Shingles.

Warning: Not an exciting post, but wanted to document this.

So a week ago Monday i was diagnosed with shingles. I was having some serious pain in my back and almost made Dustin take me to the hospital, well i didn't and just kept trying to ignore it. I kept saying it feels like im having a heart attack, not that i know what that feels like. But i guess that is what a lot of people say it feels like. Well then the pain i was feeling in my back started to move to my side then to the bottom of my breast. It hurt to even just touch softly with my finger. Well then like with in a week all the area where it hurt turned numb, including my breast. I kinda freaked out and googled what it could be ( don't ever google symptoms) almost every answer it said was cancer. Well i finally called my ob and told them my symptoms, and that i was concerned about it being with my girly parts:) well the nurse called me right back and said that my ob was sure it was shingles and to get to a regular Dr. cause they did not want me coming in there cause it's really dangerous to pregnant women. So i made an apt. and as soon as the Dr. saw it he said yep that's shingles. So i have been on an antibiotic for over a week now, and luckily mine never turned all the way to blisters. I guess that's when they are super contagious. But the Dr. said that some patients never get their feeling back!!

The migraines have been the worst part i think, besides the pain and itching:)

The reason the Dr. thinks i got it is cause i guess if you get chickenpox the virus always stays in your body and if you are ever really stressed or sick it can come back, well about 2 weeks before i was pretty sure i had walking ammonia so he thinks that could be why.

Symptoms:

When the virus that causes chickenpox reactivates, it causes shingles. Early symptoms of shingles include headache, sensitivity to light, and flu-like symptoms without a fever. You may then feel itching, tingling, or pain where a band, strip, or small area of rash may appear several days or weeks later. A rash can appear anywhere on the body but will be on only one side of the body, the left or right. The rash will first form blisters, then scab over, and finally clear up over a few weeks. This band of pain and rash is the clearest sign of shingles.
The rash caused by shingles is more painful than itchy. The nerve roots that supply sensation to your skin run in pathways on each side of your body. When the virus becomes reactivated, it travels up the nerve roots to the area of skin supplied by those specific nerve roots. This is why the rash can wrap around either the left or right side of your body, usually from the middle of your back toward your chest. It can also appear on your face around one eye. It is possible to have more than one area of rash on your body.
Shingles develops in stagesProdromal stage (before the rash appears)
Pain, burning, tickling, tingling, and/or numbness occurs in the area around the affected nerves several days or weeks before a rash appears. The discomfort usually occurs on the chest or back, but it may occur on the belly, head, face, neck, or one arm or leg.
Flu-like symptoms (usually without a fever), such as chills, stomachache, or diarrhea, may develop just before or along with the start of the rash.
Swelling and tenderness of the lymph nodes may occur.
Active stage (rash and blisters appear)
A band, strip, or small area of rash appears. It can appear anywhere on the body but will be on only one side of the body, the left or right. Blisters will form. Fluid inside the blisters is clear at first but may become cloudy after 3 to 4 days. A few people won't get a rash, or the rash will be mild.
A rash may occur on the forehead, cheek, nose, and around one eye (ophthalmicus ), which may threaten your sight unless you get prompt treatment.
Pain, described as "piercing needles in the skin," may occur along with the skin rash.
Blisters may break open, ooze, and crust over in about 5 days. The rash heals in about 2 to 4 weeks, although some scars may remain.
Postherpetic neuralgia (chronic pain stage)
Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication of shingles. It lasts for at least 30 days and may continue for months or years. Symptoms are:
Aching, burning, stabbing pain in the area of the earlier shingles rash.
Persistent pain that may linger for years.
Extreme sensitivity to touch.
The pain associated with PHN most commonly affects the forehead or chest. This pain may make it difficult for the person to eat, sleep, and do daily activities. It may also lead to depression.
Shingles may be confused with other conditions that cause similar symptoms. The rash from shingles may be mistaken for an infection from herpes simplex virus (HSV), poison oak or ivy, impetigo, or scabies. The pain from PHN may feel like appendicitis, a heart attack, ulcers, or migraine headaches.