can a very mild case of chickenpox in childhood lead to bad case of shingles later in

[bruce587]

can an extremely mild case of chickenpox in childhood lead to a very bad case of shingles later in life because your system did not have to create much immunity to chickenpox?

[Sissy92]

I don't know if I can help with this or not. Do you presently have shingles? I do & it is bad. I have rash from my tail bone down to my knee on the right side. I recently broke my pelvis (Osteoporosis related) & the pain mimics the pain with this. I have pain so bad I can't walk a lot and shooting pain thru my groin area. I was put on acyclovir which is causing me more side effects than benefit I believe. Went to the ER last Fri. night & put on it then & 7 days later the rash is no better, maybe a bit lighter but the pain is still horrible. My stomach is all wacked up, have diahrrea everytime I take a dose of acyclovir and am unable to eat much, nausea!!! Report back if you are having a bout with shingles. S

[bruce587]

sissy,

Sorry you are experiencing a bad case of shingles. I'm in week eight of my outbreak, but it has been somewhat different than most in that my main lingering symptom is rib pain and nausea. The initial rash was not very large and disappeared after about two weeks. I had some sensitivity and pain, but nothing extreme like you are experiencing. I took Valtrex for a week after the rash appeared, but that is when the nausea started, so don't know if that contributed to the nausea. I still don't feel normal; am weak, but may finally be getting better. I have days here and there where the nausea subsides and the rib pain is decreasing. I know I had a very mild case of chickenpox when young and am thinking this may be why this virus has been so hard for me to subdue, but have not read that there is any connection. One thing I can tell you: the medical community doesn't really know much about this illness. I have found more useful information about shingles on these forum sites, where people discuss their symptoms, etc. Much of what I have read from traditional medical sites leads one to believe that shingles is no big deal and will usually go away on its own after a couple of weeks.

sorry I can't help you more, but hang in there and do not try to do too much. Get rest and take it easy so your system can recuperate.

B

[Sissy92]

Thanks for responding back re: your current situation w/shingles. It does sound as if your shingles are more mild which could be related to your chiken-pox being a mild case. I'll get better I'm sure, I've just had a lot of medical issues this past year. Hang tough and feel good. GOD BLESS AMERICA

[BlondieLJ]

Yes it can. None of my family remembers me ever having had the chickenpox as a child but in my 20's I developed shingles and my doctor told me that I had to have had chickenpox as a child. When I told him that no one in my family remembers me having it he said it could have been a very mild case. I was fortunate, they put me on medication early enough that my outbreak, though very painful did not last too long. (too long for me!)