Your Questions About Shingles

admin answers:

“Shingles” is herpes zoster and, no, this condition is NOT contagious.

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is what causes both chicken pox and h. Zoster. After having chicken pox, sometimes the body is able to clear the virus but when it cannot, VZV retreats into spinal nerve tissue and goes dormant. It can reactivate at any time — usually after age 60 but it can reactivate in children, teens and young adults as well — often after a time of prolonged stress, such as with a serious or chronic illness. When the virus reactivates, this condition is herpes zoster, or h. Zoster for short. H. Zoster itself is not contagious anymore than a headache is contagious but when the lesions (blisters) break open, the fluid inside carries VZV and if contacted directly can transmit VZV.

If you’ve never had chicken pox and have never been vaccinated against it you’re vulnerable but the only thing you’ll end up with is…chicken pox. Herpes zoster is a potential consequence of having had a previous case of chicken pox and of carrying VZV in your spinal nerve tissue.

admin answers:

You should be ok. Your mom’s shingles is a result of her immune system being very low or crashing form something like chemo etc. It should not give you the chicken pox to be around her.

admin answers:

Yes and no. Shingles come from the same virus as chickenpox. If someone who has never had chickenpox is around someone who has shingles, they will get chickenpox. Anyone who has had chickenpox can develop shingles later in life.

admin answers:

You can only get chicken pox from shingles. Since you had the chicken pox already these is a VERY slim chance you could get them again. The chances of this happening is very low. You cannot get shingles from being in contact with someone with shingles. Plus i’m sure you did not come into contact with the actual blisters. That would heighten the chance of you getting the chicken pox.

admin answers:

It’s impossible for any of us to confidently confirm or disprove that she had shingles, but claiming to have it when you didn’t would be bizarre. I do think she’s possibly exaggerating the part about dying from it since it’s rarely fatal, but “really bad” is a total understatement for shingles. I actually strained a vocal chord from screaming in agony because the pain was that tormenting. I’ve broken bones, had a root canal, and been through chemotherapy and radiation, and shingles was worse for me. Imagine a hot iron perpetually pressed against your flesh while you were being forced to roll around in a fire ant bed. That’s what shingles feels like to me, and it’s quite possible it felt that way to her as well. It also can cause the symptoms of the flu, debilitating fatigue, and stomach pain. People experience varying symtoms and degrees of pain with shingles, and some have much milder cases than others. If she was afraid she could die hers probably would have been a more extreme case. Some people who scratch their blisters aggressively cause them to get infected, and that can lead to more serious problems. Unless she had an impaired immune system from cancer or another serious disease, it’s still unlikely she could have died from it, though. The tiny chance she would have died doesn’t mean that she didn’t fear it, especially if she was very sick. Shingles is unlike anything else most people have experienced, and most young people are really unaware of it, which makes it more scary in a way.

If she had an extreme case of shingles it’s likely she was on several medications for it. People are usually given an antiviral, and if the pain is intense they’re often prescribed a painkiller and a medication that helps with nerve pain as well. If she had infections she might have been given additional medications. Some people also take over-the-counter medications that help alleviate the flu and cold symptoms and stomach aches.

Shingles is quirky in that is highly contagious, but it’s not transmitted to others as shingles. It’s passed on as chicken pox. As the other answerer explained, the herpes zoster virus that causes chicken pox is also responsible for shingles. Once you’ve had chicken pox, the virus essentially sleeps in your spinal cord the rest of your life. The virus can become reactivated later in life because of a weak immune system, illness, extreme stress, or old age and manifest as shingles. It most commonly affects people over the age of 60, but you can get it at any age. Shingles cannot be caught from someone who has shingles. I’m still in my teens and have them. If she’s claiming that she got shingles from a cousin who had shingles, that can’t be true. It is possible she simply got shingles around the same time as her cousin, especially if both had been sick or coping with a lot of stress. A person will not get shingles from being exposed to someone with chicken pox either. It only works in the reverse. I am currently dealing with my second outbreak of shingles this year, and my school is not allowing me to move into my dorm room or attend any of my classes on campus until I’ve recovered from it because I pose a health risk to others. I couldn’t give them shingles, but I could cause them to get chicken pox if they’ve never had it before. Chicken pox is far more dangerous for teens and adults than it is for children, so it’s a serious risk. It makes sense that this girl would have to avoid people while she had shingles.

I would give her the benefit of the doubt and have compassion.

~ skylark

By the way, I’m sorry for writing about my own experiences, but I thought they might be useful to you.
: )