| If you suddenly develop severe pain in a limited | | | | too late to prevent the pain from lasting the rest |
| area on one side of your body, you may have | | | | of your life. Fifty percent of people over 60 who |
| shingles and need treatment immediately to | | | | develop shingles, and are not treated, will suffer |
| prevent that pain from lasting for the rest of | | | | from post-herpetic neuralgia and have severe pain |
| your life. Shingles is Chicken Pox the second time | | | | in that nerve for the rest of their lives, while |
| around. It's called postherpetic neuralgia and when | | | | fewer than seven percent treated with acyclovir |
| you have severe pain that is not caused by an | | | | will suffer permanent pain. Cortisones offer little |
| injury and your doctor cannot find a cause, you | | | | protection. If you develop postherpetic neuralgia, |
| should get a blood test for herpes zoster and | | | | your pain can be treated with a .025% capsaicin |
| start taking Famvir or Valtrex immediately to | | | | (pepper) cream and tegretol or gabapentin |
| prevent the pain from becoming permanent.The | | | | anticonvulsant pills. A report in the New England |
| first time you get chicken pox, blisters form over | | | | Journal of Medicine offers a more effective |
| most of your body. After a week, your immunity | | | | treatment for post-herpetic neuralgia: 60 mg of |
| drives the chicken pox virus from your | | | | methyl prednisone, injected directly into the spinal |
| bloodstream, but it remains in your nerve roots | | | | fluid, once a week for four weeks, lessens and |
| for the rest of your life. One of every in six | | | | even cures the pain.For journal references on this |
| people who get chicken pox will have the virus | | | | article see |
| escape from nerves many years later to cause | | | | Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for |
| painful grouped blisters on the skin over the | | | | 25 years and practicing physician for more than |
| infected nerve on one side of the body.If you | | | | 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, |
| wait for characteristic blisters to form, it may be | | | | including sports medicine. |