Tingles for Shingles

How a childhood disease can come back and haunt you

There’s a childhood disease that can come back and haunt you. Despite common misconceptions, it isn’t purely a senior citizen ailment, and it is estimated that twenty-per-cent of us will be affected by it at some stage in our lives. It’s a virus that can strike at any age, and I should know. I had it twice before the age of thirty-five.

My first was at the age of eleven, the second, aged thirty-three. And if it isn’t caught early enough, it can leave you in pain for several months afterwards.

You are vulnerable if you’ve had chickenpox and are experiencing a stressful period in your life. Although age isn’t a barrier, the British Medical Journal warns that those over fifty are vulnerable, with vulnerability increasing with age. The virus in question is Shingles.

I had chickenpox when I was three. And I had three blisters. Yes. That’s all. One blister for each year I was old.

Even so, having had chickenpox at the age of three, my mother was surprised to see the familiar sores re-appearing around my waist at the age of eleven. Most children contract chickenpox by the age of ten, and once the body has been attacked by the virus, it obtains lifelong immunity. So, why did I have those recognisable chickenpox sores again?

The diagnosis came as a shock because we, too, thought it was an older person’s illness. But in the right conditions, once someone has had chickenpox, it can appear at any age. A decline in the efficiency of the immune system allows the virus to re-emerge. At the age of eleven, I was just weeks away from sitting the 11+ examination, used in the selection process for secondary schools where I lived. The stress of worrying about this affected my immune system, allowing the virus to re-awaken itself.

Shingles is caused by the virus Varicella Zoster. It’s the same virus that causes chickenpox and is a member of the Herpes family. Shingles is the layman’s term, although your GP may refer to it as Herpes Zoster.

Early Symptoms

Once you’ve had the chickenpox virus, it remains dormant in the nerve ganglia, a point where several nerves meet. Think of it like a junction box. It’s along these nerves, from this junction, that the virus travels when it has been ‘re-activated’.

This is why many sufferers experience some tenderness or burning sensation in the area served by those nerves, before they realise that something is actually wrong. After a few days, a rash will begin to develop, and as the virus takes hold, the small red blotches of the rash progress into the recognisable blisters from your childhood chickenpox days. But because the virus sits in one area of your nerves, the rash will only affect the area of the body that those nerves serve.

The most common areas for shingles to take up residence are: -

• near the waist,
• halfway up the rib cage,
• a shoulder and arm
• or on the head.

Because of the way our nerves are designed, the disease will only affect one side of the body. This is probably why there’s an old wives tale that suggests death is near if the rash stretches right around your waist and meets in the middle! Not something I particularly enjoyed hearing at the age of eleven! If shingles affects your head, your Doctor may refer you to an Ophthalmologist to ensure that anti-viral eye drops are prescribed if required.

Once the recognisable blisters have formed, they are painful to the touch, and it can even be painful just having clothing rub against them. After about a week, the blisters begin to dry and form a scab, which may scar when it falls off.

Other Symptoms

As well as having the physical evidence of the rash or blisters, sufferers can also experience other ‘flu-like’ symptoms such as tiredness, exhaustion and a slight temperature. As the virus moves through the nerves, it is very common to experience a sharp, jabbing pain along the area served by the nerve. Depending on the severity of the attack, some sufferers experience this pain for several months after the rash has disappeared. Referred to as Post Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN), Doctors may change the treatment to tackle this depressing result of the attack. Of the 250,000 people every year who suffer from shingles, 40% will go on to experience Post Herpetic Neuralgia.

PHN occurs when the nerve is damaged by the virus and can vary in severity from a tingling feeling to a sharp, debilitating pain. Unfortunately, ordinary painkillers may not relieve this symptom, and doctors use a wide range of treatments, often varying them depending on how long you continue feeling pain.

Shingles can flare up because of a decrease in your body’s natural resistance. Your immune system may be less efficient for a variety of reasons, one of which is stress. Many attacks follow a particularly stressful period in people’s lives. Other infections that reduce the effectiveness of your immune system can allow the virus to awaken. Some medical treatments that affect your immune system, such as Chemotherapy, can trigger an attack.

Un-‘catchable’

Unlike Chickenpox, you cannot ‘catch’ Shingles. It doesn’t occur simply because you have been in contact with someone with Chickenpox. It’s all down to the virus that remains dormant inside your nerve system for the rest of your life, which is why it’s possible for the virus to reappear more than once. However, if you have Shingles and come into contact with someone who hasn’t had Chickenpox, you could pass the Chickenpox virus to them.

Prevention

There is action you can take to help prevent shingles from occurring. Because the illness can occur when the body’s natural immune system is low, the best preventative actions are to maintain a healthy and active body. This means ensuring a good supply of Vitamins A, B-complex and E, which are excellent for the body’s skin and nerves. The best way to do this is through natural sources, such as fresh fruit, wholegrain cereals and vegetables, although vitamin supplements may help.

If shingles is diagnosed, all is not lost. If caught early enough, some anti-viral drugs now on the market can be extremely effective in reducing the severity of the attack. Taken early, they may even prevent the rash from blistering. There is now more understanding and information about the painful after-effect of Post Herpetic Neuralgia. The Shingles Support Society, can provide self-help and drug treatment information.

A shingles diagnosis needn’t mean the start of a debilitating and painful illness that it used to be. Spot the signs early enough and your recovery can be far speedier and less painful. When I had my second bout at the age of thirty-three, I recognised the tingling sensation and made an urgent appointment with my Doctor. The strong anti-viral drug I was prescribed helped to prevent the painful blistering process from developing.

The second-time round, I knew what to do and acted fast.