I can tell you that you can have the pain without the shingle's rash appearing. The rash Can take from several days to a week or more to appear. Studies show that it is possible to have Shingles (varicella-zoster virus) and never display the rash. In this case it is normally called zoster sine herpete. My mother went to the ER with the exact same symptoms and was sent home saying nothing was wrong. The next day she visited the doctor and the shingles were present. The shingles caused her pain for a long time, even with treatment. For most healthy people can clear up in a week or so. More information on Shingles can be found by clicking here. More information is available by clicking here.

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