William asks…
I have shingles but I’m only 14?
I got shingles. I just turned 14. From what I hear, it’s because of a very low immune system, which can result from very high stress. But I feel fine. I have low thyroxine hormones in my body, that could account for a lower immune system than most people. I also don’t get much sleep. Like sometimes I get 4-6 hours, sometimes 7. And I usually sleep 3-5 hours as soon as i get home (3:00), I then do homework until like 12-1AM, go to sleep, and then wake up at 6:00AM. That’s my daily routine. I’m wondering what could be the main cause of my shingles, because I feel totally fine, not stressed at all. i play a bunch of videogames, so i feel relaxed also.
admin answers:
Shingles is the Chicken Pox virus reactivating in your body. That’s the main cause.
It is a Herpes Virus.
It doesn’t matter how old you are.
It doesn’t matter what you do.
It doesn’t matter what you don’t do.
Stress or No Stress.
It can re-occur in anyone at any stage in their life, only if they’ve ever had Chicken Pox.
People who have not had Chicken Pox, can develop it, when exposed to someone who has Shingles.
Sharon asks…
What could cause recurring blisters in the exact same area?
For about 6 years now, I get these blisters on left elbow in the exact same spot. They itch when they are forming and as they go away, but hurt to touch pretty much from begining to end. It is usually just one main blister, but sometimes there are several smaller ones surrounding it. They are red and raised but never fill with puss and burst. They just seem to dry up and go away. It is bothersome and of course looks odd. A few years back, it was suggested that it might be shingles, but there is none of that intense nerve pain I hear about and my parents can’t agree on if I ever had chickenpox or not. As it heals it does flake some. A doctor that saw it at that stage told me it was fungal before running out of the room and on to the next patient. I just can’t find anything that matches up.
admin answers:
This sounds to me like a classic herpes virus infection. These are very common. Shingles is a form of herpes called herpes zoster but I think you have Herpes simplex. The only way to know for sure is to get checked when you have a fresh outbreak. A doctor can do a Tzanck preparation which is essentially a free test, they just take a sample and look under the microscope after the slide is stained. If you want to get high tech, you can ask for a viral pcr test of a fresh lesion. These are extremely accurate but a bit more expensive. You may be able to go to a free STD clinic for their expertise. Although this is not an STD problem, those doctors are pretty skilled with skin conditons. Good Luck!
Sandy asks…
Explain shingles on the eye to me please?
Last week i wen to myrtle beach and on wed. (the day we came back) the part under my eyebrow started hurting.It look like a spider bite or something.There was 2 bigger spots and one really small spot.Well it hurt for a couple days then it started to get red and swell.I started to use Cortisone on it.Well today when i woke up my eyelid was swollen and my eye was half closed.I talked to some lady at church and she said it looked infected and to not use Cortisone cause it would make it worse.Well then i went to the doctor and he said he though it was shingles.So he gave me meds and eye cream.He said if it got worse i could probably pretty much go blind in that eye.Im only 13 so can you explain shingles to me in a way i can understand.And when we went to the pharmacist one of the people there was saying it didnt really look like shingles to her because it didnt show any of the main symptoms.The bumpy parts are whiteish but the rest it red and the bumpy parts look like blisters just with bumps.If its not shingles could the meds make it worse? and while we were in myrtle beach i had a really stuffy nose like i could actually feel pressure in it but now that were back here i hardly sneeze and cough if that helps.
admin answers:
Shingles is when the chickenpox virus reactivates in the body. Usually a person with shingles has a history of chickepox but it is also possible after the chickenpox vaccine, though those cases tend to be milder. It is a good idea for someone who has shingles that affects the eye to see an ophthalmolgist (eye specialist) right away because there are different ways this infection can affect the eye, including loss of vision, and the treatment varies depending on what the eye doctor finds.
I am a neurologist and have treated plenty of shingles but would always refer a case like yours to an ophthalmologist.
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