What couses Shingles?

Question

I have a rash in my leg..went to the doctor and he said it's shingles (eww) Anyone have any tips on how to take care of it? Thanks!

It hurts and itches like crazy:(

Answer 1

Shingles is a form of Herpes - Herpes Zoster to be precise.



If your Dr did not give you meds and tell you how to treat this, then you need to get a new Dr. If your Dr did address those issues, and you didn't pay attention, then you need to start doing so. You are in charge of your health, and you have to watch out for yourself, cuz no one else will, at least not as well as you should.



Herpes zoster (or simply zoster), commonly known as shingles, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a limited area on one side of the body, often in a stripe. The initial infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes the acute (short-lived) illness chickenpox, and generally occurs in children and young people. Once an episode of chickenpox has resolved, the virus is not eliminated from the body but can go on to cause shingles—an illness with very different symptoms—often many years after the initial infection.



As far as being contagious - PAY ATTENTION - until the rash has developed crusts, a person is extremely contagious.



The symptoms of herpes zoster cannot be transmitted to another person. However, during the blister phase, direct contact with the rash can spread VZV to a person who has no immunity to the virus. This newly-infected individual may then develop chickenpox, but will not immediately develop shingles. Until the rash has developed crusts, a person is extremely contagious. A person is also not infectious before blisters appear, or during postherpetic neuralgia (pain after the rash is gone). The person is no longer contagious after the virus has disappeared.



The rash and pain usually subside within three to five weeks, but about one in five patients develops a painful condition called postherpetic neuralgia, which is often difficult to manage.



Shingles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shingles



There is no cure for shingles, but treatment may shorten the length of illness and prevent complications. Treatment options include:

* Antiviral medicines, sometimes in combination with corticosteroids, to reduce the pain and duration of shingles.

* Pain medicines, antidepressants, and topical creams to relieve long-term pain



As soon as you are diagnosed with shingles, your doctor probably will start treatment with antiviral medicines. If you begin medicines within the first 2 days of seeing the shingles rash, you have a lower chance of having later problems, such as postherpetic neuralgia. Early treatment of shingles is important, because the problems that can arise can be serious and resistant to treatment. For example, 40% to 50% of people with postherpetic neuralgia do not respond to treatment.6



The most common treatments for shingles include:

* Antiviral medicines, such as acyclovir, famciclovir, or valacyclovir, to reduce the pain and the duration of shingles.

* Over-the-counter pain medicines, such as acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen, to help reduce pain during an attack of shingles.

* Corticosteroids, in combination with antiviral medicine, to reduce pain and the duration of shingles.

* Topical antibiotics, applied directly to the skin, to stop infection of the blisters.



In some cases, shingles causes long-term complications. Treatment depends upon the specific complication.



http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/shingles/shingles-treatment-overview





Hope this helps - Good Luck!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.



RE:

What couses Shingles?

I have a rash in my leg..went to the doctor and he said it's shingles (eww) Anyone have any tips on how to take care of it? Thanks!



It hurts and itches like crazy:(

Answer 5

I have shingles but I do not suffer any pain from it because I put Penaten Crème on it. That is a German cream which contains zinc and witch hazel. I can also stop the pain by applying a wet clay poultice to it, but I have to keep the clay wet by covering it with Seran wrap. Both remedies work like magic.

Answer 6

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Not only was I able to eliminate all traces of the herpes simplex virus from my system in less than three weeks, but I was also able to begin dating again. I even met the guy of my dreams and I'm so fortunate to write that just a week ago, in front of everybody in a crowded restaurant, he got down on one knee and proposed to me!! This program provided the chance to be happy and experience real love again. Now I want to help others by sharing this story.

Answer 7

Taking good care of skin sores, such as not scratching blisters and keeping your skin clean.



Using medications as prescribed to treat shingles or postherpetic neuralgia, which is pain that lasts for at least 30 days after the shingles rash heals.



Using nonprescription pain medications, such as acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen, to help reduce pain during an attack of shingles or ongoing pain caused by postherpetic neuralgia.

Answer 8

It is caused by the herpes virus. As a child you get chicken pox and as an adult you get Shingles. They usually run in a line along a nerve. Most common places are lower back and face. They can become very painful. I hope he gave you pain meds. As for the itch don't scratch and don't put anything on them. The doctor should prescribe a pill that you can take for the itch. If he didn't address this you need to call. Just a word of advice: Never leave the doctor's office with unanswered questions. That is why they get paid the big bucks. Feel better and DON'T SCRATCH!

Answer 9

Shingles is an acute or sudden onset of a viral inflammation that is characterized by very painful blisters that typically appear on one side of the body, in a linear distribution on the skin following the nerve pathways.



Shingles is caused by the reactivation of a previous infection with the varicella-zoster virus (chickenpox). Shingles is a herpes virus infection (herpes zoster) and it usually affects a nerve, which can cause excruciating pain in one area of the body and is marked by a painful eruption of blisters usually on one side of the body along the course of one or more of the cutaneous nerves that affect the skin.



The available treatments will hopefully lessen the duration of a shingles outbreak and to control the intense pain. Using a medicated lotion, such as Benadryl or Caladryl on the actual blisters might help to reduce the pain and itching. Using a cool compress that is soaked in an astringent liquid on the blisters and sores might help to make them hurt or itch less. Trust me, they hurt as I have been through it.



You might think a spider or some other type of poisonous insect has bitten you, as the first sign of shingles is often a severe burning or tingling pain, or sometimes even a numbness or itch. This happens on only one side of the body, but the blisters can be in multiple locations. A rash of fluid-filled blisters, similar to chickenpox, can appear in a matter of hours or after several days or a week.



The pain from Shingles can be mild or very intense, almost debilitating. Some people can experience mostly itching; others feel pain from even the gentlest touch or breeze. Wearing clothes or even laying in bed with a sheet over you can be horribly painful. The most common location where shingles occurs is a band that spans one side of the body around the waistline, but only on one side.



Shingles is very contagious. It can be spread from any affected person to both children and adults who have never had chickenpox. Instead of actually developing shingles, these children or adults will develop chickenpox, but once they have had chickenpox, they cannot catch shingles or contract the virus from someone else. However, once you have been infected, you do have the potential to develop shingles later in your life.



Doctors are able to distinguish shingles from chickenpox or any of the other numerous skin conditions by the way the spots or blisters are distributed. Since shingles always occurs in an area of the skin supplied by the sensory fibers of a single nerve, the rash or blisters will usually appear in well-defined bands on one side of the body, usually the torso, but can also appear on one side of the face, around the nose and eyes and in the groin.



To help you with getting some relief from the pain of shingles, your doctor might have you take Tylenol or ibuprofen, antihistamines (pills and lotions) to help ease the itching and burning.



New Vaccines have been developed and can help reduce the risk of getting shingles. Getting early treatment can help shorten your battle with a shingles infection and minimize the chance of complications. If your bout with shingles causes severe pain, your doctor might order a prescription pain medicine.



To help you feel better faster, you must take care of any skin sores by keeping them clean. Take any and all of your medicines as directed. And use doctor or pharmacist recommended over-the-counter medicines to relieve pain and itching.



While you have shingles, you can spread chickenpox to people who have never had chickenpox, so you need to avoid contact with people until the rash heals and be extra careful to avoid people who may have weak immune systems and pregnant women and babies who have never had chickenpox.

Answer 10

Shingles occurs when the virus that causes chickenpox starts up again in your body. After you get better from chickenpox, the virus "sleeps" (is dormant) in your nerve roots. In some people, it stays dormant forever. In others, the virus "wakes up" when disease, stress, or aging weakens the immune system. It is not clear why this happens. But after the virus becomes active again, it can only cause shingles, not chickenpox.

Answer 11

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Answer 12

Anyone who recovered from chickenpox can potentially can get shingles caused by the varicella-zoster virus. My sister have shingles, but thanks fo this site: www.howtocureshingles.com/ really helps me.

Answer 13

Chicken pox virus has awakened in your spinal cord and is following a nerve to the surface. Usually happens in older people 60 yrs.+. Can be very serious pain and nerve trouble.

Answer 14

Monitor your blood glucose levels. If you have diabetes, monitoring your blood glucose levels will help keep your blood glucose under control and may help improve your neuropathy.

Answer 15

your doctor didnt tell you?