Shingles is a virus condition involving inflammation of sensory nerves that can result in severe pain. It causes localized pain, numbness, and itching, followed by the appearance of clustered blisters in a strip pattern on one side of the body. Sometimes the pain can persist for weeks, months, or years after the rash heals (known as postherpetic neuralgia).
The pain of shingles may develop even when there is no rash. The patient may notice several days to a week of burning pain and sensitive skin before the rash appears. In this situation it may be difficult to determine the cause of the often severe pain.
Other symptoms that may occur before shingles rash include fever, chills, upset stomach and headache.
I've inserted the link into the 30 Tips post. There's already one there and maybe it doesn't need two, but recognising shingles is such an important thing...
Great article, but one thing missing is the fact that you can have shingles without the rash. I had shingles in the trigeminal nerve on the left side. My pain was a severe headache. It felt like a bad sinus infection. I had what I thought was a “pimple” beside my mouth and one beside my ear, on the same side. Both looked just like ordinary pimples. I had a spot inside my mouth and nose, but these did not appear until after my diagnosis. The ER doctor I saw was able to more quickly diagnose the shingles only because I had the Ramsey Hunt Syndrome to go with it, a Bell’s Palsy.
Thanks Jackie. As part of my CLL Trial medications, I take Acyclovir. I assume this is to limit the severity if I develop Shingles rather than stopping me developing it at all?
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