Shingle Lady

[Seshat]

Shingles are contagious?!

If it forms blisters, the liquid from the blisters is the most contagious aspect.

If yours didn't form blisters, you (probably) weren't contagious. But your doctor should have warned you, IMO.

[manybellsdown]

It's contagious, yes. But only if you have not had chicken pox. You can only get chicken pox from shingles.

Shingles is the chickenpox virus flaring up again in your body. I got mine in my EYE which was horrible, but weirdly I did not ever get a rash. Which actually makes sense when you consider that I never had any rash that could be diagnosed as chicken pox, either.

[Iseeyouthere]

She's a Shingle Lady, she's a Shingle Lady.
She's a Shingle Lady, she's a Shingle Lady
She's a Shingle Lady, she's a Shingle Lady
She's a Shingle Lady.

'Cause if you got a rash, then put some cream on it.
If you got a rash, then put some cream on it.
Don't be mad once you see that you got it
If you got a rash, then put some cream on it.
Oh, oh, oh

[protege]

:spew;

Son of a bitch! But, at least I'm not the only person who was thinking of that song!

[workerbee222]

I had shingles.

When I started to describe the symptoms to my doctor, she actually rubbed her hands together murmuring, "It's classic! Classic symptoms!" I said No, only old people get shingles. I was 45, and not then a very good diagnostician.

I have to say, it hurt like a son-of-a-gun, and I didn't have much of a rash. I was sick for 5 weeks. Fortunately, I had been laid off from my job, so I could lie around in bed all day. I wouldn't have had the energy to talk with anyone, let alone shop for anything but the bare necessities: four hours after I got up in the morning, I was ready for a nap.

It was pure hell, I hope to never be that sick again.

Anti-viral meds need to be administered within 72 hours of the onset of the symptoms. Patients should stay away from immune-suppressed people. (Mine was triggered by contact from another patient, while I was really stressed and worn out from some unhappy events: my Mom came and spent a day with me during my illness, and a few days later, SHE developed shingles)

I commented to a nurse that the chicken pox vaccine must mean a generation of people without the threat of shingles. She said, Not so! It's a live virus, which will remain in their bodies and could produce shingles later in life, even if they never had chicken pox.

[manybellsdown]

I feel you Workerbee. My husband said he thinks I'd rather have a leg amputated than go through that again. After I'd recovered I looked it up and discovered that I could very well have gone blind having it in my eye. I still have the neuralgia above that eye two years later.

[tropicsgoddess]

Somebody really has fucked up priorities. Got a serious illness...take you ass to the hospital! NOT fucking shop then bitch about it to the clerk and manager and go to the hospital!

[evileatinggrasshopper]

I had shingles once (at age 23). I'm pretty sure exam stress weakened my immune system. It was the classic back blisters. They never oozed or were painful. Itchy as hell though. I wasn't worried about infecting people since I wasn't planning on rubbing my bare back against anyone, but I did post-pone a visit to see my friend's newborn daughter because I didn't want to take any risks with a baby's immune system.

[Gravekeeper]

She's a Shingle Lady, she's a Shingle Lady.

First thing that lept to mind at the topic. Glad to see I'm not the only one. >.>

[teh_blumchenkinder]

First thing that lept to mind at the topic. Glad to see I'm not the only one. >.>

Nope!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY
...(wow the cinematography's actually kinda classy... the vid, everything but the blatant hip grinding...)

My mom got shingles a year or two ago, she's between 45-50, generally good health (seasonal hay fever, arthritis in one knee, minor stuff like that), but it didn't present itself in the usual fashion: she was scratching her head, right where the spine meets the hairline back there... and WANGGG~ [lame, bionic-man-esque sound effect, per her orders] something got tweaked, and it hurt, so, so much... she had a headache for days, couldn't stand up for being dizzy, very bad... she went in, the doc looked back there, poked her a bit, and told her it was shingles; and the thing was right on a major nerve cluster on her head! it went away, and afaik, she never had oozy blisters, nor was she told to quarantine herself.
I am so not a doctor it's not even funny. That diagnosis makes little sense...
EDIT: ... does anyone do those hair-bumpy thing style anymore...? it's rarely done the way I like...

[dragon_wings]

My brother and I both both had chicken pox when little then my brother got shingles around middle school age. Idk what happened and whether he was quarantined.

[Sapphire Silk]

I went to the doctor. He told me it was shingles and that it usually affects older people (I was only 18-19) and that if it wasn't bugging me not to worry about it and it would go away on its own. He never said I could potentially have infected everyone around me. I didn't take any time off work or anything.

He should have mentioned it, but the only people you could have infected were people who never had chicken pox (which is dangerous in adults and pregnancy).

Many people suffer with shingles, but are seldom hospitalized for it.

The SC was just being a bitch. I'm not convinced she even had an active case of shingles; I think she was trying to get a rise out of the OP who was doing his best to ignore her.