Shingles

A question about : Shingles

This quite bizarre. Exactly one year ago I developed Shingles and again this year it has cropped up (in the same week). Maybe I'm allergic to February or something! Has anybody else had it twice?

Best answers:

• shingles can reappear any number of times,
  Shingles is a reappearence of the chickenpox virus which stays in your body after you have had chickenpox (usually harmlessly)
  it can be reactivated and appear as shingles, usually in the elderly or people who are rundown and/or suffering other health problems.
  because the virus lodges on a nerve to one side of the spine the pattern of the shingles rash follows that nerve pathway and will only be on one side of the body.
• Thanks glad
  I knew that the pain could crop up at times after Shingles but I really hadn't expected to get the full blown thing again with the rash / blisters - not to mention feeling rotten! Maybe it's got something to do with my 60th cropping up soon
• Thanks Ted. I think you're right. My immune system is not good - have had serious illness in the past (cancer) and although clear now it has left its legacy. Have also been under stacks of stress in the last few years. I'm really trying to sort myself out (both financially and physically). Having a sense of humour helps - so does this site and everyone's help.
  Thank you.
• Very sorry - didn't mean to cause any hassle
• jaybee i hesitated to post on this thread at first as did not want to say something wrong to be honest. my mum suffered for it countinually for months and months to the point that they had sent her to see a blood specialist to work out what was wrong.6 months later she was diagnosed with lung cancer(which is usually not detected to a late stage) and the blood specialist phoned her and said now they knew wot it was they would see her when she went for her next hospital appointment. wot i would say if it starts happening too frequently it may be worth having a word with your doctor to make sure.
  lastly keep smiling
  regards
  foxy
• Hi Jaybee
  This might help:
  https://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.asp?T...24&LinkID=3399
  but as this is your second infection I would suggest you need to talk to your GP.
  Best wishes
  Jay