Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, otherwise known as the varicella-zoster virus. Normally after getting the chickenpox virus once, this virus stays dormant in the nerve cells in your spinal cord for life. However, if your immune system is weakened, the virus can activate and cause rashes and intense pain. Therefore, due to the condition of a weak

As with all diseases, the best start is to identify the symptoms. Shingles has several stages and you can sometimes identify the disease very early on. However, like most diseases, the symptoms of shingles will vary in person to person so be sure to visit a doctor for confirmation if you believe you have shingles.

In the most common case, early symptoms of shingles will occur two or three days before the common symptoms appears. These early symptoms often include (if they exist) burning or shooting pain in one side of the body of the face. Some other common symptoms are a tingling or itching feeling on the skin. Lastly, other early symptoms that sometimes occur are having a fever, chills, headache, upset stomach, or swollen or tender lymph nodes.

After the early symptoms occur, intense (but sometimes mild) pain occurs and people have generally called it unrelenting. This is often accompanied with the stage most people remember about chickenpox occurs: rashes of small fluid-filled blisters may appear on the reddened skin.

However, rare cases do happen and some people never attain these rashes but do receive the pain. As a final note, if you do have shingles or believe you have shingles, you should generally see a doctor as soon as possible. While some people may have mild symptoms and require no treatment, getting early treatment can often make symptoms less severe and less complications! Therefore, to save yourself some hassle, visit the doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment if necessary.

Prior to the development of a rash and blisters, which form in the Active stage of shingles, the area around the affected nerves begins to cause discomfort, usually in the form of tingling sensations, pain, burning sensations, tickling and occasionally numbness. In addition, the affected person’s lymph nodes may become swollen and tender. These early symptoms can last anywhere from several days to several weeks before initiating the Active stage of shingles, where areas of rash appear on the body. Reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox is possible in any person who has had the virus, even if they experienced a mild case.

Transmission of shingles from exposure has not been proven, however those who have not been exposed to chickenpox may develop this virus if exposed to someone with shingles. In the event that early symptoms of shingles are exhibited, it is wise to contact a health care professional to diagnose the illness and develop a treatment plan. In all cases of shingles, the sooner treatment is begun, the better the results. There is no cure for shingles, however treatment options are used to prevent possible serious complications due to shingles and to shorten the length of the illness and control the symptoms.

The most popular treatments for early symptoms of shingles can include either one or a combination of the following; topical antibiotics (to prevent infection of any blisters that appear on the skin), OTC (Over the Counter) pain medications, usually aspirin or ibuprofen (to reduce symptoms of pain caused by shingles), and antiviral medicines (which reduce both the duration and symptoms of pain due to shingles). Typically shingles begins to develop on a person’s chest or back, however it has been known to occur in other areas of the body, including but not limited to the head and face, neck, arms or legs and the abdomen. In some cases of shingles, it is possible to have multiple areas of rash on the body.

Shingles silently waits for a time, many years later, when your immune system is compromised and you body is weakened by stress or other illnesses. Then is when the first symptoms of Shingles shows itself. The early symptoms of Shingles sometimes make it difficult to diagnose because they are similar to many other things. Even the best of doctors may not be able to differentiate Shingles from a common allergic reaction because so many of the symptoms are alike. It is not unusual for a patient to come in very concerned about the early symptoms of Shingles only to be sent home without a definitive diagnosis in the early days of the virus. Shingles is often thought of as occurring on the trunk of your body near your belt line. However it can appear any place on your body from your legs to your face. The shingles virus is most likely to show up on one side or the other of your body no matter what body part it attacks.

The first symptom is often a tingling sensation just under the skin. Then your skin starts to feel itchy and irritated. Your first indication might be the sudden desire to scratch that area of your body. The itching may persist for a couple days. A continued burning or even painful sensation of the skin in that area might follow this scratchy sensation. A few days later you will notice a blistery rash that follows these early warning signs. Even with treatment, the painful symptoms can persist for months or even years after the first flair up with Shingles.

To start out, Shingles are caused by the same thing that the chicken pox are caused by; a reactivation of the varicella zoster virus. After getting the virus, it normally stays in your nerves by your spine, until it becomes active again. Then you get a rash. A big difference between getting chicken pox, and getting shingles is that normally shingles symptoms form on one side of your body in a band. Chicken pox are normally spread all over. If you have had the chicken pox, then you are more likely to get shingles later in life. The statistics are that 1 in 10 people will get shingles in their lifetime.

Another fact is that shingles hurt. It is said to be the most difficult thing to deal with after contracting the illness. Also there are a lot of after effects. The most serious being Posttherpetic Neuralgia (PHN). PHN is a complication that is caused by the infection damages your nerves. Although it may hurt, and the rash isn’t the best either, there is a treatment. It is a short-term early treatment, all you need to do is get a prescription for an oral antiviral medication. After you finally get rid of the shingles, you will be happy to know that you most likely will never get them again. Most people who are healthy will develop an immunity to the virus that caused it all in the first place, the varicella zoster virus. I hope that after reading this you know a few more facts about the shingles illness. If you ever think you have it, or you are uncertain if it is chicken pox or the actual shingles then you should make an appointment and see your doctor. The treatment is for when you first get the shingles, so don’t put it off. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and good luck with your illness.

The virus is a herpes virus, but not to be mistaken for the same herpes virus that causes genital herpes, transmitted sexually. Shingles is contagious to people who have not had chicken pox, however, they would develop chick pox because of the same virus, and not shingles itself. The contagious time depends on weather there are blisters or not. Shingles symptoms start as a burning sensation as nerves are affected, and shortly after the person afflicted will note a rash. It usually gets progressively worse with blisters that appear, ooze, then heal. The whole process can take up to four weeks to pass, making the person feel miserable unless medical treatment has been started as early as possible. If it lasts longer than that, further medical attention should be attended to, as it may signify additional complications. It is anti virus medications that will hasten the healing process, and pain medication should help alleviate some of the discomfort.

Sometimes steroids are recommended. Washing with cool soap and water will help and keeps the affected area clean. Using anti itch lotions will also help. On rare occasions there are complications that can be bad. This is especiallytrue if it is on the face. It can spread to the eye and cause blindness, so care must be taken to treat the face as soon as this virus has been confirmed. There is a vaccine available for people over 60 who have not had chick pox. Studies have shown that it reduces the incidence of chicken pox. However, this vaccine should not be given to anyone with a weakened immune system or have had radiation for cancer as the vaccine contains live virus that can be harmful to that person.

The initial shingles symptoms are usually very nonspecific and include things like headache, fever and general body aches and pains, which can often lead to it being misdiagnosed. However, eventually those symptoms will be accompanied by a rash that can often be very painful. Often the affected area can become very painful to the touch. Sufferers of shingles have often described sensations like tingling, aching and even sharp shooting pains. The rash generally starts out small and usually appears first on the torso, though it can also show up on other parts of the body. Though unsightly and painful, generally the rash is relatively harmless, except in the rare occasion that it occurs near or on the eyes or ears. The virus spreading to the eye can possibly cause keratitis and optic nerve palsies, which can lead to ocular inflammation, pain and even loss of vision. In the ear, the symptoms can include hearing loss and vertigo.

The shingles virus is contagious. However, if you have already contracted chickenpox as a child you cannot contract shingles as an adult. If you have never had chickenpox, your first contact with shingles will result in the development of chickenpox, as opposed to shingles. As an adult, if you have had chickenpox, though you cannot catch shingles you could possibly develop it later in life, as stated above. The shingles virus is only contagious if there are new and healing blisters. If the blisters are old and already crusted over, it is no longer contagious. The herpes zoster virus has been around since the time of smallpox, however at the time there was no way to distinguish between smallpox and ergotism. Eventually in the 1700s, a man named William Herberden found a way to differentiate between the herpes zoster virus and smallpox. Soon after, associations between that virus and chickenpox were discovered.

Up until fairly recent history, shingles was thought of to be a very non-threatening disease. It was during the 1940s and 1950s that the more serious symptoms were discovered to be more problematic than initially thought. Medical professionals believe that most adults will contract shingles at least once during their lives, with the potential of developing it on their own after that.