What are the typical symptoms/signs of Shingles?
The first sign of shingles is often burning pain, itchiness, or numbness in one location, usually on only one side of the body. This is one of the primary differences between chicken pox and shingles as chicken pox usually spreads all over the body. After 3-5 days, a rash of fluid-filled blisters, similar to chickenpox, may appear. Within 14 days, the blisters fill with pus and then form a scab. After this point, they no longer contain the virus. The rash usually goes away in about 3 to 5 weeks, but the pain may persist longer than that. Why are they so painful? Shingles can make you very uncomfortable because of virus association with the nerves. Additionally, some people develop a more severe complication from shingles and experience intense pain even after the blisters are gone. This condition is called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), and can result in a pain that is very difficult to cope with. The pain from PHN may last for months, and even years. Are shingles contagious? Yes, but o
