Mary asks…
How does Shingles develop?
I was diagnosed with shingles two days ago and from what I’ve heard it can be very painful. But I’m intrigued because the order of my symptoms seems a bit weird!
A week and a few days ago I noticed an itchy spot on my back next to my spine. It felt like just an acne spot but it was itchy so put it down to an insect bite. There were a number of smaller dots round about it but didn’t think much about it.
After a stressful week, I got swollen glands in my throat and felt like I was getting a bad cold. I felt generally run down. The following day I started to itch like crazy, like I had fleas or something! The spot on my back was fading and there was no rash developing. The next day I had a tingling burning sensation in the same place and round to my tummy too. My mum suggested shingles so I went to the docs that day and he confirmed it.
So I’m on my 2nd day of antiviral tablets and its 3 days since the bad itching started. Should I expect a full rash to develop? My skin still feels like it’s burning and I don’t feel 100% in myself. How long til the burning irritation stops?
I’m also only 24… pretty young to have shingles, no?
admin answers:
Shingles is caused by the same virus as chicken pox. Although shingles is most common in people over the age of 50, anyone who has had the chicken pox can develop shingles. Those with a weakened immune system such as people with HIV/AIDS, anyone with history of prolonged steroid use and individuals who are or have undergone radiation or chemotherapy are more at risk for developing the virus. Stress can and will exacerbate shingles.
Without any treatment, shingles typically will self-resolve in about three weeks. The anti-viral medication will help to shorten this period. There are medications available to alleviate the pain caused by shingles. If you do not find over the counter medications helpful, ask your doctor for something more. There are both oral and topical drugs available. The topical medications seem to bring about the best relief with the least side effects. I have found with my patients Silvadene Cream, a preparation used for burn patients, to be incredibly helpful. It works directly on nerve endings and shingles is a virus that lies in nerve tissue. Antihistamines will help you to keep from scratching the blisters.
Until your blisters completely scab over it is important that you avoid newborns, pregnant women and anyone with a weak immune system.
Feel better soon!
Sandra asks…
do i have shingles? help!?
i have a rash on my back, that looks a lot like shingles. ive had it for a week; a little itchy, but no pain. i looked up symptoms of shingles, and on every website it says that shingles is supposed to hurt really bad. Any ideas on what this could be?
any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks.
admin answers:
Shingles normally does hurt. Typically the rash spreads from your back to your abdomen across nerve pathways, which is why it hurts. The rash usually forms blisters on the 5th day, which fill up with clear or yellowish fluid which last for about a week. If you don’t have the blisters and pain it may not be shingles.It might be an allergy or reaction to laundry detergent .Have your doctor check it if it persists. Good luck.
Maria asks…
I was eleven weeks when I miscarried. I had no symptoms. Is that normal?
I am really confused and sad right now. A few weeks ago my partner and I went to the doctor. I was 8 wks and 6 days and we had a US and the heartbeat was a strong 184 beats. Well fast forward 2 wks, this past friday I went to the doctor because I had a rash on my side. It ended up being shingles. Well, before I was diagnosed with shingles my ob/gyn suggested a US to make sure everything was okay. It wasn’t, there was no heart beat and the baby stopped growing at 9 wks 1 day. I had a D n C that day. The baby died from natural causes. I am so confused and feel I don’t have enough answers.
admin answers:
Sometimes some babies just don’t make it. They don’t have exact causes of why they don’t, they just aren’t strong enough or aren’t growing correctly. I’m sorry this had to happen to you though.
Nancy asks…
Can Agent Orange symptoms start years after exposure?
My dad is now 60 years old. He served in the Air Force and was in Vietnam in the early 70’s. Well for the past 1 1/2 years he has been having this problem with his left leg. It started in his foot/lower calf with numbness. Then it progressed to pain…pins and needles, burning, very sensitive to the touch. It’s at the point now where he had to call 911 to go to the hospital last weekend because he literally couldn’t get off the couch. He’s on Gabapentin, steroids, antibiotics, antivirals and morphine (again). All meds he has been on for most of the past 1 1/2 years with no relief/cure.
He’s been to numerous doctors…pcp, neurologist, dermatologist, neurosurgeon…and they’ve all gave him different diagnoses. The most recent diagnoses was shingles and they think he’s had it this whole time (1 1/2 years) because of the rash. His leg gives out at any moment and he falls all the time. At work once he fell stepping out of his truck, rolling into a ditch and was covered in hot black top. His coworkers had to pull him out. He has no balance, nothing helps the pain go away and he seriously asked the doctor to cut his leg off. That’s when he started getting morphine.
Sorry it’s so long but I seriously need some help here. He’s had CT scans, MRIs, blood work, nerve tests and anything else you can possibly think of. They’ve confirmed nerve damage but cannot figure out why. Everything else comes back as he is the healthiest 60 year old alive.
Please help!
A friend of my dad’s that was in Vietnam with him is the one who mentioned it, he is very worried about him as well.
admin answers:
YES, most definitely. Has he contacted the VA? Friend of mine at church has some heart problems and they have been traced back to Agent Orange (AO was not ORANGE, but clear. It’s called that because the barrels it was stored in has/had an orange band around the upper end).
(USN retired 1965-85, in-country Viet Nam vet, 1966 & 1967)
William asks…
Please help me with this chest pain! (i know its long but please)?
Please help me with this chest pain! (i know its long but please)?
im sorry this is long but i really need help. A week ago i started feeling weak and dizzy with no energy what so ever. I then started getting pain in the centre of my chest. On tuesday this was diagnosed as costachondritis which is the inflamation of the cartilage connecting each individual rib to the sternum. all that could help this is anti inflamatories but being an asthmatic i could not get prescribed any. MY GP told me this pain would last around a monnth and all i could do was take paracetamol. On thursday the pain started spreading away from the area of the sternum, and started to resemble the pleurisy symptoms i had a few months ago, however there was no shortness of breath. By friday i was in absolute agony with constant pain on my chest with designated areas of shooting pain. I went to the walk in centre to see a diffeent GP as it was around 9pm. She carried out a number of tests and was completely stumped as to what was wrong. She mentioned shingles but i didnt have any other symptoms. She also mentioned pneumothorax however she couldnt hear any whistling and my oxygen levels were 99% and again no shortness of breath. Later friday night and now saturday morning atop of this pain it has been feeling like someone has been stabbing pins into the top of my back. Im in agony and really have no idea what to do and neither do doctors it seems. I have looked up shingles but have no other symptoms and no rash. PLEASE HELP ME!!!
by the way just incase it matters. i took paracetamol however it was doing nothing. And when i went to the walk in centre she gave me co-codamol which doesnt seem to be helping with the pain either. Also i am a 15 year old female. And i know i will need to go to the hospital again but i was just wondering if anyone could give me an idea of what is wrong?
admin answers:
I was diagnosed with costochondritis at first, but then they figured out that it is chronic myofascial pain (which is very similar to fibromyalgia). You probably have some trigger points (a trigger point is a knot in the muscle). The trigger points are most likely in your sternalis, pectoralis, or intercostal muscles – but can spread (ie. Serratus anterior) . The only way to relieve a trigger point is to put pressure on it (Use a broad tip marker on the pointy end – I like those fat sharpie’s and consider buying a THERACANE – it is a great tool for the back especially!). The external intercostal muscles are responsible for expanding your ribcage when you take a deep breath. It will hurt when you press on the trigger point at first and lots of times they refer pain (you will press on the trigger point and feel the pain else where). The pain will be felt at first but then it should gradually get less and less. You have to work out the trigger points (consider seeing a massage therapist who does myofascial release – I tried electro-acupuncture but it was NO-WHERE NEAR AS EFFECTIVE as massage therapy) also make sure you stretch your back, neck and ribcage (do a pec stretch). Remember that anything affected in the back will also be affected in the front and vice-versa. To do a pec stretch (which stretches your pectoral muscles, sternalis, and intercostals) stand in a doorway with your arms against the door frame in an “L” position (and keep your bicep at shoulder height and lean forward. You should feel a stretch in your upper chest. To stretch the neck (re: sternocledomastoid and scalenes) sit in a chair with the feet flat on the floor and arms by your side relaxed. Tilt your head to one side and hold when you feel a stretch. Then do the other way. Also for the scalene muscles in the neck tilt the head to one side while seated in the chair and then at the same time turn your head upwards to the ceiling and hold. Also make sure you sit with feet flat on the ground and your back straight and not slouched as this can lead to developing trigger points in your back & neck in the scalenes (re: neck) and in the rhomboids and trapezius in your back & other places. You should try to deep breath (Make sure it is from your diaphragm) even if you can only get a little air in and hold it as this will allow your diaphragm muscle to stretch. I suspect it might also be tight. Sometimes you will hear your bones crack and pop if your diaphragm is really tight when you stretch it – this is normal and will not hurt you. Your diaphragm is your primary breathing muscle. Rehab I found is a LONG PROCESS for this and RX muscle relaxents do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!! You should consider buying the the book by Claire Davies called “The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook”. Trigger points can also create sattelite trigger points (i.e. In your abdominal muscles which can sometimes give you bladder urges – you feel like you got to go but you actually don’t). Use heat on the affected area to increase the blood flow – you only want to use ice immediately after an injury for swelling. At this stage you want heat (and I find heat much more soothing and helpful myself).
Good luck to you. I got my diagnosis from a Thoracic Surgeon, but you can also see a Rheumatologist.
I also want to note that I went for a pulmonary function test and my family doc told me I had asthma. HOWEVER, he did not know my specialist got a copy of the test results and he said my test was “normal” – so I don’t have asthma! Apparently ALOT of family practice MDs have never heard of Chronic Myofascial pain and do not know about trigger points (mine didn’t).
It took a year for me to be able to yawn through my nose (in though the nose and out through the mouth) – I still cannot yawn with my mouth cause of my trigger points and diaphragm tightness.
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