Comment from a 65 year old nurse who came in today with a painful case of shingles on her abdomen:
I could kick myself for not getting the shingles shot. This after spending 4 and 1/2 hours in the ER two days ago with the pain that preceded the outbreak. She got a CT scan, an ultrasound, many exams, and a raft of bloodwork looking for other causes for the pain.
While people are getting more and more familiar with the patchy, one-sided, blistered skin associated with an outbreak of shingles, many patients don't realize that severe pain is often the first sign of the disease and can predate the rash by several days.
For more information on shingles, see
The shingles shot.
I could kick myself for not getting the shingles shot.
This after spending 4 and 1/2 hours in the ER two days ago with the pain that preceded the outbreak. She got a CT scan, an ultrasound, many exams, and a raft of bloodwork looking for other causes for the pain.
While people are getting more and more familiar with the patchy, one-sided, blistered skin associated with an outbreak of shingles, many patients don't realize that severe pain is often the first sign of the disease and can predate the rash by several days.
For more information on shingles, see The shingles shot.