Breaking down SHINGLES
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS PAINFUL AND DEBILITATING VIRUS
Ivividly remember taking the call from my mum… “Jana, I am having a heart attack, the pain takes my breath away and radiates to my right armpit.” I was instantly worried as my mother complains of nothing. I was, however, relieved to hear she felt the pain was on the right side of her body, which made it less likely to be a myocardial infarction (heart attack).
After further probing, she revealed she also had a skin rash in the same region that the pain was occurring and it was itchy and blistering. It sounded like textbook shingles. I persuaded her to see her family doctor.
Of course, Mum’s first fear was that she was contagious to me, heavily pregnant with my twins. Her second question was, “Who gave it to me?” Her lack of knowledge around this illness that affects almost one in three adults in their lifetime inspired this column.
Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. Once you have had chicken pox, the virus lies dormant in your body and can be reactivated to become shingles. Up to 99.5 per cent of adults 50 and over carry this virus.
The first myth buster is how you acquire it. Shingles is only contagious to someone who has not previously had chicken pox. So,
I could be around and support my mother with no concerns to my unborn babies. Secondly, this also means Mum didn’t ‘catch it’ from anyone, she already had the virus and it reactivated in her body, which is more common for people over the age of 50.
It was heartbreaking to watch her in agony for more than six weeks! She reported the pain waxed and waned but never let her sleep, like a bad “sunburn” that also had “sharp and shooting” aspects to it. She couldn’t leave the house, as wearing any clothes that brushed against the area caused great pain. For those without support this would be very isolating.
So, what can we do? The best thing is to spread the word about what shingles is and break the myths around how it’s contracted. We need people to be aware of how common it is and what the symptoms are. If you get signs of shingles, get to your local doctor to discuss treatment options. Arm yourself with information!