Shingles - Virginia Beach, VA

Don't feel odd about having shingles, thinking its an old person's illness. My niece would get shingles as a young girl when she was really stressed out.

I had them at 19, in college, when I was under stress/run down, not eating and sleeping properly. After I got them, I started eating healthier, taking vitamins and sleeping better. They went away with in a month or so. It was painful. I took Tylenol and Advil for pain, and tried not to scratch/itch them.

I had shingles when I was 35 and my daughter was a few months old. I believe I got them because I was run down and not taking care of myself. The good news is, that this will raise your immunity to shingles and you will be unlikely to get them as an older adult when they can be quite dangerous.

I was nursing, and my outbreak was on my stomach and in my mouth. I was terrified for my daughter since I nursed without a shirt and because I kissed her all the time. But luckily she was always dressed and I guess I didn't slobber on her. She was fine. When I found out what it was, I covered up, stopped kissing, got lots of sleep and took my vitamines. I was also very caregful to wash my hands a lot and not touch my eyes or nose since if it spreads to eyes it can be bad.

It went away within a few weeks. As long as no one touches the blisters you can't transmit it. I would be careful around your parents, grandparents, husband, etc. wo may not be recently vaccinated, as well as the kids, especially if they are due for a booster. I didn't have any lingering effects except scars. Some people do develop lingering nerve pain, but I don't know the incidence of that in people our age. Try not to worry, but be smart, get rest and take it as a warning of how you may be handling stress and taking care of yourself. Feel better!

I had a cousin who had this when he was in high school. Here is what I've read:
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.
Is there any treatment?

The severity and duration of an attack of shingles can be significantly reduced by immediate treatment with antiviral drugs, which include acyclovir, valcyclovir, or famcyclovir. Antiviral drugs may also help stave off the painful after-effects of shingles known as postherpetic neuralgia. Other treatments for postherpetic neuralgia include steroids, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and topical agents.

In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved a VZV vaccine (Zostavax) for use in people 60 and older who have had chickenpox. When the vaccine becomes more widely available, many older adults will for the first time have a means of preventing shingles. Researchers found that giving older adults the vaccine reduced the expected number of later cases of shingles by half. And in people who still got the disease despite immunization, the severity and complications of shingles were dramatically reduced. The shingles vaccine is only a preventive therapy and is not a treatment for those who already have shingles or postherpetic neuralgia.
What is the prognosis?

For most healthy people who receive treatment soon after the outbreak of blisters, the lesions heal, the pain subsides within 3 to 5 weeks, and the blisters often leave no scars. However, shingles is a serious threat in immunosuppressed individuals — for example, those with HIV infection or who are receiving cancer treatments that can weaken their immune systems. People who receive organ transplants are also vulnerable to shingles because they are given drugs that suppress the immune system.

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.

My daughter got chickenpox (for the second time before her first birthday) from my MIL when she had shingles. It is better to be safe than sorry- you shouldn't be around any young children that are immunosurpressed or have not been vaccinated.

Also, for the nerve pain, there is a product on the market called Lidoderm. They are lidocaine patches that stick to the skin and provide a 12 hour dose of a local surface anesthetic to the nerves and help calm the pain. I use them for muscle spasms, but they are designed for shingles patients. You should ask your doctor about them... I even got a coupon with my sample pack from the Dr so my first prescription was almost free.

Hi Victoria,

I had shingles when I was in my early 40's. I was advised not to be around babies or young children until the blisters healed. Yes, it was painful, I had it on my stomach and the nerve endings that were affected where on my side and ended at my spine. The pain lasted for a few weeks, and the blister area healed completely after a week or two. I came down with it because of severe stress that I didn't realize I was under. The good news is that once you get it, it won't come back. My advice is to get plenty of rest and make sure that your stress levels are low. I wish you well.

Any open or oozing issues are the most contagious of the shingles that exposes the chickenpox virus to others.. so if you keep the shingles covered and you are not touching it and touching others you are pretty safe around other people. Please be sure that you get the right medication for this.. do NOT accept a generic substitute. I was given a substitute by an after hours doc place and weeks later I was not better, when I went to my doc he hoped that my virus was still "active" so that he could treat it with the proper medication so that he could get to the virus.. otherwise the nerve damage can be permanent! get the right med! can't remember any home remedies for the pain.. other than trying to dull it with tylenol, advil type stuff.. hope you are feeling better very soon!! oh.. and I was also in my mid to late thirties when I got it!

"... it was shown that a person with shingles (also known as herpes zoster) can pass the varicella-zoster virus to others, but these individuals would develop chickenpox instead of shingles. Therefore, a person with shingles cannot transmit shingles to another person. In other words, in order for a person to develop shingles, he or she must already harbor the chickenpox virus in the nervous system. When this virus becomes active again, the individual will develop shingles. So, to sum it up, shingles are contagious to people that have not had chickenpox. They are not contagious without contact to the individual. The most at risk are children. Shingles are contagious under certain circumstances."

That is the mainstream take on Herpes Zoster. Though it sounds grim, there is hope. I had the Herpes Virus replicating and expanding into my nervous system for years and used a combination of approaches to expunge the virus from my system. I am so thankful not to have those eruptions whenever I ate high arginine foods or had any emotional stress.

The equation is that we need to unload all burdens on the immune system (including heavy metals, Candida, emotional issues even those beneath our conscious awareness)then miraculous healing can result. Take a moment to read my story and the approach to healing that I describe above at www.greenrita.com Though the task may seem daunting, consider taking the process one step at a time. Down the road, when your system is free of a torture that can only get worse with drugs and vaccines, you will be proud and happy that you invested in your personal self-care. As well, that investment in the vehicle that holds the spirit, is your path to a more authentic love, compassion and care, an unconditional love.

It might follow that unconditional pure love, characterized by total mindfulness of the details in your relationship with others, is part of the process of becoming. It is this 'becoming and growing' into the consciousness of the details of one's own self-care that, for me, was deconstructing to heal 'self'. This, subsequently, transforms the spirit and installs the tools to serve in the healing of others. And, bottom line, love is the field from which all healing flows.

Rita has some great advice about strengthening your immune system. That is the long run goal, but in the meantime, I've heard that Ban roll on helps. I've never had shingles, but that is what I've heard some people say helps them. Also L-lysine that you can get at a health food store should help as well. Good luck!

Hi Victoria,
I also had shingles in my early 30's. I am now 35. My doctor told me to keep my hands washed and limit activity with my child for a few days. I had to take Valtrex for the shingles.
Luckily, I wasn't in a lot of pain with it. It looked to be a bad rash on my back and that was it. After taking the meds, I was feeling better within a few days.
If your pain persists, call your doctor back.

Sorry to hear about your discomfort! Shingles does not happen only to older people, I had a case in college and have known many younger people who have also had it.
You do need to be cautious around babies and should avoid close contact with them-- which is really hard when you are a mom! My sister had shingles last year and her vaccinated 3 year old came down with chicken pox after sharing a bed with her on vacation. Whereas chicken pox is an airborne illness, the shingles can only lead to chicken pox with direct contact to the sores so being at the grocery store, etc isn't a threat to others.
My case lasted about a week (if I remember correctly) and I think I only took Tylenol for the pain.

You are only shedding the virus while you have the moist/open vessicles- just like chicken pox. Once those have dried up you are not contagious.

GOOD HANDWASHING is a key component of not spreading the virus everywhere, and keeping the lesions covered if you can. (usually your clothing covers most shingles)

There are several varieties of herpes zoster, so just because someone has been vaccinated or has had CPox does not mean they are completely "safe" from exposure to your shingles.

The pain can go away with healing of the vessicles or can linger for months. There's no way to predict, but hopefully if you have a mild case it wont linger long.
Good luck!
L., RN

I'm so sorry to hear that you have shingles. I just wrote a paper about shingles for an allied health course. From my research, I can tell you that while it is true that mostly older people get it, so do younger people, especially if immune system is compromised or sometimes because of an overload of stress. You can't spread shingles to any other individual, but you can spread chicken pox to anyone who has never had chicken pox. Pregnant mothers and those with compromised immune systems are the most vulnerable.Will give you some websites I used for research for paper:
http://mayoclinic.com/health/shingles/DS00098
www.emedicinehealth.com/shingles/pg3_em.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/shingles
http:///3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/symtoms.htm
www.KeepKidshealthy.com/welcome/infectionguide/shingles.html

Feel better, best of everything, hope your recovery is swift.

Ugh. Shingles are the WORST! I am so sorry this is happening to you. I was 21 at the time I got them; shingles are caused by STRESS!!! The nerve pain was SO bad... mine lasted about a month, and it went from the right side of my neck all the way down my arm and side to my whole right leg. Call your doctor again if you just can't stand it, and they will probably give you some pain medicine (They gave me Darvocet- it's pretty mild- it really helped me; I didn't get too groggy or loopy and it helped me simply function).

My advice to you...
*Get some help! Do you have some family or friends that can come over, or take the kids for even an hour or two so you can get some rest? Or bring dinner, or run a load of laundry, etc.?

*Keep the rashes covered, or just be extra careful. As long as no one touches them, they can't be spread.
Also, you have probably encountered this in your research, but only people who have had chicken pox can get shingles BUT it is contagious as chicken pox (not shingles) to someone who has never had it; so, if someone has had chicken pox and they come in contact with you, they can't get shingles OR chicken pox from you- they're totally immune. So I think since you said your babies are vaccinated, they will not get it. My son never got it from me, even though he wasn't vaccinated at the time (he was only a couple months old). I think he got immunity from my breast milk, even with the close contact of nursing.

As far as home remedies, I never found anything that worked except letting it take its course (and pain pills- hardly a home remedy). I would just stress to you that you are really SICK! Baby yourself as much as you can, rest!!, and keep up with your Valtrex, take it ExactlY as they tell you. If you don't take care of yourself now, you could get something called Post-herpic Neuralgia, meaning your nerve pathways get damaged, and that pain could be permanent/semi-permanent (VERY bad news). Whoever your support system is, daddy, hubby, family, friends... have them understand that you need as much help as possible while you recover.

FEEL BETTER SOON, MAMA.
Kind regards and best wishes,
A.

Shingles can be brought on by stress, I believe. I got it when I was 20, and my daughter was only 4 weeks old. I was told she would not get it because I was nursing her. Though it was painful, if I took the medication, I would have had to stop nursing her AND she would have been at a higher risk to get chicken pox. I think just try to not have skin to skin contact, if possible (mine was only my left arm, easy to throw a blanket over it when I was holding my baby). I think the meds are helpful, and I would take them if it's an option for you. I hope it clears up quickly!!

I had a SIL who got shingles in her 20's.

Victoria,
You asked for a home remedy. I saw many allopathic suggestions; but no other listings in the postings. Homeopathic Rhus Tox is the remedy that is given for chicken pox and shingles. I'd contact a homeopath or naturpath to give you the proper strength and dosage. This remedy has been used successfully in cases such as yours. I'd also suggest Rescue Remedy(Bach Flower Remedy) in liquid form. You can put a dropper in your water bottle each day. This has no side effects and is safe to take with any other medicines. There are homeopathics for nerve issues as well. If you need a referal, pls feel free to contact me.
L. M