Chicken Pox the Sequel (Shingles)

[ACooper]

I know we have a variety of people here. Medical peeps, doctors, nurses, and people with all types of experience that I would like to draw from.

Friday I went to the Dr. with numbing sensations on the left side of my face. They diagnosed me with having Shingles..........Herpes Zoster, or reactivated varicella virus .........or as I am calling it.......Chicken Pox The Sequel. It is on my face, and therefore more serious??

As of right now, I am on a strong anti-viral called Acyclovir. I take one 800mg pill 5 times a day.

I am going to describe what I am going through, and would like to hear from people who've had it, or medical people who've dealt with it.

I keep hearing that it is quite painful, but as of yet I am in no pain at all. I have 2 "pox" (bumps) on my face, and a handful more on my chest just below my neck.

I am experiencing extreme numbing on the left side of my face. This is across my left cheekbone, up the left side of my nose, under and above my eye, across the top left of my lips, all the way into my hairline stopping at the crown. Again, all this is ONLY on the left side.........I mean it stops right at the part in my hair and travels an imaginary part down my face.

Does this sound "normal" to any of you who know anything about the disease? I am having doubts that I have been properly diagnosed. I have a follow up Monday to see how I am doing and really want to go armed with questions/knowledge.

Thanks in advance to any and all.

 

[mjb]

I am not the knowledgeable person that you really want a reply from. My husband has had it. It was on his chest, and it traveled from his chest to his back all on the same side. It never went on the other side at all. He did have pain, and he just generally didn't feel good.

I have a friend whose nephew recently was in the hospital. He was diagnosed with shingles, but he was in the hospital because of the symptoms before he was diagnosed. He's in his early 30's, and he was having severe headache and what he thought was some kind of bug bite. I don't know if he experienced numbness, but it seems that they were ruling out a stroke, so maybe he did have numbness......plus the severe headache.

This nephew was telling us that the doctors said the chicken pox virus is dormant in your body at a nerve ending?? and, if he ever gets it again, it will be in the same place, the same nerve ending. I think I got that right. Someone can certainly correct me.

It does sound like shingles is certainly a possibility with your symptoms.

I hope someone with personal experience or medical expertise jumps on!!

 

[jess2416]

Hope you feel better soon

 

[Baxter'smybaby]

shingles travel along a nerve. So yes, it would be possible for it to be only one side of your face feeling the effects. I have heard different descriptors of the pain--some refer to it as annoying like feeling a bug landing on you--to real enveloping pain. I think it depends on you and where it is.
Someone I work with had shingles by her eye--twice! Very rare to have it twice. Meds cleared it up quickly.
Hope you feel better soon!

 

[GreenFireflyGirl]

Shingles is ALWAYS on one side only, never bilateral, that's one of the diagnostic features of it. It travels along a nerve pathway, and can be painful, yes, but the numbness you are feeling is also a manifestation of the illness. You're lucky you only have a couple of spots, some people get more than that, so with the medication, it seems like you are having a pretty mild case.

Bear in mind that you can give someone chickenpox while you have shingles, so stay away from unvaccinated little ones until your blisters stop weeping. You can't give someone shingles though, they have to have had chickenpox before, and you don't "catch" shingles, it's just a reactivation of the virus you had before.

 

[wcladymacbeth]

^ what she said

Since you're being treated for it and seemed to have caught it early (I assume), you probably won't have this, but a lot of times shingles can hurt long after the vesicles are actually gone. I'm glad you have mostly numbing and no pain Shingles can hurt like a b!tch from what I've seen.

 

[ACooper]

Thanks ladies

I have something else to report! This morning when I got up, all the bumps that were on my chest have disappeared. I don't mean crusted over or reduced swelling...........I mean they are gone!

Not only that, now my RIGHT leg (from my rear down to my toes) is starting to be tingly and numb feeling. So my left face and now my right leg?????? From the links I've read online, and the things you've said here, that is VERY bizarre! One link said it wasn't unheard of for it to attack both sides, but very rare. But the chest bumps have gone

I am just so worried that they didn't get the diagnosis right and while I am waiting for my follow up things are getting worse for whatever it is