Why Do Shingles Keep Coming Back
If your shingles are reoccurring, then you either have a fragile immune system, or youre not doing a good job at keeping it away.
This includes not completing the treatment assigned to you by your doctor and not following it to the end.
If you leave your treatment in between when you see slight chances of improvement, then it will keep coming back.
Also, get vaccinated as soon as you get entirely better.
What Is The Difference Between Neuropathy And Peripheral Neuropathy
Neuropathy is the general term used to describe damage of nerves while peripheral neuropathy is a type of neuropathy that involves the damage of peripheral nerves. The peripheral nerves send sensory information from the central nervous system to the other parts of the body. The peripheral nerves also send sensory information from the other parts of the body to the central nervous system.
Can You Drive With Peripheral Neuropathy
If neuropathy affects the sensation of your feet and the ability to feel your feet on the pedals of your car, it is advised that you should not drive. You have an increased risk of losing control and getting in an accident. You may be involved in an accident due to the slow reaction in moving your foot from the accelerator to the brake pedal.
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Preventing Nerve Pain After Shingles
But if you’re worried about PHN, don’t despair. There are medications that can cut your risks of getting the condition. There are three antiviral drugs used: famciclovir , valacyclovir , and acyclovir . These medications need to be started within two to three days of the onset of shingles.
“If you look at the clinical trials with any of these drugs in people over 50,” says Dworkin, “they cut the rate of pain at six months in half. That’s a very significant improvement.” They are also very safe and have few side effects, he says.
But who needs the drugs? Dworkin says there’s not a clear consensus yet.
There are some obvious cases. “I think everyone would agree that someone who is over 50 and has severe symptoms should get preventative treatment,” he tells WebMD.
But for younger people or those with fewer risk factors, the course is less clear.
“Some people think that everyone who gets shingles should get preventative treatment with antiviral medicines, because the medicines are so safe and have such few side effects,” he says.
Others argue that preventative treatment should only be given to those at greater risk. The main reason for this, Dworkin says, is cost.
“A full course of treatment could cost anywhere between $100 and $160,” he says. “That can add up, and insurance companies might not want to pay if the risks are very, very low.”
How Are Shingles Usually Treated
Antiviral drugs such as acyclovir , valacyclovir , and famciclovir are commonly used to treat shingles but may also come with side effects including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and more.
Theres no cure for shingles, but prompt treatment can help shorten its duration and diminish the risk of complications. Most doctors will also prescribe painkillers, numbing agents, steroids, or even local anesthetic to mitigate the severe pain associated with the shingles rash.
Shingles generally last for two to six weeks with proper treatment. Most people only get shingles once, though it is possible to contract it more than this. For the majority of patients, pain management is the most important facet of shingles treatmentand new research suggests CBD may be able to help.
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Will Rest/inactivity Help Heal
babs99203
It’s SO hard to find good information on how to deal with the shingles pain and I’d like your advice about what my doctor suggests. Background: I’ve had it one month, very minor vessicles, but pain in back and chest. I’m on my normal RX or an NSAID, Tylenon, Gabapentin and lidocain cream. I’m now up to 600 mg 3X a day of the Gab. My doctor wants me PAIN FREE, which can almost be accomplished by doing, well almost nothing. His theory is that keeping the nerves from firing, will help me and them heal. I know for most people this is almost impossible. However, I’ve been very lucky that my husband’s semi-retired and is fabulous. We found that last 48 hours as I visited my daughter for Thanksgiving my “job” was to sit in a comfortable chair and avoid any activitiy that caused pain i.e. heavy water glass twisting or turning. I was actually pain free for hours!!
So, that was wonderful, but it’s also extremely discouraging to have to keep bothering others to do simple things like helping me get a bowl from the cupboard, unpack a suit case etc. So, will this help!? Is there ANY info out there I’ve missed? My Pity Parties are getting more frequent and harder to deal with as I realize how much my life has changed. Trying to stay positive, but as you all know, it’s hard.
Risk Factors For Nerve Pain After Shingles
Researchers have long known that older people are more likely to get PHN, the nerve pain after shingles, but recent studies have found other factors that increase risks.
In one study published in the journal Neurology, researchers — including Dworkin — looked at data from 965 people with shingles. The researchers identified five risk factors for developing PHN in people who had been recently diagnosed with shingles:
- Presence of symptoms before the rash appeared, like numbness, tingling, itching, or pain
- Severe pain during the illness’s initial stages
Importantly, the researchers found the more risk factors you have, the greater the risk of developing PHN.
For instance, 17% of women with shingles and 26% of those who had severe pain went on to get PHN. But 50% of women who were over age 60 and had symptoms before the rash, severe rash, and acute pain went on to get PHN.
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How To Treat Nerve Pain Caused By Shingles
This article was medically reviewed by Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS. Luba Lee, FNP-BC is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner and educator in Tennessee with over a decade of clinical experience. Luba has certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life Support , Emergency Medicine, Advanced Cardiac Life Support , Team Building, and Critical Care Nursing. She received her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Tennessee in 2006.There are 31 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 84% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 88,320 times.
What Causes Postherpetic Neuralgia
Postherpetic neuralgia begins when the virus that causes chickenpox affects an individual. After having chickenpox, the virus remains in the body forever. The virus can reactivate, usually decades later, and produce shingles lesions. The reactivation of the virus is thought to be due to stress on the body from either another infection or if the patients immune system is compromised that allows the virus to escape the nerve cells.
The nerve fibers damaged from the chickenpox virus are unable to transmit normal sensation messages from the skin to the brain. Instead, the sensation messages become confused and exaggerated, causing chronic, often excruciating, pain that can last months or even years. However, postherpetic neuralgia does not occur in everyone who suffers from shingles.
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How Can I Take Care Of Myself
- Take a pain-relief medicine such as acetaminophen. Take other medicine as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
- Put cool, moist washcloths on the rash.
- Rest in bed during the early stages if you have fever and other symptoms.
- Try not to let clothing or bed linens rub against the rash and irritate it.
- You develop worsening pain or fever.
- You develop a severe headache, stiff neck, hearing loss, or changes in your ability to think.
- The blisters show signs of bacterial infection, such as increasing pain or redness, or milky yellow drainage from the blister sites.
- The blisters are close to the eyes or you have pain in your eyes or trouble seeing.
- You have trouble walking.
When To Contact A Doctor
A person with symptoms of shingles should contact their doctor as soon as possible to discuss treatment options. If they experience ongoing painful symptoms, such as PHN, they can ask their doctor about pain relief options, such as acupuncture.
If acupuncture does not relieve shingles pain or makes it worse, it is advisable for a person to stop acupuncture treatment and contact their doctor for alternative options.
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How Do Shingles Reactivate In The Nervous System
The shingles virus stays dormant in the nerve tissues. If your immune system grows weaker, the virus reactivates.
As the virus becomes active, it spreads through the spinal cord nerves to the skin. These nerves convey messages of pressure, itching, and pain.
These messages transfer from the spinal cord to the brain. Once the varicella-zoster virus gets to the nerve endings, it shows up as a skin rash.
How Is Shingles Diagnosed And Treated
If you think you might have shingles, talk to your doctor as soon as possible. Its important to see your doctor no later than three days after the rash starts. The doctor will confirm whether you have shingles and can make a treatment plan. Most cases can be diagnosed from a visual examination. If you have a condition that weakens the immune system, your doctor may order a shingles test. Although there is no cure for shingles, early treatment with antiviral medications can help the blisters clear up faster and limit severe pain. Shingles can often be treated at home.
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Can I Give Shingles To Others
No one can catch shingles from you. But the virus can be spread to a person who has never had chickenpox. The virus lives in the blisters that shingles causes. It can be spread until the blisters are completely healed. If you have blisters that have not crusted over yet, you should stay away from:
- Anyone who has never had chickenpox
- Babies under 12 months old
- Very sick people
Tell your doctor if you live with children who have not had chickenpox. They may need to be vaccinated.
What Are The Symptoms
Some people can become overwhelmed and depressed by having to cope with ongoing pain daily. The pain of postherpetic neuralgia may be stabbing, aching, burning, and constant. Postherpetic neuralgia may also result in:
- Loss of enjoyment
- Inability to perform usual daily tasks because of the pain
- Loss of appetite
The diagnosis of postherpetic neuralgia is based on experiencing pain that persists after the rash of shingles has disappeared. There are no special tests for diagnosing postherpetic neuralgia.
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Does Physical Exercise Affect Shingles
Fact Checked
Physical exercise can affect shingles. Like any viral infection, regular physical activity can go a long way to improving symptoms associated with this condition. Exercise can enhance the bodys immune response, which can improve the immune systems ability to fight the infection, thereby helping you feel better.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Shingles Is This Normal And Can I Workout
jennifer78043
I’m a 35 y/o healthy female and was diagnosed with shingles four days ago. Had an ache in my back but didn’t give it much attention until the rash appeared. I’m on valtrex and the rash appears to be getting better but last night I came down with a bad head ache and the chills. I had read that this symptoms usually were at the start of the illness not when the rash was clearing up. I worked out yesterday would that exacerbate it? I’m training for a half marathon so don’t want to stop running on account of this. Would appreciate any input. Thanks!
2 likes, 39 replies
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How Can People With Nerve Pain Perform Exercise Safely
If you have nerve pain, you need to learn how to perform each exercise safely. You need to consult with your medical practitioner before you perform any exercise, as they can guide you into telling you on what exercises for a person with nerve pain is safe to perform.
Your doctor may direct you to a physical therapist who works in tailoring an exercise program for people with nerve pain. If you do not seek the guidance of a physical therapist, you may perform an exercise and injure yourself, thus aggravating your condition even more.
Next, you need to select appropriate exercises that you can perform. You need to perform an exercise that does not worsen your nerve pain, but works to reduce it and heal it.
Coping With Shingles Pain
If you have shingles, you may be wondering how to cope with the pain:
- Be sure to get plenty of sleep and eat a healthy diet to help boost your immune system.
- Wear comfortable, loose clothing with natural fiber .
- Establish or maintain a regular exercise routine.
- Utilize home remedies to help soothe pain from blisters.
- Engage in activities that help take your mind off of the pain.
- Establish a routine to help manage stress.
- Seek out support when needed from family and friends as well as professional supportive services.
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Wet Compresses Soaks And Calamine Lotion
A person can apply a clean, damp, and cool washcloth to their rash several times a day for 510 minutes each time. Alternatively, people can also try bathing in cool water with added baking soda, uncooked oatmeal, or colloidal oatmeal.
Individuals may also consider using calamine lotion as it may provide a soothing and cooling effect on the skin. A person can gently apply the lotion after the shingles blisters have scabbed over.
Help Is Available For Phn
Fortunately,early treatment for shingles can lower your chances of getting PHN.
For some people, the pain becomes refractory, or resistant to treatment, explains Dr. Rosenquist. So we want to treat shingles as fast as we can ideally as soon as somebody feels a tingling or burning sensation, even before a rash develops.
Sheadds that whenever nerve pain is involved, some people respond to treatment andsome dont.
However,medications taken orally or injected that can target the affected nerves may beable to stun the nervous system into behaving properly. That meanstransmitting the appropriate signal to the brain.
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How Does Exercise Affect Nerve Pain
- Date:
- International Anesthesia Research Society
- Summary:
- Exercise helps to alleviate pain related to nerve damage by reducing levels of certain inflammation-promoting factors, suggests an experimental study.
Exercise helps to alleviate pain related to nerve damage by reducing levels of certain inflammation-promoting factors, suggests an experimental study in the June issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society .
The results support exercise as a potentially useful nondrug treatment for neuropathic pain, and suggest that it may work by reducing inflammation-promoting substances called cytokines. The lead author was Yu-Wen Chen, PhD, of China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Exercise Reduces Nerve Pain and Cytokine Expression in Rats Neuropathic pain is a common and difficult-to-treat type of pain caused by nerve damage, seen in patients with trauma, diabetes, and other conditions. Phantom limb pain after amputation is an example of neuropathic pain.
Dr Chen and colleagues examined the effects of exercise on neuropathic pain induced by sciatic nerve injury in rats. After nerve injury, some animals performed progressive exercise either swimming or treadmill running over a few weeks. The researchers assessed the effects of exercise on neuropathic pain severity by monitoring observable pain behaviors.
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What Neck And Back Pain Feels Like
Lower pain in the back may appear all of a sudden or create gradually.
It is not uncommon for soreness to happen after a particular occasion, such as flexing down to choose something up. It is not constantly possible to establish the factor for your soreness.
Sciatica is a form of back ache that radiates from all-time low to the back of the legs .
It is possible to hear a pop when your back is stressed throughout an activity.
As you flex over, soreness is commonly worse as well as when you relax, it improves.
Other symptoms of lower back discomfort include:
Stiffness: It may be difficult to move or align your back. Getting up from a seated position may take a while, as well as you may really feel like you need to walk or stretch to relax. You might discover decreased variety of motion.
Pose Problems: Lots of people with neck and back pain find it hard to stand up directly. You might stand jagged or bent, with your upper body off to the side as opposed to straightened with your back. Your lower back might look flat as opposed to bent.
Muscle mass Convulsions: After an exertion, muscular tissues in the lower back can spasm or acquire frantically. Muscular tissue convulsions can cause rigorous pain as well as make it tough or difficult to stand, walk or relocate.
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What Is Shingles And Postherpetic Neuralgia
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the virus that also causes chickenpox. In a person who has been exposed to chickenpox — or its vaccine — the virus never really goes away. It can lie dormant in the body’s nerves.
In most cases, it stays that way. But in some — especially people with immune systems weakened by disease or treatment — the virus can reappear. This is likely to happen years or decades after the person had chickenpox.
When it comes back, the virus can cause shingles, a rash that often appears as a band on one side of the body. Early shingles symptoms can include:
- Flu-like symptoms
Itching, tingling, or extreme pain where the rash is developing may come next, and the pain can be moderate to severe.
Are you contagious? Though people who haven’t had chickenpox can catch that condition from you, the shingles itself isn’t contagious.
For reasons that experts don’t really understand, the pain of shingles lingers for some. If the pain lasts for at least 3 months after the shingles rash has healed, a person is diagnosed with PHN. In some people, the pain will subside. In others, it won’t.
“We don’t have any idea why the pain goes away in some people and not others,” says Dworkin. But the longer you have PHN — especially after a year — the less likely it is to resolve, he says.