Shingles sounds like an innocuous complaint, but the one in five
adults who experience the virus can testify that it is an acutely
painful and often prolonged experience. The good news is that new
antiviral drugs, when started in the early stages of shingles, reduce
the length and severity of suffering. Local injections blocking
the involved nerves (and blocking pain) can also contribute to long-term
improvement or cure of shingles when administered early in the onset.
Shingles is actually a second outbreak of the same virus that causes
chickenpox. Someone who has had chickenpox may have the virus
remain in their spinal cord and can develop shingles later in life. Symptoms
generally include a burning or shooting pain in some part of the body,
especially the torso, like chest or back, but also on the neck and
face. The pain is usually on only one side of the body and there
are no visible signs on the skin. Some people experience numbness,
tingling or itching. In a few days, though, a painful rash will appear
in the area of discomfort. The pimple -like clusters become blisters
that dry up in 2-4 weeks. But, if treatment is started as soon as
they appear, the blisters may clear up in a week or less. Even
more importantly, early treatment is an important factor in reducing
the persistent pain of shingles’ long-term complication, postherpetic
neuralgia. The early treatment involves anti-viral drugs for
the inflammation, prescription painkillers and sometimes antidepressant
medications to reduce pain as well as nerve-blocking local injections.
Shingles isn’t catching, but someone who has never had chickenpox
can catch chickenpox from someone with shingles. The important
thing is that anyone who experiences pain followed by a rash should
call the doctor. The window of opportunity for nailing down shingles
is 72 hours.
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