks like the nurse was correct in her diagnosis...I feel an idiot!
I was telling her that that could not be right quite politely...she got very shirty and went on about deformed babies and a load of other things.
She spoke to me as if I was an imbecile...which I can assure you all,I
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..continuation:
I am not.One does expect to be treated with respect regardless of the fact she had been practising for 25 years ,which she was quick to tell me.
I shall however,be taking this up with my doctor as to how to make a complaint against her.
I am well over 55,so that answers why I keep getting it.
Why are you reporting the nurse? She was correct, she would have seen it many, many times.
Some nurses are qualified to prescribe for certain ailments.
If you were saying that she could not be right, i am not surprised she got shirty, if it was me I would have got pantsy and vesty as well.
Kloofnek, the trained nurse gave her opinion, you disagreed with her despite not being trained.You are surprised that she got 'shirty'!
why blame the nurse cos you were wrong and she was right - she's only human.
And nurses can diagnose and prescribe when they are qualified to a certain level. And sometimes they are a darn site more knowledgeable than a lot of GPs in my humble opinion.
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When I disagreed with her,I didn`t say it as she was wrong.It was said in a tone ,difficult to explain how in words,eg:
Have just hung two lines of washing out,my daughter walks in and says that it has started to rain,I say "Oh ,it can`t be" in the way of "Oh,no!"

It was the nurse`s attitude I am complaining about,one always says a couple of pleasantries when one walks in,no reponse from her,just a grim face,she would not let me explain properly about my "spot",etc..She was totally patronizing..After she had examined me etc.she would not let me go even though she knew I was in a hurry...she dragged it all out ..repeating the things she had already told me.even waving the perscription away from me.
I shall speak to my doc,who is on hols at the moment,one does not expect to be treated by a child,I am nearly old enough to be her mother...and definately not senile.Who knows she may have upset other patients too.

I am quite a laid back a person.hate bad feelings and never hold a grudge...but rile me...and woe betide.
"surely nurses are not qualified to diagnose and prescribe"

Kloofnek, certainly they can. Many practice nurses are in fact advanced practititioners, having studied at masters level and are entitled to call themselves nurse practitioners. They study non-medical prescribing (which is a very stiff course) and can prescribe widely from the formulary within their own specialist areas. Many GP practices have appointed a nurse practitioner when they can't recruit a GP (or want to skill mix).

Every surgery must have a complaints procedure, you don't need to see the GP to find out about that - either ring the practice manager or pop in and see the receptionist, there will be a leaflet about the complaints process. It's very straightforward.
The only drawback with making a complaint is that there have been instances where complainants have been dropped from the list and have had difficulty in finding another practice to take them on.
mike, GP's are not allowed to drop complainants from their list "just" because the complain and a PCT "must" provide all its residents with a GP service. Where people are actually continually abusive or violent then the service must be provided in such a way as to safeguard staff, bit it must still be provided!
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Hi everyone.
Your replies have been very helpful.Will pick up a complaints leaflet.
The only thing I want is an apology from the nurse..nothing more.I left her felling like a naughty schoolgirl and very belittled.I am usually met with a pleasant,sympathetic nurse,who is willing to little to and advise me..
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sorry "listen to"and advise me.
I would like to say to anyone out there who is a nurse and reading this that I am not blaming all nurses and certainly do not ,or I should not,judge the majority by the minority.So please accept my apologies if I have upset anyone.
Well to my mind recurrent shingles is not all that likely.
For a start it's rare - incidence of about 6% or so. For it to reoccur twice a year must be even rarer.
More likely to be some other vesicular rash such as that of herpes simplex (common cold sore virus) which is most common around the mouth, but can occur on other parts of the body.

Does it look like this rash on the hand? Not sure if the link will work...

http://www.google.co....|49;d|AdJ1SO023OtERM:

About the complaint - I would sleep on it.
Forgot to ask if the rash was the same place as the previous shingles.
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No,had shingles on my shoulder,when I was a child,this is on my bottom,always comes in exactly the same place,no more than twice a year.First impression is that it is a boil,but is not,has small water-like blisters on it,no pus etc.
It gets very red and hot,lasts about a week.
it is literally "a pain in the a***"!!!

Could not open the link you sent.

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