Two weeks ago, while watching our two grandsons, my right elbow started to hurt just a bit and I thought it was from doing a lot of grandson lifting. Then it felt itchy, which I figured was due to my horribly dry skin. The pain and itching increased over the next couple of days, which I tried to ignore as I went about my business. Then I got a hideous looking rash around my elbow with raised bumps that looked inflamed. But it was “just a rash” so instead of calling the doctor right away, I went to the internet and diagnosed myself with psoriasis (or possibly psoriatic arthritis since I do have rheumatoid arthritis), went to the store, and picked up some cream which I thought would help dry it up and make it feel better. By the end of the day I felt like screaming because it felt like my arm was on fire and pain was shooting down my arm. When my husband tried to put the cream on, it literally made me cry…and I have a high tolerance for pain. I couldn’t get in to my doctor the next day so I went to The Little Clinic at King Soopers, which I have to say, was a pleasant experience , under the circumstances.
My rash turned out to be shingles, which I thought only “old” people got. So, if in some way, I can help someone else though my own experience, well, it won’t have been worth it but I’m willing to share. If you are 60 or older, you should really consider getting the shingles vaccine. I’m 50 so when I talked to my pharmacy about getting the shingles vaccine after this bout goes away, I found out I need to get a prescription for the vaccine, which I will. I do have a compromised immune system, which is why I got it at a younger age. (If you have a weak immune system to an illness or disease, you might want to check with your doctor about getting the vaccine). The CDC estimates that half of all people living until age 85 will develop shingles, and it’s estimated that there are 1 million cases each year.
Progression of shingles. A cluster of small bumps (1) turns into blisters (2) that resemble chickenpox lesions. The blisters fill with pus, break open (3), crust over (4), and finally disappear. This process takes four to five weeks. A painful condition called post-herpetic neuralgia can sometimes occur. This condition is thought to be caused by damage to the nerves (5), and can last from weeks to years after the rash disappears.
If you have a family member or friend age 60 or older, you might consider passing this information on to them….and perhaps save someone some pain down the road. Because let me tell you, the pain is horrible. There is not only the sensation of your body part being on fire, the nerve pain is excruciating. My shingles rash is on my elbow and back and I’m just grateful it didn’t spread to my face! It’s been two weeks now since the pain started and it hasn’t got any better. I’ve read that the nerve pain can stay with you for years but I’m hoping for weeks!
Now the majority of our readers are a lot younger than me so while this may not pertain to you specifically, again, this is info you can pass on to your mom or dad, grandmother or grandfather….Getting the shingles vaccine may cut their risk of getting shingles in half or reduce the severity of the pain if they do get shingles.