My Shinga-Linga-Ding-Dong Time

It started as a rash on my back, right under my bra line - a long rectangluar patch of blistery bumps that resembled a brush with poison wood. Naive to think it could be anything serious, I made an appointment later in the week to see a dermatologist for what I thought could have been a possible skin allergy - maybe a change in my laundry detergent?

I stopped by my Mom's on the way to the grocery store to switch back to my old detergent. "Mary, I think you have shingles." Wait a minute... isn't that something like herpes? I thought about reports of shingles I'd heard over the years... older people get it, stress can bring it on, and it can be very painful.

Mom's handy medical reference dictionary gave us more info - shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox - the varicella zoster virus. The virus lies dormant in the nerves around the spine for decades and outbreaks can occur as people age and the immune system weakens.

Approximately 15 to 30 percent of people who had chicken pox experience shingles later in life. It can be contagious during the outbreak, but you can't give someone shingles if they've had the chicken pox - but anyone who's never had the chicken pox is at risk.

Still thinking it to be more of a skin irritation, I casually asked the pharmacist at the grocery store if there was any kind of topical treatment that could stem the outbreak of the itchy blisters until my appointment - 2 days later. He advised me to call a doctor - immediately - not to wait at all if I was pretty sure about Mom's diagnosis.

I started a course of "V-squared" that night - Valtrex (yes, the one that's advertised for genital herpes) and Vicoden for the deep pain associated with the outbreak - not unlike being beaten with a tire iron. My doctor confirmed Mom's diagnosis the next day - and shared photos of some serious outbreaks of the shingles. In the worst cases, complications can include severe scarring and even vision and hearing loss.

Seems I was lucky with my outbreak - I had a good 'doctor mom', a conscientious pharmacist, and a family doc who promptly returns his pages. A missed diagnosis or delay in treatment could have led to a serious outbreak followed by a very painful condition called postherpetic neuralgia, an after-pain that can last longer than 6 months.

On the recovered side of my outbreak, I discovered that there is now a vaccine to prevent shingles and an FDA panel has just recommended vacination for adults over 60. Released by Merck & Company in May of this year, Zostavax is a more potent version of the vaccine created for the chicken pox.

With such a recommendation, more insurance companies will be added to the list of those that will cover the somewhat costly vaccine at $160 a pop.

Now that I've experienced it, and feeling as though I dodged a bullet, I may not wait until I hit 60 to investigate further. The "V-squared" meds ran me the same for treatment and I was stuck at home for over a week to prevent exposing others to chicken pox.

All things considered, the vaccine is certainly something to look into for prevention of an outbreak of the Shingles.

More info:

FDA Panel Recommends Shingles Vaccine