My mom has shingles - question

[minkydog]

I have had shingles twice (lucky me).

I'm not sure if this is a good thing to mention to your mom or not, but many patients can still have pain at the site of their rash, even months after the rash is gone. It's called "Postherpetic Neuralgia" and is caused by damage to the nerve that shingles can cause. I've read that about 40% of people get it and it can range from mild to severe. I had it for about a year after my first bout, but I think mine was a pretty mild case. For me, it wasn't horrible, horrible pain, but it was almost like it would "crackle" with pain then settle down. For some people it can be pretty bad though. So, if she continues to complain of pain even after the blisters heal, that could be what it is -- and her doctor can hopefully offer her some pain management techniques for it.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/postherpetic-neuralgia/DS00277

My mom had shingles a few years ago and it affected the nerves in her ear. Now she has constant tinnitus and reduced hearing in that ear.

 

[lovin'fl]

I was going to start a thread about something similar last week, but never got around to it. It was going to be about this: My DDs-13 have a friend who has had 2 doses of the chicken pox shot (as required by our school system) and a couple years ago she supposedly got the chicken pox anyway. Well, last Thursday this same kid goes home early (because she wasn't feeling well) and mom takes her to the DR. She then texts my DDs that she has the chicken pox again, but she'll be at school the next day. She claimed that they gave her a shot in each chicken pox blister and therefor she wasn't contagious any longer. I wonder if she had shingles, but not sure what the 'shot in each blister' was. And she was at school the very next day. My girls didn't see any signs of pox.

OP- my FIL had shingles twice and he talks all the time about how painful it was. I don't know what helped him feel better. He is a high strung guy and we think he gets shingle from stress (even though it's self induced stress). I hope your mom feels better soon and doesn't get it again.

 

[BonnieA]

I've had shingles 3 times. The first was the worse but even then it never developed blisters after I started Valtrex. The other two attacks I knew what they were immediately and started Valtrex right away.
My cases were very mild, but it was still miserable. I feel for anyone who has a real blown out attack. It has to be horrible.
I also had the shingles shot, but not until after my first case. My insurance did cover it.

 

[disney1990]

Shingles is only contagious to someone who has not had chicken pox (or the vaccine). It can cause them to contract chicken pox. You can not give shingles to someone.

OP..shingles is simply the reactivation of the CP virus in the body..there is a vaccine to help prevent shingles from occurring and it most commonly happens in "older" folks..sometimes it is an immune response, can happen during extremely high stress times..etc but it's just something that happens.

No, it is people that have HAD chickenpox. "After you have had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in your nerve roots and remains inactive until, in some people, it flares up again. When the virus becomes active again, you get shingles instead of chickenpox."

 

[AuroraluvsPhillip]

I got shingles after moving my daughter into her UCF apartment in the middle of TS Fay! After my flight home, I felt this itchy/irritating rash on my back. At first I thought it was bedbugs from the hotel, but the location clued me in. My primary gave me Valtrex and told me to stay home from work until the lesions were dried up. I work in a hospital, so obviously I couldn't be near patients. The rash took awhile to disappear, but I was glad not to get postherpetic neuralgia.

 

[Coconut36]

No, it is people that have HAD chickenpox. "After you have had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in your nerve roots and remains inactive until, in some people, it flares up again. When the virus becomes active again, you get shingles instead of chickenpox."

I have no idea what you think you are correcting in my post as I stated that it was a reactivation of the chicken pox virus in the body that causes shingles and that shingles is contagious only to those that have not had chicken pox as touching the shingles lesion can result in someone not immune to chicken pox to get the chicken pox virus. One can not give shingles to someone though.

 

[jujube]

OP, make sure your mother can keep her arm bare. Also, if she feels pinprick like sensations on other parts of her body, check for new shingles blisters. I had it 15 years ago and it was extremely painful- like droplets of boiling water. Even now if I'm stressed or very tired, some of the spots might hurt although not as much. You can get recurrences of shingles.

 

[WDWBarb]

A good friend of mine has shingles right now and it's horrible. She's suffering terribly. She started having bad pain on her back with blisters but thougth she was suffering from a kidney infection. After a few days, she went to her doctor who dismissed the blisters as nothing of importance and sent her home with pain meds when her kidneys appeared to be ok. Two days later, she's screaming in pain and throwing up so her DH runs her to the ER. She shows them the blisters, they say it's nothing, order a CT scan, x-rays and a colonoscopy and send her home. 4 days later she goes for the colonoscopy and is suffering terribly and the nurse sees the rash and says, "Well, no wonder, you have shingles." This was quickly confirmed by the dr performing the test.

So she was more than a week without treatment and it got BAD. She's on anti-virals now but the pain is horrible. She's on her 3rd week out of work.

They did tell her to get the vaccine because they said it could prevent a reoccurance. She plans to get it the SECOND she's able.

I admit... I'm considering it... it seems just awful.

 

[figaro2tigger]

I heard earlier today that my cousin has just been diagnosed as having shingles. She had the shot last year because she didn't want to risk having them, due to an older relative suffering numerous bouts over the years. She is very upset that after trying to avoid them, she has developed them.
She has asthma. One of the medications states:
"If you have not had chickenpox, shingles, or measles, avoid contact with anyone who does. Contact your doctor at once if you have contact with anyone who has these infections."

I don't see her very often and heard about her illness from another relative. Should I mention this to her? This is a medication that I took once upon a time. My Dr. was very concerned because I was taking care of 4 young relatives on a regular basis and mentioned that I was to IMMEDIATELY call the office if any of them had measles or chickenpox. I'm wondering if she should even have had the shot to try to prevent the shingles?

I feel very sorry for anyone going through these.

 

[jujube]

I heard earlier today that my cousin has just been diagnosed as having shingles. She had the shot last year because she didn't want to risk having them, due to an older relative suffering numerous bouts over the years. She is very upset that after trying to avoid them, she has developed them.
She has asthma. One of the medications states:
"If you have not had chickenpox, shingles, or measles, avoid contact with anyone who does. Contact your doctor at once if you have contact with anyone who has these infections."

I don't see her very often and heard about her illness from another relative. Should I mention this to her? This is a medication that I took once upon a time. My Dr. was very concerned because I was taking care of 4 young relatives on a regular basis and mentioned that I was to IMMEDIATELY call the office if any of them had measles or chickenpox. I'm wondering if she should even have had the shot to try to prevent the shingles?

I feel very sorry for anyone going through these.

Yes, let her know.

 

[Nette]

No, it is people that have HAD chickenpox. "After you have had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in your nerve roots and remains inactive until, in some people, it flares up again. When the virus becomes active again, you get shingles instead of chickenpox."

You CAN get shingles even if you had the CP vaccine. The CP vaccine is a LIVE vaccine with a weakened virus in it. So you still have the CP virus inside you and you can get shingles. The shingles vaccine is the SAME as the CP vaccine, but at a higher dose.

It should also be noted that the CP virus in the vaccine is NOT the same as the CP in the "wild". It's very similar so theoretically it should work against "wild" CP. I say, theoretically, because there are many cases where kids get CP anyway after being vaccinated.

Also, if you've never had CP or the CP vaccine, there is NO reason to get the shingles vaccine. You CAN'T get Shingles... you could potentially get CP though if you came in contact with someone's shingles blisters.

 

[disney1990]

Shingles is only contagious to someone who has not had chicken pox (or the vaccine).

You said that it was only contagious to someone who has not had chicken pox.

I said, it is only contagious to someone has had chicken pox. If you have not had chicken pox, you cannot get shingles.

 

[Coconut36]

You said that it was only contagious to someone who has not had chicken pox.

I said, it is only contagious to someone has had chicken pox. If you have not had chicken pox, you cannot get shingles.

That doesn't make sense and I am thinking either we don't understand each other or you don't understand what shingles is and how someone gets it.

You can not give someone shingles. If you have had CP you can not contract shingles being around someone who has it. Shingles is the CP reactivating in the body..often triggered by immune response or high stress situations. It is not passed from person to person..is not airborne and can not be transmitted by touching the lesions (again..someone who has had chicken pox). Shingles is NOT contagious in the sense that you can give shingles to someone..you can't. You can however give chicken pox to someone when you have an active shingles infection if they are not vaccinated/immune. Anyone who has had CP or the CP vaccine is at risk of developing shingles yes..but shingles can not be "caught" nor is it transmitted from person to person.

If you have shingles you CAN give someone who has not had the CP vaccine or CP the CP virus..if someone non immune to chicken pox comes in contact with the lesions they end up with chicken pox.

Shingles is only contagious in situations where someone not immune to chicken pox comes in contact with the lesions..they will contract CP NOT shingles. So yes I was correct in stating shingles is only contagious to someone who has not had CP or the CP vaccine.

 

[disney1990]

That doesn't make sense and I am thinking either we don't understand each other or you don't understand what shingles is and how someone gets it.

You can not give someone shingles. If you have had CP you can not contract shingles being around someone who has it. Shingles is the CP reactivating in the body..often triggered by immune response or high stress situations. It is not passed from person to person..is not airborne and can not be transmitted by touching the lesions (again..someone who has had chicken pox). Shingles is NOT contagious in the sense that you can give shingles to someone..you can't. You can however give chicken pox to someone when you have an active shingles infection if they are not vaccinated/immune. Anyone who has had CP or the CP vaccine is at risk of developing shingles yes..but shingles can not be "caught" nor is it transmitted from person to person.

If you have shingles you CAN give someone who has not had the CP vaccine or CP the CP virus..if someone non immune to chicken pox comes in contact with the lesions they end up with chicken pox.

Shingles is only contagious in situations where someone not immune to chicken pox comes in contact with the lesions..they will contract CP NOT shingles. So yes I was correct in stating shingles is only contagious to someone who has not had CP or the CP vaccine.

OK, not going to argue because it is obvious that you and I are interpreting this differently.

 

[Nancy]

There is a shingles vaccine, but most insurance won't pay for it until you are 70 (way too late for dh!) The cost out of pocket would be in the hundreds of dollars.

Dh's doctor told him, once you have developed shingles, the shot won't prevent any recurrance.

Zoster is actually age 60 as per us government task force guidelines.

 

[Coconut36]

OK, not going to argue because it is obvious that you and I are interpreting this differently.

There isn't really anything to interpret. It's pretty straightforward facts.

You can NOT give someone shingles.

You CAN give someone chicken pox if you have an active shingles infection.

It's that simple.

The virus that causes shingles, VZV, can be spread from a person with active shingles to a person who has never had chickenpox through direct contact with the rash. The person exposed would develop chickenpox, not shingles.

How do I get shingles?

You cannot get shingles from another person. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you have chickenpox as a child, the virus lies dormant in your nervous system. Sometimes, for reasons not entirely understood, the virus is activated, causing shingles. So if you have shingles, you were actually infected by your own chickenpox.

How is shingles contagious?
If you have shingles, you can give another person chickenpox if they haven't had it already. So, if your husband has not had chickenpox yet, you could give him chickenpox, but not shingles. You will be contagious for about a week after the rash appears. If you have shingles, chickenpox is usually transmitted through contact with the open blisters of the rash. The best thing to do is keep your rash covered up so no one will have direct contact with it, and so you won't touch it and then touch someone else. Shingles is usually painful, so you probably won't want anyone to touch you anyway.

 

[MickeysMommy]

OMG, my mother has been suffering with shingles in her eye for almost a year now. She has the itching on her forehead and top of her scalp. Its horrible.

Sent from my Incredible using DISBoards

 

[missingFL]

My mom got shingles from most likely a compromised immune system a few years ago. It was terrible because I'd never seen her so ill. My kids actually contracted chicken pox at ages 5 and 3 from this outbreak. My daughter had the vaccine as well as the booster (she had the worst case of the 2) and my son had had a dose of the vaccine. They were in the very small percentage that still got the chicken pox after having the vaccine. The nurse at my pediatrician's office actually said that they didn't have it unless my mother had allowed them to come in contact with the lesions. But having worked in daycares and a pediatrician's office in college, I knew what chicken pox looked like. My pediatrician told me that if the kids had come in contact with my mom's shirts or hands that possibly contained the oils form the lesions, it was contagious. Needless to say, it's on their medical records that they have had CP. Just help her to rest and recover!

 

[BonnieA]

There isn't really anything to interpret. It's pretty straightforward facts.

You can NOT give someone shingles.

You CAN give someone chicken pox if you have an active shingles infection.

It's that simple.

This is the truth.

 

[disney1990]

There isn't really anything to interpret. It's pretty straightforward facts.

You can NOT give someone shingles.

You CAN give someone chicken pox if you have an active shingles infection.

It's that simple.

Shingles is only contagious to someone who has not had chicken pox (or the vaccine). It can cause them to contract chicken pox. You can not give shingles to someone.

OP..shingles is simply the reactivation of the CP virus in the body..there is a vaccine to help prevent shingles from occurring and it most commonly happens in "older" folks..sometimes it is an immune response, can happen during extremely high stress times..etc but it's just something that happens.

I don't know what you are still arguing about. All I have done is quote what you have said - see above. You used the words contagious.

My addition was that you had to either have had chicken pox or the vaccine.