When Should I Get The Shingles Vaccine
The current shingles vaccine is a safe, easy, and more effective way to prevent shingles than the previous vaccine. In fact, it is over 90% effective at preventing shingles. Most adults age 50 and older should get vaccinated with the shingles vaccine, which is given in two doses. You can get the shingles vaccine at your doctors office and at some pharmacies.
You should get the shingles vaccine if you:
- Have already had chickenpox, the chickenpox vaccine, or shingles
- Received the prior shingles vaccine called Zostavax
- Dont remember having had chickenpox
Medicare Part D and private health insurance plans may cover some or all of the cost. Check with Medicare or your health plan to find out if it is covered.
You should not get vaccinated if you:
- Currently have shingles
- Are sick or have a fever
- Had an allergic reaction to a previous dose of the shingles vaccine
If you are unsure about the above criteria or have other health concerns, talk with your doctor before getting the vaccine.
Can Other People Catch Shingles
This one is confusing! You can catch chickenpox from other people, but you canât catch shingles from other people. You only get shingles from a reactivation of your own chickenpox infection in the past.
So if you have shingles, and you come into contact with somebody else, they cannot âcatchâ your shingles. But if they have never had chickenpox, it is possible that they could catch chickenpox from you.
To put it another way, no, you donât âcatchâ shingles. It comes from a virus hiding out in your own body, not from someone else. But if you have shingles, you may be infectious, as it is possible for people to catch chickenpox from you.
Only people who have never had chickenpox are likely to be at risk of catching chickenpox from your shingles. People who have had chickenpox should be immune from catching it again. If the rash is in a covered area of skin, the risk of anyone with whom you are not in close contact catching chickenpox is very low.
What Are The Symptoms Of Herpes Zoster
Initial symptoms are similar to other strains of the herpes virus, tingling and/or burning type soreness on a specific part of the body. These symptoms are followed by redness and a chickenpox like rash that blisters and causes significant discomfort.
Episodes tend to last more than ten days and as long as a few weeks. The blisters eventually dry up, crust and heal the same way cold sores do. Redness and lingering pain can last well beyond the healing phase. This is known as post-herpetic neuralgia, and most often occurs with immunosuppressed individuals and the elderly.
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Home Remedies For Chickenpox Relief
Chickenpox is uncomfortable and unpleasant, but most cases in children are relatively mild and resolve within 7 to 10 days. If you or your child has been exposed to chickenpox, contact your health care provider. In otherwise healthy people who have a low risk for complications, home remedies can help provide relief from itching and fever.
- Oatmeal baths can help relieve itching.
- Calamine lotion can help dry out blisters and soothe skin.
- Acetaminophen can help reduce fever.
- Antihistamines may relieve severe itching and aid sleep.
Most important, do not scratch! Scratching the blisters can cause scarring and lead to a secondary infection.
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What To Do If You Have Shingles On Your Buttocks
Shingles is a very common infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. This same virus causes chickenpox. Patients with shingles get rashes with blisters all over their body. Some common parts in which shingles occur are the face, back, neck, and even on your buttocks.
Usually, the rash occurs on one particular side of the body. A red-colored rash is preceded by a weird kind of pain in the affected area.
Also known as Herpes Zoster Shingles is characterized by Blisters. Patients who already have a track record of having chickenpox in the past are prone to having shingles. This very common disease gives about 1 million cases per year in the USA alone.
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Eutectic Mixture Of Local Anesthetics Cream
EMLA cream is a prescription medication made up of a 1-to-1 ratio of 2.5 percent lidocaine and 2.5 percent prilocaine.
A 2018 case study of one person found that EMLA cream may make an effective alternative to lidocaine cream for treating PHN in people with special situations like kidney failure. However, theres not much available research about its effectiveness. Most existing research is from the 1980s and 90s.
A doctor can give you specific instructions on how to use EMLA cream.
Diagnosis Treatment And Prevention For Disseminated Shingles
If you suspect disseminated shingles, seek medical attention immediately. A doctor can diagnose the condition and determine its extent by examining your blisters and rashes. They may also need to collect a sample from the blisters or rashes to confirm the virus is present.
Once the tests detect the presence of VZV, your doctor may administer a series of treatments. The first treatment for disseminated shingles is typically intravenous antiviral medication like acyclovir, especially if youre immunocompromised.
Your doctor may also administer pain relief medication such as morphine. If your symptoms improve, your doctor may prescribe oral acyclovir to take at home.
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Specific Complications Of Shingles
Postherpetic Neuralgia
Postherpetic neuralgia is pain that persists for longer than a month after the onset of herpes zoster. It is the most common severe complication of shingles. Risk factors for PHN include:
- Age. PHN usually affects people with herpes zoster who are over 60 years old. The older a person is the longer PHN is likely to last. It rarely occurs in people under age 40.
- Gender. Some studies suggest that women may be at slightly higher risk for PHN than men.
- Severe or complicated shingles. People who had prodromal symptoms or a severe attack during the initial shingles episode are also at high risk for PHN. People whose eyes have been affected also have increased risk for PHN.
Skin Infections
If the blistered area is not kept clean and free from irritation, it may become infected with group A Streptococcus or Staphylococcus bacteria. If the infection is severe, scarring can occur.
In very rare cases, herpes zoster is associated with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, an extensive and serious condition in which widespread blisters cover mucous membranes and large areas of the body.
Eye Infections
If shingles occurs in the face, the eyes are at risk, particularly if the path of the infection follows the side of the nose. If the eyes become involved , a severe infection can occur that is difficult to treat and can threaten vision. People with HIV/AIDS may be at particular risk for a chronic infection in the cornea of the eye.
Neurological Complications
Treatment For Rash On Buttocks
- Topical ointment such as anti-itching and anti-inflammatory creams, gels and lotion
- Antifungal creams cab be used for jock itchy and other fungal and yeast infection
- Corticosteroids help to reduce inflammation and itching
- Anti-allergic drugs especially where the cause of the rash is allergy or dermatitis
- immunosuppressantâs for infection such a psoriasis
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What Does Shingles Feel Like
To put it simply, shingles hurts and it makes you feel exhausted.
Before Id felt any shingles symptoms in my skin, I felt an overwhelming sense of fatigue. Not knowing a virus was chilling out in my nerve tissues and preparing to wage war in my body, I put on my gym clothes and walked to the YMCA. I took my usual classes and feigned a grin. Then I went home and napped for four hours.
But one morning I woke up and everything was a little different. The right side of my head and neck were in total agony. Yes, classic symptoms of shingles. But I had zero idea. I was just scared.
In my experience, shingles feels like someone boiling pins and them jabbing you with them. It was all I could do not to shriek each time the nearly electrical sensation struck.
I went to the bathroom to splash water on my face and noticed that my right eye was looking a little puffy and felt well weird. It was at this point that I, totally rationally , began to assume that I was slowly dying. Not at all an overreaction or anything!
Healthline explains that early on, shingles feels like burning or under your skin. Yep, I can confirm that. But its not just that.
Early symptoms of shingles may include fever and general weakness. You may also feel areas of pain, burning, or a tingling sensation. A few days later, the first signs of a rash appear. And boy did it.
Heres a photo of my shingles rash:
Finally I gave in and called the doctor.
Treatment If The Blisters Come Back
Go to a GP or sexual health clinic if you have been diagnosed with genital herpes and need treatment for an outbreak.
Antiviral medicine may help shorten an outbreak by 1 or 2 days if you start taking it as soon as symptoms appear.
But outbreaks usually settle by themselves, so you may not need treatment.
Recurrent outbreaks are usually milder than the first episode of genital herpes.
Over time, outbreaks tend to happen less often and be less severe. Some people never have outbreaks.
Some people who have more than 6 outbreaks in a year may benefit from taking antiviral medicine for 6 to 12 months.
If you still have outbreaks of genital herpes during this time, you may be referred to a specialist.
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Which Children Are At Risk For Shingles
Shingles in children is not common. A child is more at risk for shingles if either of these are true:
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He or she had chickenpox before age 1.
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The childs mother had chickenpox very late in pregnancy.
Children who get the chickenpox vaccine still have a small risk for shingles. But it may be a lower risk than after a chickenpox infection. And the symptoms may be less severe. The risk of shingles increases with age. A child with a weak immune system may have the same, or more severe, symptoms as an adult.
Treatment Of Shingles Infection
Shingles treatment options tend to vary depending on the patients age, nature of the infection, and other medical conditions. The treatment aims at relieving the discomfort and pain that come with shingles episodes. It also helps prevent additional complications from occurring.
Generally, there is no specific cure for shingle infections. However, some of the available shingles medications that can help address the condition include:
Antiviral medications:
Shingles antiviral drugs can help reduce the seriousness and duration of the infection. These medications can also minimize the chances of postherpetic neuralgia, a chronic complication associated with shingles.
Antiviral medications are usually effective from 72 hours after developing shingles signs and symptoms. They include acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir.
Antiviral medications are not recommended for everyone who has shingles. In general, patients who experience shingles should take the antiviral medication if they fall into one of the following categories:
Over 50 years old: As a person gets older, they become more vulnerable to getting serious shingles and associated complications. Hence, the possibility of recovering faster after the treatment.
Any age bracket and have one or more of the following
Pain medication:
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Causes And Risk Factors Of Shingles
The varicella-zoster virus the virus that causes chicken pox and shingles is part of a group of viruses called herpes viruses. This group also includes the viruses that cause cold sores and genital herpes.
But the varicella-zoster virus is not the same virus that causes cold sores and genital herpes. The viruses that cause oral and genital herpes are herpes simplex 1 and herpes simplex 2.
If youve had chicken pox, you can get shingles. After the chicken pox is over, varicella-zoster lies inactive, mainly in spinal or cranial nerves. Sometimes the virus reactivates, and thats when it travels along the nerves to erupt as a rash on your skin, causing shingles.
Home Care For Shingles
Colloidal oatmeal baths are an old standby for relieving the itch of chickenpox and can help with shingles, as well. To speed up the drying out of the blisters, try placing a cool, damp washcloth on the rash If your doctor gives you the green light, stay active while recovering from shingles. Gentle exercise or a favorite activity may help keep your mind off the discomfort.
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Timeline Of Shingles Symptoms
Shingles actually doesnât occur without a prior chickenpox infection. VZV lies dormant in nerve roots after you recover where it can reactivate years later, returning as shingles. But though they share the same viral cause, the two conditions are distinct.
The first sign of shingles is usually a burning or stinging sensation in a band-like formation around the waist, chest, stomach, or back.
You may experience itching or become incredibly sensitive to even the softest touch. The weight of bed sheets on your skin may be uncomfortable. You may also experience fatigue, fever, and headache.
After a few days or even up to a couple of weeks, the telltale shingles rash will appear. This rash consists of fluid-filled blisters that worsen quickly. The blisters may look like chickenpox, but they are clustered together.
The shingles rash can vary in color, depending on your skin tone. On darker skin, the rash may be pink, grayish, dark brown, or even purple. On lighter skin, it will be red.
This is the stage at which VZV can be passed on to someone who has never had or been vaccinated against chickenpox.
Blisters typically scab over within a week to 10 days. Shingles typically takes three to five weeks to progress through all of its stages.
Who Is More At Risk Of Disseminated Shingles
Anyone who’s had chickenpox can develop shingles at any point in their lifetime since the varicella virus remains inactive in the body. While research is still ongoing on what reactivates the virus, researchers have found some risk factors for shingles. These include:
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Older age: According to research, about 50% of people with shingles are over 60, with the risk of contracting the virus increasing as they approach 70.³
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Compromised immunity: Studies show 1530% of shingles affect those with a lowered immune system due to disease and treatment processes.
Although shingles occur once in a lifetime for most people, you can develop them more than once.
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How To Prevent Blisters Between Butts
There are various simple ways to prevent blisters between buttocks. Heres how to:
- Wear comfortable fitting inner clothes that absorb sweat.
- Apply sunscreen lotion between butts to prevent your skin from sunburn
- Avoid irritants and allergens that could trigger eczema such as bubble baths, sprays and detergents
- Avoid skin contact with someone who has active herpes
How Can I Help Prevent Shingles In My Child
There is a shingles vaccine for older adults, but not for children. This is because shingles is more severe in older adults. But a child who has had the chickenpox vaccine may have milder symptoms of shingles. If your child has not had chickenpox, talk with the healthcare provider about the chickenpox vaccine.
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Vesicular Rash On The Flank And Buttock
Am Fam Physician. 2003 Mar 1 67:1045-1046.
A three-year-old boy presented with a vesicular rash on the right flank and right buttock . There was no associated fever. The child was delivered vaginally after a pregnancy notable for maternal varicella at 10 weeks gestation. Apgar scores were 7 and 9 at birth. He was breastfed for four months. His past health was unremarkable. He was not known by the parents to have chickenpox. Except for varicella vaccination, his immunizations were otherwise up-to-date. There was no recent exposure to infectious diseases. He did not have any known allergies.
What Are Shingles Symptoms And Signs
Common symptoms experienced with shingles include flu-like symptoms such as chills, fever, and fatigue, along with abdominal and back pain when those skin dermatomes are involved. In some cases when the virus has affected the facial area, people can experience loss of eye motion, drooping eyelids, taste problems, facial pain, headache, and hearing loss.
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Disclaimer And Safety Information
This information is not intended to replace the attention or advice of a physician or other qualified health care professional. Anyone who wishes to embark on any dietary, drug, exercise, or other lifestyle change intended to prevent or treat a specific disease or condition should first consult with and seek clearance from a physician or other qualified health care professional. Pregnant women in particular should seek the advice of a physician before using any protocol listed on this website. The protocols described on this website are for adults only, unless otherwise specified. Product labels may contain important safety information and the most recent product information provided by the product manufacturers should be carefully reviewed prior to use to verify the dose, administration, and contraindications. National, state, and local laws may vary regarding the use and application of many of the therapies discussed. The reader assumes the risk of any injuries. The authors and publishers, their affiliates and assigns are not liable for any injury and/or damage to persons arising from this protocol and expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects resulting from the use of the information contained herein.