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What Shingles Symptoms Are And How To Deal With Them

By Pamela Wilson


Shingles is the herpes zoster virus, which is a slightly mutated form of chicken pox that is particularly prevalent among the aging demographic. For seniors, the development of this issue can be quite serious. Not only can it spread, the discomfort that it causes can result in other, serious health issues. Following are several common shingles symptoms along with tips on what to do about them.

It is often hard to identify the early symptoms of this illness. As an example, you will usually feel very fatigued and your glands or lymph nodes may start to swell. This means that your body is doing its best to fight the infection off, even before it manifests outwardly.

During the progression of this illness, local pain and tingling might occur. This is usually termed as nerve pain and it is a sign of a forthcoming shingles eruption. This is often followed by the development of a rash that looks like an apron around the abdomen. If you have tingles on the skin of your belly, it could mean that an outbreak is on the horizon.

When you have developed the actual rash, this is going to be painful, red and raised. Given that it is a form of the chicken pox virus, it is going to be exceedingly itchy as well. Although you may have had chicken pox before or you may have been vaccinated against shingles, you can still get it. Vaccinations remain, however, a very worthwhile, preventative measure.

Some people develop this rash on their faces. Not only is this unattractive and incredibly uncomfortable, but there is also the risk of having it spread to the hairline and eyes. When this happens, serious problems can ensue. This is why it is important for all people who suffer from this issue to seek treatment right away.

Much like any other virus, it cannot be cured. Your doctor, however, can still prescribe a number of effective medications for suppressing it. This is going to shorten the duration of the outbreak and its severity so that you have less pain and for a shorter amount of time. Suppressing medications can also prevent the spread of the rash to protect the eyes. Remember, you should not scratch your itchy skin. Beyond resulting in the spread of problems, this can also leave you vulnerable to secondary skin infections.

Seniors should understand that the pain of this illness can have a very negative impact on their blood pressure levels. This is all the more important to bear in mind if you have heart disease or have been diagnosed with hypertension. Getting timely medical care will reduce the secondary effects of this illness while protecting your general health.

This is by far, one of the most painful problems that aging adults can contend with. It often develops when the immune system is not functioning at optimum levels or when people are stressed out. If you experience symptoms like these and have an itchy, painful rash develop on your abdomen, neck or face, be sure to talk with your doctor right away in order to receive the proper treatment and care.




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