Shingles is one of the most painful skin diseases. Pain from shingles, which comes from the herpes zoster virus which also causes chickenpox, can range from mildly annoying to unrelenting. Usually the older a patient is, the greater the pain. It’s vital to recognize the initial symptoms for a diagnosis and treatment. If someone suspects he may have shingles.
You should seek medical attention immediately because the virus can be stopped from spreading if it’s treated within 72 hours after an outbreak of a rash. Antiviral medications can help lower the pain of shingles symptoms and speed up the healing process of shingles blisters.
The Prodromal Stage of Shingles
The first stage of shingles is known as the prodomal stage. While some people may have flu-like symptoms others do not. People thinking they might have the flu experience symptoms such as nausea, headache and chills. The prodromal stage usually lasts from two to five days prior to the rash appearing. Besides flu-like symptoms, other signs may include tingling, as well as shooting or burning pain on one side of the face or body. The pay can be either sporadic or constant. Itching on only one side of the body is another symptom. Before a rash and blisters appear, a person is not contagious.
The Eruptive Stage of Shingles
The eruptive stage of shingles is when a patient is contagious. Redness and swelling appear at the pain site during the eruptive stage, along with fluid-filled blisters Consecutive blisters continue to appear for up to five days. Typically these blisters are spread in patches, resembling chicken pox. However, unlike chicken pox, they run in a continuous band along a nerve. The liquid in the blisters is clear. Pain from the blisters can range from slightly irritating and itchy to severely painful. At this stage a shingles patient is capable of spreading the virus to others.
Common Blister and Rash Sites from Shingles
Most rashes and blisters are only on one side of the body, although in rare cases more than one nerve can be affected so another area can break out in blisters. Typically, shingles appears on the waistline, side of the torso, buttocks, one side of the face, an arm or a leg.
The Scabbing Stage of Shingles
The shingles blisters generally form a scab within 14 days after they form, with the rash disappearing in roughly three to five weeks. During this time the virus can be spread to others so shingles patients need to remain isolated from others, especially children, pregnant women, people who have never had the chicken pox, besides elderly people who have not had the chickenpox.
It’s only after all the scabs have crusted over that the virus is not contagious.Although the blisters don’t leave scars, patients may have skin discoloration where the blisters were.
Post-Herpetic Neuralgia Pain Following Shingles
The post-herpetic neuralgia stage is when shingles patients can develop complications from the disease after the rash and blisters have disappeared. Although a person is not contagious after his shingles blisters have crusted over, he can still experience post-herpetic neuralgia pain. The pain from post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) and be challenging and can last for even months or years.
The effects of shingles may linger after the virus has gone because it’s caused by damaged nerve cells. People suffering from post-shingles pain should seek medical attention for the best treatment. Often people suffering from PHN are given prescription oral Famvir tablets which can decrease the duration of the pain. Although there are also various treatments for managing post-shingles side effects, there isn’t a cure for PHN.
Originally published on Suite 101.
