Get Easy Health Digest™ in your inbox and don’t miss a thing when you subscribe today. Plus, get the free bonus report, Mother Nature’s Tips, Tricks and Remedies for Cholesterol, Blood Pressure & Blood Sugar as my way of saying welcome to the community!
Shingles: It’s not just grown-up chickenpox
When I was six, I had the chickenpox.
It didn’t take long before my sister had them, too. The varicella-zoster virus that caused those itchy blisters can get passed on with just a touch.
If you’ve reached adulthood without having had the chickenpox, you may consider yourself lucky.
And in a sense, you are.
Of course, you are still an open target for the virus. And having chickenpox as an adult is no picnic: The symptoms — fatigue, headaches, fever and loss of appetite — are worse than they are for a child.
However, if you’ve never had chickenpox, you are fortunate in one important way. You are not susceptible to another, more serious condition that arises from the same virus.
«SPONSORED»
Shingles: Not just “grown-up” chickenpox
From the time a child recovers from a case of chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus lies dormant in the roots of nerves and can be reactivated years later as a case of shingles.
But shingles is not just a “grown-up” case of chickenpox. The symptoms and long-term health implications can be far more serious.
While chickenpox causes a body full of itchy blisters that form scabs and heal quickly, shingles produces a painful rash of blisters that can take a month or more to heal and can cause long-term nerve damage.
Are you at risk?
Unless you’ve never had chickenpox, a case of shingles is always a possibility.
The dormant virus can be triggered by:
Age: Your risk of developing shingles increases as you age. Half of the people who reach age 85 will have had shingles at some point.
Weakened immune system: Anything that weakens the body’s ability to fight infection makes you more susceptible to shingles This includes stress, age, cancer and cancer treatments, and many medications.
While shingles itself is not contagious, the chickenpox virus is. So, if you’ve never had chickenpox, you’ll want to stay away from anyone who has shingles.
What are the symptoms of shingles?
The first sign of shingles is a band of fluid-filled blisters, usually on only one side of the body or face, and confined to a small area. They commonly appear around one side of the waistline.
Most people also experience flu-like symptoms, along with tingling or numbness of the skin.
Related: This common virus more than doubles your risk of Alzheimer’s
For many, the symptoms are no worse than some itching. For others, the pain of shingles can be so intense that even a slight breeze or pulling a sheet over the body can cause unbearable pain.
Most cases of shingles last about three to five weeks. But for many people, the long-term effects only begin once the blisters go away.
Variations, long term effects, and complications
The pain of shingles can be ongoing, even after the rash subsides. Post-herpetic neuralgia, or PHT, affects nerve fibers and skin and causes deep, burning pain. It can linger for months or even years, causing insomnia, depression, and anxiety.
Depending upon where the shingles rash appeared on the body, this pain can be agonizing and even debilitating. Three possible “variations” of shingles that all arise from the same virus are:
Ophthalmic shingles, or shingles of the eye, can cause complications including corneal ulcers, inflammation, and glaucoma. The most common symptoms are blistering on the upper eyelid, redness, and swelling, blurred vision, and sensitivity to light, along with the burning pain of the rash.
A rarer condition, acute retinal necrosis (“necrosis” literally means tissue death) can cause blindness.
Related: 8 sight savers to share
Ramsey Hunt Syndrome is a form of shingles that can have devastating results.
Blisters will appear in and around the ear and mouth on one side of the face. The virus attacks a major facial nerve. Ramsey Hunt can result in loss of hearing, facial paralysis, ear pain and changes in the ability to taste.
«SPONSORED»
The shingles you can’t see
Internal shingles happens when the virus affects the body but does not cause a rash. Symptoms may be mistaken for the flu: fever, headaches, muscle aches, chills, and swollen lymph nodes.
The tip-off, though, is the numbness, tingling and burning under the skin that is also present.
Pneumonia, hepatitis or encephalitis can result if the virus attacks internal organs. If you feel sick, but also have these neurological symptoms, you need to get medical treatment immediately.
How to prevent and treat shingles
The best way to avoid a case of shingles is to avoid those who have it. A shingles vaccine is also available.
The pain of shingles can be relieved with anti-viral and pain medications, but there is no “cure.” Like other viruses, shingles has to run its course.
Related: 9 vaccines adults should at least consider
To make life better while recovering:
- Get plenty of rest
- Eat well-balanced meals free of sugars and processed foods
- Apply a cool washcloth to blisters to ease the pain
- Avoid stress
- Wear loose-fitting, natural-fiber clothing
Sources:
- Myths and Facts About Shingles — WebMD
- Can you have internal shingles without a rash? — Medical News Today
- 5 Things You Should Know About Chicken Pox and Shingles — Time
- Shingles — National Institute on Aging
- Ramsay Hunt Syndrome — MedicineNet
By Joyce Hollman
«SPONSORED»
