Herpes zoster question?

i had herpes zoster, shingles when i was younger, now and then my eyes would flare up and the dr put me on elidol creme, now for my question this year i became very ill with my intestines causing severe side pain when i had a colonoscopy those pains went away and i developed what looked like hives on my hands but after mega doses of steroids they keep flaring could this be shingles back again and could they have been in my intestinal tract?

Shingles is a reactivation of varicella zoster virus (the chicken pox virus). You can get it many, many times over and especially if you are immuno-suppressed (on steroids). The steroids may actually be causing a zoster flare.

Zoster virus can appear anywhere on your skin (arms and hands included) but usually has a characteristic linear appearance. It would be unusual to have zoster virus inside your body, but not impossible - this condition is called "disseminated zoster" and typically only happens to people who have a very weak immune system from drugs or chemotherapy.

Al that being said, it could be zoster on your arm, it could be flaring up because by the steroids - but the only way to be sure is to see your doctor and have the test done.

Good luck!

Dr. P.

I'm pretty sure you can only get shingles one time - and don't think on your hands ever! Ask your physician - sounds like you are having a pretty rough time of it....so sorry! Hope it all clears up soon!

ShinglesInfo.com

i cheek up the internet for you but i want to know what that shingles look like so i want you to get this link and see the pic inside and compaer it with yours .

What is shingles? What causes shingles?

Shingles is a skin rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. The virus responsible for these conditions is called Varicella zoster. After an individual has chickenpox, this virus lives in the nerves and is never fully cleared from the body. Under certain circumstances, such as emotional stress, immune deficiency (from AIDS or chemotherapy) or with cancer, the virus re-activates causing shingles. In most cases, however, a cause for the reactivation of the virus is never found. The herpes virus that causes shingles and chicken pox is not the same as the herpes virus that causes genital herpes (which can be sexually transmitted) and herpes mouth sores. Shingles is medically termed Herpes zoster.


What are symptoms of shingles?

Before a rash is visible, the patient may notice several days to a week of burning pain and sensitive skin. Shingles start as small blisters on a red base, with new blisters continuing to form for 3-5 days. The blisters follow the path of individual nerves that comes out of the spinal cord (called dermatomal pattern). The entire path of the nerve may be involved or there may be areas with blisters and areas without blisters. Generally, only one nerve level is involved. In a rare case, more than one nerve will be involved. Eventually, the blisters pop and the area starts to ooze. The area will then crust over and heal. The whole process may take 3-4 weeks from start to finish. On occasion, the pain will be present but the blisters may never appear. This can be a very confusing cause of local pain!
http://www.medicinenet.com/shingles/arti...