Diagnosed as Shingles, but afraid it might be herpes

[jerryoaks]

Hi there, I developed a tingling feeling on my right thigh about 4 days ago. At first I didn't think much of it, but gradually some rashes/lesions formed about midway down my right thigh, on the inside. There are 4-5 red circular rashes about the size of a quarter. They are slightly raised. They are painless to the touch. The skin surrounding the rashes continues to tingle. In fact, the tingling extends down to the top of my knee. There is a very small blister on 1-2 of the rashes (about the size of a pinhead). I went to see a walk-in clinic today. The doctor took one look and announced it was shingles, and prescribed me Valtrex for 7 days. While I am relieved, I am concerned that he diagnosed this so quickly. Is there any chance this could be Herpes? I am only 31 years old (male) and I was under the impression that shingles only affected the elderly. I have had chickenpox when I was younger.