Symptoms:
Pain, burning, numbness or tingling
A red rash that begins a few days after the pain
Fluid-filled blisters that break open and crust over
Itching
Fever and chills
General achiness
Headache
Fatigue
My grandmother:
Severe case of shingles
No family for months until recovery
What is it?
A form of chicken pocks
The virus stays dormant in your nerve cells.
If immune system becomes weak-the virus resurfaces as shingles.
Adult dermatome:
The letters are where the most severe cases are on the body.
As the letters go down the body the more common the place where it shows up.
When to call a doctor:
-The pain and rash occur near an eye. If left untreated, this infection can lead to permanent eye damage.
-You're 65 or older, which increases your risk of complications.
-You or someone in your family has a weakened immune system.
-The rash is widespread and painful.
What your doctor will say:
Your health care provider can make the diagnosis by looking at your skin and asking questions about your medical history.
Tests are rarely needed, but may include taking a skin sample to see if the skin is infected with the virus that causes shingles.
Blood tests may show an increase in white blood cells and antibodies to the chickenpox virus, but they cannot confirm that the rash is due to shingles.
Treatment:
Antihistamines to reduce itching (taken by mouth or applied to the skin)
Pain medicines
Zostrix, a cream containing capsaicin (an extract of pepper) that may reduce the risk of