Anyone out there personally experienced Shingles and if so how did you treat it?
Question:
Answers:
What is shingles?
Shingles (herpes zoster) is a viral infection of the nerve roots. It causes pain and a band of rash that spreads on one side of your body. Shingles is most common in older adults and people who have weakened immune systems because of stress, injury, certain medications, or other factors.
What causes shingles?
Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the virus (varicella-zoster virus) that causes chickenpox. After you recover from chickenpox, the virus lies dormant (inactive) in your nerve roots. In some people, it stays dormant for the rest of their lives. In others, the virus reactivates when disease, stress, or aging weakens the immune system. 1 The cause of reactivation of the virus is unclear; however, once it does reactivate, it causes shingles, not another case of chickenpox. Most people who get shingles will not get the disease again, although it does come back in a few people.
What are the symptoms of shingles?
Early symptoms of shingles include:
* Headache.
* Sensitivity to light.
* Flu-like symptoms without a fever.
You may then feel itching, tingling, or extreme pain in the area where a rash will develop several days later, commonly on your back or neck. The rash progresses into clusters of blisters along the path of the nerve. The blisters fill with fluid and eventually crust over. It takes 2 to 4 weeks for the blisters to heal, although some scars may remain. 2
Complications of shingles can occur and include:
* Postherpetic neuralgia, persistent pain that lasts longer than 1 month after the rash heals.
* Disseminated zoster, a blistery rash that spreads over a large portion of the body and can affect the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, joints, and intestinal tract. Infection may spread to nerves that control movement, which may cause temporary weakness.
* Cranial nerve complications, if shingles affects the nerves originating in the brain. Complications can include inflammation or blockage of blood vessels.
* Herpes zoster ophthalmicus, a shingles rash on the forehead, cheek, nose, and around one eye that could threaten your sight. This type of shingles needs immediate treatment. 3
How is shingles treated?
There is no cure for shingles, but treatment may shorten the length of illness and prevent complications. Treatment may include:
* Antiviral medications, sometimes in combination with corticosteroids, to reduce the pain and duration of shingles.
* Pain medications, antidepressants, and topical creams to relieve long-term pain.
Who gets shingles?
You must have had chickenpox, even a mild case, to get shingles. You have an increased risk of developing shingles if you: 1
* Are older than 50.
* Have an autoimmune disease, meaning your immune system attacks its own tissues as though they were foreign substances.
* Have another medical condition or stress that weakens the immune system.
You cannot develop shingles if you have not had chickenpox.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learning about shingles:
* What is shingles?
* What causes shingles?
* What are the symptoms of shingles?
* What happens when I get shingles?
* Am I contagious?
* Who gets shingles?
Being diagnosed:
* How is shingles diagnosed?
* When should I call a doctor?
Getting treatment:
* How is shingles treated?
* What medications are used?
* What can I do at home to reduce pain?
* Is other treatment available to control pain?
Ongoing concerns:
* Can shingles cause complications?
* What is postherpetic neuralgia?
* How is postherpetic neuralgia treated?
http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/hw75433
Other Answers:
I was always told that untreated shingle can KILL. So get to the doctor.
I had a mild case of shingles a few years ago, and I only used an injectable called Kutapressin, and local steroid ointment. It can be quite painful in some pantients with large bullae forming on the skin. All the cases I have treated have been mild, though. I had shingles a few years ago even though i had had chicken pox when i was a child. It broke out on my back/shoulder blades and initially felt like i had a pulled muscle. As the 'rash' progressed I went to the doctors where i was told it was shingles. I was given a few antibiotics, i also rubbed on a cooling cream to relieve the itching. I think the antibiotics helped my body to fight back and without them it would have spread all over my back!
Shingles is very contageous so just warn anyone who wants to hug you!
My aunt just got diagnosed with shingles and is taking some antibotic for it. I'm not sure what antibotic she is on but you can go to www.askjeeves.com and pop in that question on how to treat shingles and there will be lots of web sites for you to check out. I had my first case of shingles when I was 5 years old. I'm guessing you're a lot older then 5, so we would probably be treated differently. When I had it, though, I was seeing all sorts of doctors frequently. I remember using some sort of lotion to stop the burning. The anti-biotics that I took seemed to help quite a bit.
You may be battling a different virus that is acutally causing your shingle outbreaks. I'd get some tests run, especially liver diseases because I don't believe you should be taking that if you have a disease like HCV- Hepatitis C.
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