shingles info

[Guest guest]

Below is some info I found on shingles, since there's been so much discussion

on it. I didn't think you could catch shingles, only the chicken pox from

shingles if you've never had the chicken pox virus. Hope this helps, since I

have had shingles and wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy!

Gail

Can shingles be spread to others?

Shingles cannot be passed from one person to another. However, the virus

that causes shingles, VZV, can be spread from a person with active shingles to a

person who has never had chickenpox through direct contact with the rash. The

person exposed would develop chickenpox, not shingles. The virus is not spread

through sneezing, coughing or casual contact. A person with shingles can spread

the disease when the rash is in the blister-phase. Once the rash has developed

crusts, the person is no longer contagious. A person is not infectious before

blisters appear or with post-herpetic neuralgia (pain after the rash is gone).

What can be done to prevent the spread of shingles?

The risk of spreading shingles is low if the rash is covered. People with

shingles should keep the rash covered, not touch or scratch the rash, and wash

their hands often to prevent the spread of VZV. Once the rash has developed

crusts, the person is no longer contagious.

Is there a treatment for shingles?

Several medicines, acyclovir (Zovirax), valacyclovir (Valtrex), and

famciclovir (Famvir), are available to treat shingles. These medications should

be started as soon as possible after the rash appears and will help shorten how

long the illness lasts and how severe the illness is. Pain medicine may also

help with pain caused by shingles. Call your doctor as soon as possible to

discuss treatment options.

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[Guest guest]

I had a severe case of the Shingles 2 years ago, and I did have

chickenpox as a child. My daughter had chickenpox at age 2, and then a

case of the Shingles at age 8. They gave me an anti viral medication,

but it was too late, and did not help, as it has to be started right

away. Older people are more likely to get a case of the Shingles ( I had

to defend myself at age 47 , because people thought it was a " Senior

Citizen Disease " -my much younger husband had a hey day teasing me about

it), as it seems to hit a weakend immune system. Stress can bring it on

also.

There can be after pain from Shingles (Post Herpetic Neuralgia), and it

has been described as the worst pain know to mankind! Two years later

and I still have the pain, but now I can just feel that it's

" there " -nothing like it was.

With me, it's sort of like the chicken and the egg. Was the Shingles an

indication of a weakened immune system, or did the shingles stir up

what's going on now (possibly Still's)?

I remember doing the research when I came down with it, and there was

conflicting information.

Here is another explanation from the center of Neurological diseases:

What is Shingles?

Shingles (herpes zoster) is an outbreak of rash or blisters on the skin

that is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox — the

varicella-zoster virus. The first sign of shingles is often burning or

tingling pain, or sometimes numbness or itch, in one particular location

on only one side of the body. After several days or a week, a rash of

fluid-filled blisters, similar to chickenpox, appears in one area on one

side of the body. Shingles pain can be mild or intense. Some people

have mostly itching; some feel pain from the gentlest touch or breeze.

The most common location for shingles is a band, called a dermatome,

spanning one side of the trunk around the waistline. Anyone who has had

chickenpox is at risk for shingles. Scientists think that in the

original battle with the varicella-zoster virus, some of the virus

particles leave the skin blisters and move into the nervous system.

When the varicella-zoster virus reactivates, the virus moves back down

the long nerve fibers that extend from the sensory cell bodies to the

skin. The viruses multiply, the tell-tale rash erupts, and the person

now has shingles. A person with a shingles rash can pass the virus to

someone, usually a child, who has never had chickenpox, but the child

will develop chickenpox, not shingles. A person with chickenpox cannot

communicate shingles to someone else. Shingles comes from the virus

hiding inside the person's body, not from an outside source.

Hope this helps, and I hope all infected escape with a mild case.

Joni Jordan