day +55 (oh great) shingles!?!!??!!!!
note:
what can I say Im typical of any other transplant patient, my childhood chickenpox came back to haunt me in the form of
shingles. Known in the medical world as herpes zoster, but because the word herpes has some social taboos around it, herpes zoster became known as shingles for the rest of the public out side the medical world. shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. it often appears as a band of blisters that wraps from the middle of your back around one side of your chest to your breastbone. Other parts of your body can be involved as well, including your neck, face or scalp.
in my case It was my left leg, groin and lower backside (ie: my butt)
the pain of shingles can be excruciating, and the cause might not be immediately evident. But once the telltale rash and blisters start on one side of your body, it's more easily identified as shingles. shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you've had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive (dormant) in your nerves. years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles.
shingles isn't a life-threatening condition, but it can be very painful. sometimes, the rash leads to a debilitating complication called postherpetic neuralgia. this condition causes the skin to remain painful and sensitive to touch for months or even years after the rash clears up. vaccines can help reduce the risk of shingles in people with healthy immune systems (this is a live vaccine if you are immune comprised this vaccine is not an option for you, like in my case), while early treatment with in the first 48 hours can help shorten a shingles infection and minimize the chance of complications like the rash spreading to internal organs.
posted by neil wiernik
visit www.phoniq.net for more information
1 Comment
note:
what can I say Im typical of any other transplant patient, my childhood chickenpox came back to haunt me in the form of shingles. Known in the medical world as herpes zoster, but because the word herpes has some social taboos around it, herpes zoster became known as shingles for the rest of the public out side the medical world. shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. it often appears as a band of blisters that wraps from the middle of your back around one side of your chest to your breastbone. Other parts of your body can be involved as well, including your neck, face or scalp.
in my case It was my left leg, groin and lower backside (ie: my butt)
the pain of shingles can be excruciating, and the cause might not be immediately evident. But once the telltale rash and blisters start on one side of your body, it's more easily identified as shingles. shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you've had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive (dormant) in your nerves. years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles.
shingles isn't a life-threatening condition, but it can be very painful. sometimes, the rash leads to a debilitating complication called postherpetic neuralgia. this condition causes the skin to remain painful and sensitive to touch for months or even years after the rash clears up. vaccines can help reduce the risk of shingles in people with healthy immune systems (this is a live vaccine if you are immune comprised this vaccine is not an option for you, like in my case), while early treatment with in the first 48 hours can help shorten a shingles infection and minimize the chance of complications like the rash spreading to internal organs.