Everything You Need To Know About Shingles Symptoms
Did you know that shingles is a very common virus that adults experience frequently as it manifests in the form of a painful, debilitating rash. The first signs you will experience of shingles is an itchy pain or flaming sensation that you’ll feel under your skin. Every once in a while a patient who has shingles will experience the sensation of numbness too.
Some more of the other common shingles symptoms are as follows:
- an upset stomach
- fever
- chills
- sweating
- headaches
You never know exactly how this virus is going to affect you until you actually experience it firsthand. Some people will only suffer from very mild symptoms while others can have such a strong reaction that they end up in the hospital because of it. Each person is unique, and they all experience shingles in a different way.
Some people feel a blazing heat and agony in the areas that they are affected by shingles. This pain can be extremely brutal to the point where you feel like you’d be better off dead than experiencing it any further.
When you experience the first signs of shingles you’ll begin to notice a rash going down one side of your body. You will also see fluid filled blisters that are highly reminiscent of the chickenpox all over your skin. Not only that, but the tone of your skin will change from its natural peachy color to more of a red blotchy look.
After your first 3 to 5 days the blisters on your body may begin to increase making your situation that much worse. The eruptions that take place along your body are usually localized in specific areas. The two main areas where people mostly experience shingles are down the side of their face or along the waistline, and this typically only happens on one side of your body.
The shingles virus was dormant in your body in the areas where the outbreak took place. It stayed present in your body from the time you first contracted the chickenpox as a child and stayed dormant there until your recent outbreak of shingles. The two parts of your body that are most affected by the shingles will be your face and your trunk. There are some minor cases where the lower part of your body could also be affected, but this doesn’t happen in most shingles patients and probably won’t happen to you either.
The course of the virus usually lasts between 7 to 14 days. You should start to finally feel some relief from the blisters on your body in and around the 14 day mark. Even though the skin tone may return to normal, the pain brought on by shingles is known to often last many months in the patients who experienced them. There are even rare cases where patients experienced the pain from them years later. Your Shingles Symptoms will improve as time passes and your immune system become stronger.
Shingles Symptoms
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Shingles Early Symptoms
How do you spot shingles early symptoms? Here is some information about exactly what shingles is so it becomes a little easier to spot early on. Well to complicate your life (as medical professions often do) shingles is sometimes called herpes zoster or just zoster. It is a disease which is caused by a sudden reactivation herpes zoster virus after you recover from a previous infection of the same. The virus is called varicella-zoster virus, VZV, HHV-3, or chickenpox virus. It normally results in painful localized skin rashes, with blisters along with reddening of skin. Just a little side note, before you jump to conclusions; no, herpes zoster viruses does not cause the sexually transmitted disease genital herpes, it is a very different disease caused by a different virus called herpes genitalis.
Perhaps the earliest sign of possible shingles is the onset of chickenpox caused by the virus varicella-zoster, VZV. Although it usually affects only children, the virus may remain in the body in a dormant state, living in the root of sensation controlling nerves. In around twenty percent of chicken pox cases, the virus will reactivate itself a good many years after infecting the person at childhood with chicken pox. But it wouldn’t really be a ‘medical’ condition if it was just called ‘Chicken pox II’ so doctors usually call shingles herpes zoster virus. The reason why this virus reactivates after such a long time is still unknown to modern researchers. Unlike its previous incarnation of chicken pox, this time the virus travels along the sensory nerves to the skin where it creates the shingles infection. Statistics show that only people over the age of 60 are likely to suffer from shingles, though it can also occur in other age groups, but it is infrequent children and adults who have already had their bout of chicken pox.
Before we move on, here’s a little history lesson – the word ‘shingles’ is derived from the Latin and French words for belt or girdle. This, of course came into existence to describe the fact that the rash usually appears in a single broad band. This famous band affects only one side of the body at the start of the infection in the vast majority of people who suffer from shingles and is one of the most characteristic of the shingles early symptoms. During this stage, the rash forms around dermatomes, i.e. areas where a single sensory nerve is supplied to the skin.
The Shingles virus is the residue of chicken pox and hence anyone who has had a case of chicken pox or a chicken pox vaccine, which is live attenuated virus, could very well be carrying the herpes zoster virus that causes shingles. Older people, usually above the age of 50 years, who suffer from cancer, HIV, or have had an organ transplant, or anyone who has a decreased ability to fight off infection due to whatever reason, have a much higher chance of suffering from shingles.
Well, you’ve heard bits and pieces of what happens and when, now here is a full story of how shingles come into being. The virus which causes chicken pox is the very same that causes shingles, the difference is that when it attacks as chicken pox, it is a new infection, meaning it comes from the outside world; but when it attacks as shingles, the virus has lain dormant in the body for years and is reactivated. Shingles early symptoms would include headache, unusual sensitivity to even slightly more intense light than normal, and symptoms associated with flu, without a fever. A feeling of itchiness, a kind of tingle, or pain where the band forms is felt before the actual rash appears. All this happens within a few days or a week at most. The rash, which can appear anywhere on the body, will manifest first as blisters which will eventually scab over, and lastly clear up in a few weeks time. The band of pain and the characteristic rash is the best of all shingles early symptoms and can be used to diagnose it immediately.
In a nutshell, shingles early symptoms are – Pain, burning, tickling, tingling, and even numbness may occur in the area around the affected nerves within the initial days or perhaps weeks before the rash is created. This usually happens on the chest or back, but it can also manifest on the stomach, head, neck, limbs or most dangerously, the face. In case the face is affected you should consult a doctor without delay. Most unpleasant of all is that just before or along with the rash, flu-like symptoms without the fever are felt. Chills, stomach ache, or diarrhoea, are common at this point. Also, the lymph nodes may swell and become very tender at this point.
Next comes the active stage of shingles. This is where the characteristic band, strip, or small area of rash appears. The rash itself can manifest itself anywhere on the body but is usually restricted to the side of the body which is already affected by the symptoms. From this rash, blisters will form which are filled with fluid. This fluid will eventually scab over and quietly fall off thereby ending the shingles infection.
But before the falling off happens, there are a few complications which might be felt, namely Postherpetic neuralgia or PHN for short. This is the most common and most unpleasant complication of shingles which will last for no less than 30 days but can drag on for months or even years. During this stage, aching, burning, and a kind of stabbing pain is felt in the place where the rash had been. This pain can remain for years together, there is no cure for it but painkillers are effective at controlling the inconvenience.
Due to the relative ambiguity of Shingles early symptoms, it is easy to confuse this infection with other kinds of infections which have similar symptoms like herpes simplex virus, poison oak or ivy, impetigo, or scabies. Just pay attention to what your body tells you and consult a doctor whenever needed.
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Shingles Signs and Symptoms
Shingles can seem like quite a fright at first but it is very treatable and if you look out for the Shingles Signs and symptoms you will certainly not have too much trouble with it. shingles can affect several parts of the body and each one will have a different reaction. The first sign that you have shingles is extreme sensitivity or even pain on one side of the body. Though it usually is not limited to pain; it can also manifest in itching, tingling, burning, constant aching, or a deep, shooting pain (all of which is very uncomfortable but it can be dealt with using a few lotions and potions from your local pharmacist, on prescription by your physician, of course). If these symptoms appear near the eyes or anywhere else on the face you should see a doctor immediately, your eyes and other parts of your face are a lot more sensitive than other parts of your body.
The unfortunate thing about Shingles Signs and symptoms is that many of them are very ambiguous – fever, chills, headaches, and itching are usually just an irritation, but sometimes they could be the heralds of shingles.
You know you have shingles when after anywhere between one to three days after the original signs appeared (pain, itching, ect) a rash with red bumps rises and blisters begin to erupt on the skin around the places where you originally felt the pain. Pus will fill them and then they will turn into scabs in around 10 to 12 days. But keep a sharp eye out, sometimes the pain will be persistent even without the rash. Even if you don’t do anything, the rash will eventually disappear just as the scabs fall off. This will happen in two to three weeks after the scabs form, but it is advisable that you seek medical help as scarring may occur if you ‘resign yourself to fate’. In some cases, the patient might develop postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). This just means that the localized pain will remain even after the rash has disappeared. No more than 15% of people who suffer from shingles will develop and most of the cases are in people who are over the age 50 years, but it can happen to anyone, so be alert.
Now you might wonder when you should seek medical help – which of the Shingles Signs and symptoms is the red alert that you should have a doctor examine you. It is always advisable to seek advice as early as possible, right when you feel that pain in one side of their body. What makes it more important is that antiviral medications are effective only if administered within the first twenty four to seventy two hours of the rash developing. As mentioned before, if the rash and blisters are on your face, especially near your nose or eyes, it is especially important that you see a doctor as it could result in the virus spreading and damaging or even causes loss of vision.
If you have a not so good history of medical illnesses, it becomes doubly important to consult a physician since shingles decreases your ability to fight off diseases.
Although it is very unlikely that pregnant women could contract shingles and the disease poses almost no risk to the foetus, the mother should receive antiviral treatment as soon as possible. The virus itself is harmless, but since it reduces immunity, it could have some indirect adverse effects on the baby. This is in contrast with chicken pox which will affect the foetus directly and should be treated without any delay.
In case these Shingles Signs and symptoms are not all that you face, here are some alarms that you should pay attention to, if you experience any of these you should go to the emergency room immediately – pain, redness, or rash both with or without blisters on the face, and if near the eyes, a high fever or a feeling of nausea should be looked to quickly. If after the time period for the spread of the blisters is passed and the blisters keep spreading though the body, you will need medical attention.
The trickiest thing about Shingles Signs and symptoms is that the earliest signs are very easily confused with hives due to the raised areas of itchy skin or with scabies because of the skin infection caused by scabies mite, but the pain and blistering in a characteristic band on one side of the body is a dead giveaway of shingles; no further diagnosis is required for any doctor to tell you that it is a herpes zoster infection you are suffering from. This is the most common and easy way to identify shingles. But sometimes the rash can occur outside the band or on the other side of the body so a doctor’s diagnosis is required. Sometimes, in the very early stages, your doctor may need to give you a few tests to confirm that it really is shingles. Some of these tests are – a Tzanck smear. This is a not so common test which is usually ruled out in favour of newer tests.
Sometimes you may have to do this anyway, so here’s what happens – this procedure involves opening a blister and observing fluid and skin cells under a microscope. A newer, less squeamish test is one which uses viral cultures or special antibody tests, like direct fluorescent antibody or DFA tests. These tests are performed on one of the blisters itself to reveal whether it contains varicella-zoster virus. The best part of the DFA test is that the results are usually available in hardly a few hours. A skin biopsy is also a good way to test for shingles. This involves taking a piece of skin from the rash infected area and observing it under the microscope,
Finally, you should keep take care of yourself and keep yourself well fed on good food and active, it is the lack of these that allows shingles to infect you. Just keep an eye out for shingles signs and symptoms and you will be fine.
Shingles Signs
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Shingles Symptoms Photos
Shingles Treatment and Diagnosis
As far as buzzwords are concerned, shingles is a very popular one since there is an estimate that around 20% of the population in the US actually ends up suffering from this virus. And it usually happens to people who are on the wrong side of 50 years old, making this a condition that really needs to undergo fast treatment since a person’s natural immune system weakens as they age. Shingles Treatment should be a number one priority even though this particular virus doesn’t cause too much medical distress. There are definitely exceptions to the rule, however, and it’s cases like this that tend to be a lot more complicated where a person ends up suffering also from postherpetic neuralgia.
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There are many common similarities between shingles and chickenpox, which is why the treatments for both of these viruses often tend to be the same. And why wouldn’t they be, since both of these particular diseases are actually caused by this same exact virus. The official name for the virus is called the herpes zoster virus. It causes chickenpox in those who are young and shingles in those ladies and gentlemen who are moving on in advancing years.
Some ways to approach the way shingles are treated
There’s one extremely scientific and methodical approach to the treatment of shingles that has been developing over the last few years. It starts by identifying the causes which allows the virus to attack an individual. Without going too deep into this discussion, I feel that it’s necessary to mention that only the people who are actually struck with chickenpox in their younger years can be affected by the shingles virus. To say it another way, you had to of caught chickenpox when you are kid because the virus must be within your body in order for it to reactivate and give you the shingles virus later on in life.
The best way to go about treating shingles is to figure out what brought it upon you in the first place and then do what’s necessary to stop the virus from coming back. People who lead very stressful lives are often highly susceptible to shingles. Also those who are generally unhealthy and do not exercise, drink too much alcohol, smoke cigarettes and also partake of a lot of excessive junk food. This is a blatant invitation to allowing the shingles virus to awaken within you later on in your life.
The sad truth about this disease is that there is no actual cure for it. The same goes for its younger counterpart the chickenpox. The only thing we can do is treat the symptoms which will lessen the time spent having to recover from this virus.
It is highly recommended that you treat shingles in a natural fashion. This is a lot better than going the traditional route which has the potential to make you sicker instead of actually making you feel better right away. Work with your body’s immune system naturally and you’ll feel a lot healthier and get over the disease a lot faster than you would by using any kind of chemical treatment.
Shingles Treatment
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Looking For A Cure for Shingles: Chemical vs. Natural
Did you know that shingles are a painful patch of blisters that only appear on one side of the body. These blisters are filled with fluid and are mainly caused by the varicella – zoster virus, which is a virus born in the herpes family and is also the main cause of chickenpox. shingles have been known to cause permanent damage to a person’s hearing and seeing capabilities, so if you have any shingles near your eyes and ears you must begin to treat it immediately.
We all know that there are plenty of standard chemical treatments for disease such as shingles. But is this really the healthiest way for a person to go when treating this kind of virus? Although chemicals do help people in certain cases, the only reason they really work is because they don’t belong in a person’s body so our natural immunities kick in stronger and harder in order to eliminate the foreign invader that doesn’t belong there. That’s the only reason chemical treatments really work. But it’s not the chemicals that are really doing the job, it’s our body’s own natural immune system that does all of the work.
Our body’s immunities only truly work in harmony with natural substances that are good for us. There are a lot of homeopathic medicines available today that can help your shingles and not be looked upon by our immune systems of foreign invader. Our bodies will see them for what they truly are, which is a genuine helping hand in the healing process.
Here are some of the natural homeopathic supplements that are good for you and will aid your body in eliminating the shingles virus from its system: Agaricum, Anthracinum, Arnica, Carbo Animalis, Causticum, Hypericum, Phytolaca, Ran Bub, Rhus Tox, and Variolinum.
There are also some great herbs available, such as Hypericum perforatum which can be used as part of an herbal medicine that works as a shingles cure. Some other herbs that are also used for herbal medicines are Artemisia vulgaris, Avena sativa, Echinacea and Scutellaria laterifolia.
People often experience a lot of pain when they’re dealing with shingles too. That’s when certain chemical medications might come into play. Patients often feel the need to ingest these chemicals as a way to help deal with the pain they are experiencing. You can’t really blame them for wanting to be comfortable, but is this really the best way for you to fend off this virus?
Again, we get back to the issue of having foreign chemicals invading our bodies. Most people don’t look at it this way, but it really is the truth. Why would our immune systems attack these foreign chemicals if they truly belonged in our bloodstream? They wouldn’t because they would have no reason to look at them as any form of an illness.
There are homeopathic herbs that also help eliminate pain. You should look into these natural remedies as a way to curb the pain and help get your health back on track quickly and efficiently.
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Shingles Symptoms
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Signs of Shingles
Before looking into the signs of shingles, what is shingles, anyway? It is, in simple terms, a viral infection which results in a painful rash. Although shingles can occur anywhere on your body, it most often appears as a single stripe of blisters which affect only one side of your body. This painful disease is caused by the varicella-zoster virus which is, ironically, the same virus which causes chickenpox.
But contrary to what you might think, shingles is not just a relapse of chicken pox, it is a lot more complicated than that. After you finish your first bout with chickenpox, the virus becomes dormant and hides in nerve tissue near your spinal cord and brain. Many, many years later (perhaps as much as 20 to 30 years), the virus might get reactivated and cause shingles. The reason for this reactivation is still unknown, but it can be said that one of the earliest signs of shingles could be chicken pox.
The most common signs of shingles are – a nasty pain, burning, numbness or tingling in a band on one side of the body, followed by a red rash which would occur after a few days of the onset of the pain; then comes the fluid-filled blisters which will break open and crust over after a while and finally the irritating itching.
In addition to this some people are known to suffer from fever or chills, a general state of achiness, unexplainable headaches and fatigue.
Shingles, unlike its milder relative, chicken pox, is quite a dangerous disease especially since it targets mostly elderly people over the age of 50. There are some symptoms which absolutely cannot be ignored. For example, if the pain and rash start up very close to an eye or even anywhere on the face could lead to permanent eye damage or even blindness. People who are over the age of sixty five years or so have a much higher risk of health complications.
A curious thing about shingles is that it is only contagious to people who have not experienced chicken pox and will manifest itself not as shingles but as chicken pox. But this is not to say that it is always harmless, some groups of people can actually be very badly injured if they are exposed to chicken pox. Once your blisters have scabbed over you are free to live your life again as you are no longer contagious, but until then you should be especially careful of a few kinds of people – those who have a weak immune system for whatever reason, newborn babies who have a weak immune system anyway and pregnant women.
Now you might wonder when you should seek medical help – which of the Shingles Signs and symptoms is the red alert that you should have a doctor examine you. It is always advisable to seek advice as early as possible, right when you feel that pain in one side of their body. What makes it more important is that antiviral medications are effective only if administered within the first twenty four to seventy two hours of the rash developing. As mentioned before, if the rash and blisters are on your face, especially near your nose or eyes, it is especially important that you see a doctor as it could result in the virus spreading and damaging or even causes loss of vision.
In case these Shingles Signs and symptoms are not all that you face, here are some alarms that you should pay attention to, if you experience any of these you should go to the emergency room immediately – pain, redness, or rash both with or without blisters on the face, and if near the eyes, a high fever or a feeling of nausea should be looked to quickly. If after the time period for the spread of the blisters is passed and the blisters keep spreading though the body, you will need medical attention.
The trickiest thing about shingles is that the earliest signs are very easily confused with hives due to the raised areas of itchy skin or with scabies because of the skin infection caused by scabies mite, but the pain and blistering in a characteristic band on one side of the body is a dead giveaway of shingles; no further diagnosis is required for any doctor to tell you that it is a herpes zoster infection you are suffering from. This is the most common and easy way to identify shingles. But sometimes the rash can occur outside the band or on the other side of the body so a doctor’s diagnosis is required. Sometimes, in the very early stages, your doctor may need to give you a few tests to confirm that it really is shingles. Some of these tests are – a Tzanck smear. This is a not so common test which is usually ruled out in favour of newer tests. Sometimes you may have to do this anyway, so here’s what happens – this procedure involves opening a blister and observing fluid and skin cells under a microscope. A newer, less squeamish test is one which uses viral cultures or special antibody tests, like direct fluorescent antibody or DFA tests. These tests are performed on one of the blisters itself to reveal whether it contains varicella-zoster virus. The best part of the DFA test is that the results are usually available in hardly a few hours. A skin biopsy is also a good way to test for shingles. This involves taking a piece of skin from the rash infected area and observing it under the microscope,
Finally, you should keep take care of yourself and keep yourself well fed on good food and active, it is the lack of these that allows shingles to infect you. Just keep an eye out for signs of shingles, after all, this disease is just another version of chicken pox for the very old or not very in-shape people, you survived that, you can survive this too, no problem!
Shingles Signs
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