My Shingles Story

At first I thought it was a pimple. It started with a tiny bump close to my armpit with inflammation similar with to developing major pimple. I even apply a pimple cream on it but there was no effect. 

On a Thursday, I went out to jog but my route was different. I even did some abs workout in-between my laps around the Punggol Park. I went for another jog Saturday and the bump got even worse; it developed a rash which I suspected to be from an allergic reaction. I ate expired canned tuna that week and worked out in a park with a lot of trees. I consulted my dermatologist friend thru Messenger regarding my condition and she said it could be an allergic reaction. She told me to buy costicosteroid cream and antihistasmine tablets. These things are available over-the-counter so no biggie. 

The next day, I went to the pharmacy and bought the stuff. I was wearing tight dri-fit t-shirt that I normally wear when I go out for errands and the fabric would scratch through the rashes which made it worse. It appears to spread further down my armpit and on my arm. I applied the steroid cream but to no avail. Blisters started forming which should not be the case as the medications should make it better. 

It was Monday morning and my condition was getting worse. I started to develop the same rash on my back and my shoulder where the shoulder bag I carried the day before had scratched to my skin. I messaged Radj again informing her that my rashes are getting worse. I showed her the horrendous blisters around my armpit and my back. She concluded that I have Herpes zoster. She can prescribe me meds but because I need the paper prescription to buy the meds here, I need to see a physician. She told me a general practitioner here could correctly diagnose my condition – Shingles is very common, even a med student should know it. No need to see a specialist which was a relief because going to two doctors would be unfortunate as my condition was getting dreadful exponentially. I went to a Raffles GP and the consultation went well. Diagnosis was fast and the meds prescribed were as she listed: anti-viral drug and cream; Paracetamol and Etoricoxib for the pain; plus Sodium Permanganate solution as antiseptic. I was given 7 days sick leave. Given that the lunar holiday was within four days, the MC does not affect much of my work.

My wife asked my what causes shingles. I told her it is virus reactivated from the spine, like on Attack on Titan.

 

What is Shingles? 

Shingles sound familiar with drug ads when I was in the US. I don’t know what it is really, just that the drug is targeted for seniors. As I continue to read about it and watch Youtube videos on how to cope with it I learned that is caused by the same virus that gave me chicken pox when I was ten years old. The virus stays in the spinal cord and gets reactivated later in life. It is trigged by a weak immune system (hence the senior targeted market) or by stress. Young youtubers got it in their 20’s triggered by stress when they are taking an important test. It is characterized by the rash on one side of the body then it spreads. It is important that it has to be prevented to spread to the ears, face and the groin area because it could cause paralysis. The rash will develop blisters straight from a nightmare. I feel terribly bad for myself looking at my rashes. It looks like I got tiny popping bobbas growing on my armpit. It was hideous. Something I am not really proud of. Looking back that I have to take pictures of it to show to a friend was an all-time low even though she is a professional. 

The pain it causes was brutal. It targets the nerves that cause the pain. I was lucky enough to be able to have it diagnosed a bit early in its course but it was really unbearable. Sleeping was difficult as one side of my body is excruciatingly painful. At first I thought that 7 days leave was too much but during its course I was actually thinking I need more time to recover. The five days’ worth of meds also seemed insufficient at one point. I thought I can work or do anything with the days I stay home but I was wrong. I have to deal with the pain all the time. Postherpetic neuralgia is also tough. I got episodes of stinging pain even days after I recovered. 

Treatment and How to Deal

Because it is viral, I had to be isolated from the other people I lived with. They say that it can only be infectious from the water coming out of the blisters but being extra careful is better. Having a viral disease like this means you just have to wait for it to run its course, like a week then wait for the blisters to dry. Mine got all dried up on the 8th day from when I started taking medication. When I started to work out again, the pain on my arm and my chest was still there. I think I was totally free from it by the third week aside from the nasty scars that I hope would soon get better. I wear tight clothes only or the tank tops I wear at home. The rashes need not to be touched by any fabric so loose cotton clothing needs to be worn. I wear Small and I only got two medium sized t-shirts on my closet so I had to wash the one I wore on the day so I got time for it to dry. I also took the next week off from work after the MC expired because I was not able to wear any of my work clothes. 

I needed to boost my immune system, drink plenty of liquids and eat a lot(I was taking meds 4 times a day). The anti-inflammatory drug was labeled to cause gastric issues which would be awful if I experience that too. Luckily it was the Chinese New Year so we got piled with a bunch of fruits and other foods. My snack at one time was carrot sticks. I got to eat healthy stuff only. I watched somewhere that turmeric helped her so I tried it too. Turmeric also helped with my chronic acid reflux which was serendipitous. I got my other stress related problem taken care of and I could skip my daily PPI meds.  

Aftermath 

Shingles is not familiar to many. I have to explain to a lot of people about my condition; people from work, family and friends. I hope I will not have to experience this again but if I do, I will be ready to face it. The turmeric thing is awesome and I still continue to brew my tea straight from the root. I put aloe vera on the scars hoping it will get better.