SHINGLES

I have not been posting of late owing to the fact that I have been suffering from a nasty bout of shingles which has laid me low and caused a great deal of discomfort. For anyone interested, shingles is an infection of a nerve and the area of skin supplied by the nerve. It is caused by a virus called the varicella-zoster virus. It is the same virus that causes chickenpox. Anyone who has had chickenpox in the past may develop shingles.

About 1 in 5 people have shingles at some time in their life. It can occur at any age, but it is most common in people over the age of 50 and I am in that category. It is uncommon to have shingles more than once, but I am told about 1 in 50 people have shingles two or more times in their life. God forbid!

Mine started with shooting/stabbing pains in the head, followed by a rash under my left armpit. I immediately consulted my doctor who, without hesitation, diagnosed shingles and prescribed a course of antiviral medication. The rash soon healed but the pain associated with the condition persisted and required strong pain killers. Now, four weeks later, I am still suffering severe discomfort under the armpit and the itching is driving me mad! I am using refrigerated calamine lotion to ease the itching and it does help for a while.

I am told there is no definitive answer to how long the postherpetic neuralgia may persist. Shingles causes inflammation of the nerve. Pain can be expected whilst the rash and inflammation occur. However, it is unclear why some people continue to have pain when the inflammation has gone. It is thought that some scar tissue next to the nerve, or in the nearby part of the spinal cord, may be a factor. With treatment the pain eases gradually and the symptoms are gone by three months. However, without treatment, about 3 in 10 people still have pain after a year. The thought of either is enough to drive one insane believe me!

If anyone out there has any advice about shingles which I have not mentioned I will be pleased to learn more details. My doctor has been most helpful and an internet search on Google has also provided me with a lot of information.

I am continuing with aspects of my life to the best of my ability but am finding the condition debilitating and a little depressing. I am however, very mindful of other people suffering far worse, even life threatening illnesses. That certainly helps to keep my mind balanced. At least I know I will get better sometime soon.