This is not meant to be a comprehensive article; if
you have any reason to think that you may have shingles, contact
your doctor. If you want more information on symptoms, and a
excellent guide to treatment that you can take to your GP, then go
to
http://www.shinglessupport.org/
All CLL patients have a damaged immune system. With
shingles, this means that you can get shingles more often, it can
spread through your body faster, and you could be in pain for some
time.
The first symptoms of shingles is very sensitive
tingling or burning skin on one side of your body or your face.
This can happen before you get a rash. There can even be a burning
pain as the first symptom.
If you believe that you may have shingles, contact
your doctor immediately. If you are going through a service such as
NHS direct,
http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/
repeat
to every person that you talk to that you have Chronic Lymphocytic
Leukaemia and you have a damaged immune system.
The sooner you get
treatment, the less the shingles will spread. You may be able to
avoid post herpetic neuralgia, a condition that can follow shingles.
Post herpetic neuralgia is unremittingly painful, sometimes for
months.
Most adults have the shingles virus living dormant
inside them. If you ever had chicken pox, then you have the shingles
virus. The virus, herpes varicela-zoster, is transmitted through
contact with the contents of the blisters that form in chicken pox
or shingles, and in the crusts from the scabs. No-one knows what
triggers shingles attacks.
You should be aware that during the infectious
blistering stage of shingles you could transmit the virus to someone
who has not had chicken pox. You can infect other people.
Three types of people are vulnerable to infection
·
Immune suppressed people like yourself
·
Pregnant women
·
Children who have not had a vaccination against chicken pox, and
have not had the disease.
Please note that the shingles vaccine contains live
virus and should NOT be used for CLL patients or for anyone who is
immune suppressed.
