General Chat

Jean,
I always thought you could only get shingles by having had chickenpox at sometime before? I've been told C,Pox is running rife here in Scotland - neighbours d-in-l has got shingles, I'm keeping well away, as althought I've never had C.Pox, I've nursed my daughter with it when she younger, and I don't want her to get shingles. (she's at Uni. now) My m-in-l had shingles and I know how painful it can be, I sympathise with anyone who has got/had either. Hope your daughter's lucky and escapes getting shingles.
Best Wishes,

ShelleyRose x

thanks Mummo thats very helpful it appears I must have had chicken pox as as a child in order to have had shingles and it also appears I might get it a second time. This thread is very helpful thank you all x

Nudge for Footie

Aww ladies,

I feel so sorry for all of you , I didn't realise how common this disease is, and painful by the sounds of it .

Just spoken to my daughter on the phone, her flatmate has gone home for a week so lets hope none of the others come down with the dreaded thing.

Take care all
regards
jean

Annx that is called shingles neuralgia....which can stay with you for life ...if you feel run down it will start that pain .....I,ve tried the treatment which is anti depressants!!

When I had it a couple of years ago it was just on the back of my neck. Neck felt stiff and achey a few days then a bumpy rash with slight swelling came. I thought it may be an allergic reaction to a necklace at first! The doc said it was shingles. I then got what Kemp describes so well......a feeling of something wriggling or prickling under the skin. I felt under the weather too for about a week.

Thanks ladies ....but after the year we have had it didnt supprize me ..

Kemp, I had it last year, my second bout. Horrible isn't it? I feel for you. Hope it improves soon.

Kempinasunhat,

You poor thing,
Sounds awful for you,
Take care and I really do hope you feel better soon,

regards
jean

Shingles is awful .......I have my second batch now ..I,m tired and feel sick my back and breast hurts as thats where the spots are ..the pain is like stabbing pains and then when that settles it feels like a pot of maggots look all wigglie under the skin...

My children have all had chicken pox BUT my GP has said my children WILL NOT get shingles from my shingles ....BUT I have got it because I have been in contact with chicken pox.....so it may mean so have they

good luck

the only people I have been told to stay away from are those with cancer and those who are pregnant

Thank you to all the replies,

Sounds quite nasty, just like chickenpox really,
Apparentley the flatmate has just had a tattoo and developed a rash around the site of the tattoo , went to the doctor and shingles was diagnosed .
My daughter says she wasn't feeling very well , a bit light headed and tired but is putting that down to all the extra work of the 2nd year at uni.
I have told her to come home for a while , she doesn't live very far , but she won't says she will be fine. What can you do !!!!,
Thanks again for all your replies, keep your fingers crossed she doesn't develop shingles.

jean

From an American site
http://www.nfid.org/pdf/factsheets/varicellaadult.pdf

It would appear that if you have had chicken pox you can develop Shingles. You don't have to be in contact with a chicken pox sufferer. Perhaps the flat mate had a very mild case of Chicken Pox which wasn't recognised at the time?

Apart from the older person, when our immune system seems to 'wear out', younger people may get it if their immune system is weakened.

Although this needs to be checked, I don't think that shingles is contagious.

Doesn't sound nice - hope the flat mate recovers quickly.

Edit - differing opinions about the infection of Shingles! I suppose it makes sense if the blisters contain the chicken pox virus it can infect someone who has never had CP

Found this Jean

What is shingles?

Everyone who has had chickenpox is at risk of developing shingles. It's caused by the same herpes varicella zoster virus.
Top
Symptoms

The first sign of shingles is usually excessively sensitive, tingling or burning skin where the shingles rash subsequently appears. The area is often painful. At the same time, you may experience fever, headache and enlarged lymph nodes.

After a few days, the characteristic shingles rash appears as a band or patch of red spots on the side of the trunk or face. It usually appears on one side only. The rash develops into fluid-filled blisters that then collapse, forming small ulcers. These dry out and form crusts.

A common complication of shingles is pain in the area of the rash that persists after it has disappeared, called post-herpetic neuralgia which is more likely to occur the older you are. People with intractable post-herpetic pain often become depressed
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Causes and risk factors

Shingles is a reactivation of the virus infection that causes chickenpox. After a person has had chickenpox the virus remains in their body, lying dormant or hidden in part of the nervous system.

For some reason, often many years later, the virus travels back down one of the nerves to the skin, where it causes a rash in the area of skin supplied by that nerve.

It's not clear what triggers reactivation of the chickenpox virus but it may be linked to changes in the immune system such as an infection elsewhere in the body, or after physical or emotional shock. Ensuring your immune system is not weakened may help to prevent this occurring.

Around one in four people will develop shingles in their lifetime, with men and women affected equally. It's most common in older people, although it can also occur in younger people and those with a weakened immune system.

The skin blisters that form in shingles are full of the chickenpox virus, which means a person with shingles is infectious. You can catch chickenpox from someone with shingles, if you've never had the infection and therefore aren't immune. But you can't catch shingles from someone with shingles (or someone with chickenpox).

Most adults - about 95 per cent - have been exposed to chickenpox and are immune, even though many aren't aware of it (they may have had only a mild dose of chickenpox when they were young). However, a small number of adults aren't immune and will be at risk. Also, when the immune system is suppressed (for example, when someone is being treated for cancer), a person can catch chickenpox for a second time.

You develop shingles because the chicken pox virus you had whenever leaves the virus in your body.

Hi,
Does anyone know if you can contract Shingles even though you have had chickenpox as a child .
My youngest daughter has just phoned to say one of her flatmates has just been diagnosed with shingles , she, the flatmate didn't have chickenpox as a child but my daughter has, so is there a chance that she , my daughter , might catch shingles.

thanks
jean