You get shingles and it causes you severe pain and you wanna know What not to do when you have shingles? We got you. Shingles1 can cause you so much pain and can give you an uncomfortable experience. Doctors say if you had chickenpox in your childhood that is because a virus named varicella-zoster has come into your body and it doesn’t die once it’s there after a few years this virus can grow and you can have shingles as a result.
The virus Shingles have another name which is called herpes zoster. If you get early treatment and proper care, you’ll be able to get rid of this annoying virus.
Today, we will discuss what not, what things and foods you need to prevent shingles and its painful rash, and many more. So that you can prevent worsening the symptoms of it and can have a faster recovery. In addition, we will provide you with some tips and tricks to get relief from pain and the discomfort it gives you.
So without wasting any further time let’s get into this topic and ensure you get the needed knowledge so that you can navigate this challenging condition quickly.
1. What is Shingles Disease?
Before getting into what to do and what not to do, let’s talk about what shingles are. Varicella zoster is the virus that causes it.
When a person gets chickenpox, this virus doesn’t leave their body and when it becomes active again it is called shingles.
2. Shingles (Herpes Zoster) Symptoms
2.1. Shingles Rash
• The first symptoms you can see of shingles are rashes all over your body that cause pain.
• The rash usually looks like a band or stripe of red thing on your body, that fluid filled with blisters on your body or your face.
• Red stripes you get on your body you’ll feel so uncomfortable in those areas.
2.2. Severe Pain
• Shingles often cause a lot of pain.
• Usually you will feel pain in those red areas.
• You will have a burning sensation in those red areas.
2.3. Weakened Immune System
• If you have a weak immune system2 and had chickenpox in your childhood, there’s a lot of chance that you can have shingles
• Once your immune system is compromised, varicella-zoster virus, reactivates itself and causes you this disease.
• As a result, a weakened immune system can cause you more severe prolonged shingles symptoms.
2.4. Fluid-Filled Blisters
• As shingles blisters rash progresses on your body, it takes the form of clusters of fluid-filled blisters.
• These blisters can cause so much pain even when you try to touch them.
• As time passes, blisters burst and get crust over, which turns into scab formation.
3. What not to do When you Have Shingles?
When you get shingles pain it is so important to know what not to do if you wanna avoid worsening symptoms.
Here are some steps you can follow to prevent this disease:
3.1. Avoid Self Diagnosis
• It is very important for you to consult a healthcare professional if you really wanna get rid of the diagnosis of shingles.
• If you try to self-diagnose, you may get confused about what you really wanna do and it can make it worse.
• It is important to go and see a doctor and take advice from them as soon as you see early symptoms like pain, redness, or a rash.
3.2. Do Not Scratch the Rash on your Body
• If you ever try to scratch those red areas on your body, it will increase the risk of bacterial infection and it will slow down its healing process.
• It is very important to clean the affected area and red rash and avoid any action that can irritate it or damage the skin.
3.3. Avoid Weakening Your Immune System
• Try to maintain a healthy immune system is very important when you are dealing with shingles.
• Avoid things that can weaken your immune system, such as avoiding stress, poor nutrition, lack of sleep, and unhealthy habits like smoking and consumption of alcohol.
3.4. Don’t Ever Neglect Postherpetic Neuralgia Symptoms of Shingles
• Postherpetic Neuralgia3 is not a very common complication of shingles, it creates its place by persistent pain even after the red rash has healed. It is crucial to do a search or something before it spreads more.
• If you feel or experience ongoing pain, immediately Consult a healthcare professional for the right management options and treatment.
3.5. Avoid body contact with people
• Please avoid any kind of contact with a woman who is pregnant, people who have weak immune systems, and those people who have not had chickenpox in their life and its vaccine.
• Shingles can be infectious to people who never had chickenpox.
4. Foods to Avoid When You Have Shingles
Yes, there are some types of foods you need to avoid if you wanna get rid of shingles. We are mentioning them here:
4.1. Spicy Foods
Spicy food can worsen your skin rash that is caused by shingles.
We will recommend you avoid foods like hot pepper, Spicy sauces, and chili powder.
We understand in this era of fast food it is difficult to avoid these things but you need to get rid of shingles.
4.2. Acidic Foods
Acidic foods can trigger the symptoms and can upset your stomach, which can make it even more difficult to deal with shingles. Here are some acid foods you’ll need to avoid such as citrus fruits, vinegar, and tomatoes.
4.3. Sugary Foods
Doctors say that high-sugar food weakens our immune system and makes the healing process slow.
You should limit taking sugar at high levels like soda, candy, pastries, and many more.
4.4. Processed Foods
When a natural food goes through any unnatural process it is called processed food. It is so much unhealthy and has a lot of fats, sodium, and artificial additives. It can impact overall your health. Consider having fresh food and avoiding foods such as packaged food, frozen meals, and fast food.
4.5. Alcohol
Not just for shingles as you know alcohol is dangerous for even a normal body. It weakens our immune system and as you know it can be irritating if you have shingles.
We recommend that it is better to avoid alcohol while you are dealing with shingles.
5. You Can Have Shingles Vaccine to Get Rid of it
Yes, there is a shingles vaccine4 available for people who have this disease. The shingles vaccine protects you from getting more complicated shingles.
Getting Vaccinated is a very important step you have to take to protect yourself from getting into any trouble. The shingles vaccine helps your body to decrease the severity and duration of the shingles rash.
It can reduce your pain. If you are 50 years or older it is a must to take this vaccine as you are at higher risk of developing shingles.
Final Words
In conclusion, shingles are a disease that can disturb you for a long time. From symptoms to vaccines, we discussed almost everything about shingles. You need to take action immediately as soon as you notice any symptoms of this crucial disease.
Taking professional advice is a must for you to do it. However, shingles is not a kind of disease that cannot be treated but if you ignore any symptoms it can get worse for you to deal with.
We also mentioned the food you need to avoid and many more. So follow the steps mentioned above and have a great and healthy life!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What foods are good if I have shingles?
Well, there are several foods you can eat when you have shingles. Consuming well-balanced meals will be very good for you and your health in shingles.
Try to eat nutrients as much as you can. You can eat food like fruits and vegetables.
You can also contact healthcare and ask a dier from them that will give you more detailed information about what you can eat.
Q2. Is there any time in which shingles get cured?
The duration shingles can be in your body is definitely for everyone. In general, the shingles rash and other symptoms take a few weeks to heal.
However, it is important to know that the healing process can be influenced by different factors, including your health, immune system response, and how much infection you have of it.
Q3. Can shingles reduce weight?
Usually, shingles directly never reduce your weight. We could say that the symptoms and effects of shingles can indirectly contribute to weight loss. Weak immunity and general discomfort can cause weight loss.
It is also important to keep in mind that if you get weight loss because of shingles will recover as soon as your skin heals and get rid of shingles.
If it didn’t, there might be another issue you are having. Consult your doctor ASAP.
Q4. Is shingles a serious disease?
Yes, we could say that shingles are a serious disease because it causes a painful rash that can give you blisters on your body. It can also affect the other areas of your body.
Hopefully, there’s a vaccine available for this disease and it can be cute if treated well.
- Glynn, C., et al. “Epidemiology of shingles.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 83.10 (1990): 617-619. ↩︎
- McGill, Natalie. “Shingles: Painful but preventable illness.” (2014): 28-28. ↩︎
- Stankus, Seth John, Michael Dlugopolski, and Deborah Packer. “Management of herpes zoster (shingles) and postherpetic neuralgia.” American family physician 61.8 (2000): 2437-2444. ↩︎
- Willison, C. Beau, et al. “Shingles vaccine.” Expert opinion on biological therapy 10.4 (2010): 631-638. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Namrata
