Knocked out by the "Snake"

Last Friday night after attending the JetStar's cocktail party, I found some rashes on my shoulder and left side of my chest. I thought the rashes happened because I am allergic to beer as I drank 2 mugs of beer that evening as I have stop drinking long time ago. I expect it go away by itself and still had two rounds of golf over the weekend.

Unfortunately, the rashes are still there and it has worsen. The rash begins as multiple small, red bumps that look like pimples or insect bites. They develop into thin-walled blisters filled with clear fluid, which becomes cloudy. The blister wall breaks, leaving open sores and it is quite painful with occasional headache and fever. I had wanted to see my family doctor at SS19 but he was not in.

This morning, I got up early to consult a skin specialist Dr Ranjit at SS 15, Subang Jaya. I went there at 9am but they was already a few people ahead of me. I got to see Dr Ranjit at around 10am and I told him that I got it after the Friday's function. To my suprise, he said that it is not because of the wrong foods or drinks that I took or consumed.He said in Chinese we called it Sang Seah (生 蛇) meaning grow snake. Older days, the Chinese believe that if the "snake" circulated our body and the snake head and tail meet, we will be consider dead meat. But Western Medicine do not support such a claim and there is no such things.

He explained that it is exactly like chicken pox known as (Herpes zoster 或 shingles and will appeared when your antibody is weak. It is contagious. and can be quite painful. He said it will 3-4 days for it to heal and 10days to be fully recovered. I asked for some antibiotics but Dr said this is a virus and can only be treated by anti-virus drug,acyclovir.

He prescribed some medication and calamine lotion to treat the "Snake"
And this is the condition after I apply the calamine lotion.The medication and consultation costs RM220.00.

I found out from the web that anyone who has had chickenpox (or the chickenpox vaccine) as a child is at risk for developing shingles later in life, and up to 20% do. After an infection, VZV can remain inactive in nerve cells near the spinal cord and reactivate later as shingles, which can cause tingling, itching, or pain followed by a rash with red bumps and blisters. Shingles is sometimes treated with antiviral drugs, steroids, and pain medications, and in May 2006 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a vaccine to prevent shingles in people 60 and older

Chickenpox is very contagious — most kids with a sibling who's been infected will get it as well, showing symptoms about 2 weeks after the first child does. To help keep the virus from spreading, make sure your kids wash their hands frequently, particularly before eating and after using the bathroom. And keep a child with chickenpox away from unvaccinated siblings as much as possible.

People who haven't had chickenpox also can catch it from someone with shingles, but they cannot catch shingles itself. That's because shingles can only develop from a reactivation of VZV in someone who has previously had chickenpox.

The pain hurts and I am resting at home now.