Shingles vs. cold sores

[Deb 27]

So, I got diagnosed with shingles on the tip of my nose about 8 weeks ago. I remember the NP at urgent care saying it might be herpes simplex 1 but she thought it was shingles. I guess b/c of my age being over 60. Usually by this age, people have gotten a cold sore. I got sick, had sore lymph nodes, fever and malaise. So, it seems like it was actually a primary infection since I got so sick.

When I went to my usual Doctor and talked to her about this. She said the NP should have taken a culture to make sure what it was. It's treated the same way but still I would have liked to know. The cold sores are very contagious and I would like to know if I had it.

A little disappointed I was probably misdiagnosed and now I'll never know b/c the doc said blood tests aren't very definitive. I feel pretty run down. Looking forward to retirement in another year,

Anybody know anything about this sort of stuff?

And, Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there! I hope your family treats you to a fabulous day!