I'm in ketosis and eating very little and quite a bit under 20 g of carbs a day and just got shingles today. I am so bummed. Wondering if my immune system is down from not eating enough?

Any ideas why I would get this while I'm on keto?

If you've had chickenpox, you are at risk for shingles. It stays resident in your body and usually springs to life at times of high stress.

I had shingles in 2008. I had been been eating LC since 2004. I don't think shingles has anything to do with LC. If you're not eating enough, that's another matter.

Have you contacted your doctor to get an anti-viral med? It can help to shorten the cycle and reduce the overall symptoms. All the best to you - it can be very painful, but the quicker you begin anti-virals, the better.

Thanks Liz, yes I went to urgent care today and got the meds and started this afternoon. I had very sensitive skin around my waist yesterday and some bery sharp pains so I thought something might be up, by today I had the red bumps, no oozing blisters yet, but I think I caught it fast.

I'm dizzy so I'm in bed.

A few years ago, I had some limited spots show up just below my waist on one side and I couldn't figure out what they were. My doctor said it was shingles, but fortunately, it must have been extremely mild. I think this was in about March. Once everything cleared up, she told me to definitely get a shingles shot because it could come back, and would be worse the next time. So I got a shingles shot in June, I think it was. No problems since then. I don't believe LC had anything at all to do with it, and I'd say a LC/keto type diet is great for reducing or even eliminating inflammation.

Remember, correlation is not causation It likely has nothing to do with keto: and how long have you been in it?

If you plunged your body into this big gear shift, and there was stresses on top of that; that could definitely undermine your immune system.

I had shingles a year and a half ago, but I was under tremendous stress at the time. I was trying to cope with it by using different supplements. But the supps had nothing to do with me developing shingles.

Take good care of yourself and assess any stresses that might have contributed.

Glad you got the doctor quickly. I did too - literally diagnosed it with Dr Google by typing in "rash on one side of the body". I called my doc's office the next morning and they rushed me in. The meds are very $$$ but well worth it. Interestingly, I'd already had to buy the pills for my cat when she had a very very resistant case of feline herpes. Even though she'd had it for 6 weeks, it cleared it in a matter of days.

I had a very mild case also - lots of itching, no oozing, no pain. I found if I applied pressure to the itchy spots it helped as much as scratching might have.

Werebear's advice to take care and keep stress low is good. Let us know how you are doing.

Thanks everyone, slowly getting over shingles but now I have strep throat, if it's not one thing it's another. Frankly I thought my immune system would be stronger.

Glad to hear. And yes, I also had the idea that eating low carb would make me invincible.

Not invincible: but with some superpowers. Not immediately: after a time of healing.

While being a fat burner is a wonderful state for our body, it's not like flipping a switch. It is a weeks or more time of great transition.

I started Keto a few months ago & 4 weeks ago was diagnosed with a horrible case of the shingles. I didn't feel stressed at the time. The only thing different I was doing was Keto. Can't help but wonder if it was too stressful on my body.

Stress can for sure cause an outbreak of shingles. A change in diet can cause stress for awhile. That is the reason some of us have hair loss issues in the beginning. As soon as you get completely well, go to your doctor or pharmacy and get the shingles shot. It can keep it from being as serious next time.

If you happen to start some kind of exercise routine at around the same time, it's very possible to get an acute case of exercise-induced anaphylaxis very temporarily, and if you're not at all aware of this phenomenon, the way it presents is very easy to mistake for shingles.