Feb. 2--When Lydie Boone got a case of shingles, she rated the pain level at the maximum "10" on a scale of 1-to-10.
Lyllis Shrewsberry called the pain excruciating.
Dr. Patrick Gipe, who practices at Bluegrass Internal Medicine, said the name "shingles" doesn't convey the severity of the condition. Perhaps "Skin Daggers" might do it justice since it affects the nerve endings in specific locations.
"Shingles is a re-activation of the same virus that caused chicken pox when you were a child," Gipe said. "That virus goes dormant in the nerves, and then certain things can activate it.
"We believe it's usually due to some sort of physical stress or prior infection, but oftentimes, it can be somewhat random, and the preceding reason is not known."
Shingles mostly affects people age 60 years old and up, but it's not exclusive to that age group.
Shrewsberry got shingles about 10 years ago at age 50. It presented itself on the left side of her face, from the nose to the corner of her eye. It began with a rash that burned, itched and throbbed. She thought it was an allergy, or something stress-related, since she was driving to Murray regularly to care for her ailing mother.
"I was busy," said Shrewsberry, who didn't immediately consult her physician. "I thought it was a rash and it would go away. I didn't know very much about shingles. It never entered my mind."
Gipe said people should quickly seek medical attention if they notice a tingling sensation or rash on the back, arms, legs, trunk or face.
"There are treatments that can help speed along the (condition's) course and decrease the time of rash and pain," Gipe said. "The longer they go without diagnosis, the less-effective the treatment."
The rash is typically gone within a week, but the affected area may continue to hurt -- called postherpetic neuralgia, or chronic pain stage -- for weeks, months or, in some cases, years.
"It was like a shooting electric bolt in my back," said Boone, who got shingles 10 years ago at age 45. "It would ease and then come back every hour or so."
Shrewsberry said it took "several months" for her burning and pain to go away. Now it flares up about twice a year, although not as badly as the initial onset. A "crawling" feeling runs through her face and scalp, and there's swelling.
"People don't hear a lot about it (in the media), but it comes from word of mouth," Gipe said. "If you've seen someone who's had a bad case of shingles, you sure don't want it."
There are about a million new cases of shingles every year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A vaccination is available for people age 60 and up who have not yet presented symptoms. The vaccination may prevent shingles, but for those who still get shingles, it can decrease the chance of having significant pain, or the chance of postherpetic neuralgia, Gipe said.
Rich Suwanski, 691-7315, rsuwanski@messenger-inquirer.com
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