Internal shingles is a viral infection caused by the same family of virus that is responsible for chickenpox. This virus is named varicella zoster virus. The virus resides in dormant stage in the spinal nerve roots after infection of chickenpox. Under favorable conditions it can get reactivated even after several years to produce symptoms of internal shingles.
Normally the symptoms are manifested externally as blisters and painful rash, but sometimes shingles can invade internally in nerves, eyes, ears, brain, muscles, and other organs. The symptoms of internal shingles can be severe. It can lead to complications that may seriously affect health of a person.
Signs And Symptoms Of Internal Shingles
Usually the signs and symptoms of shingles are external in the form of rash and fluid filled blister. But sometime shingles may present itself internally. The virus attacks the nerves and other organs internally to produce several symptoms.
- At the onset of shingles, person may experience flu like symptoms such as body ache, fever, chills, headache for 2 to 3 days.
- Patient may have swelling of lymph nodes in neck, groin, and armpits. It occurs due to immune response of the body towards the virus.
- Few days after fever, there may be severe burning and shooting pain over the area innervated by the damaged nerve.Generally the sensation is on skin, trunk, and face.
- Some people may experience abdominal symptoms such as stomach ache, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and tenderness.
- Shingles can affect the oral cavity. Blisters may develop in mouth and on upper palate leading to difficulty in eating and swallowing food due to pain.
- Post herpetic neuralgia is common complication of shingles. It is characterized with severe burning and shooting pain which may last for several months and years after the blisters have vanished.
- Hutchison’s sign occurs when the virus affects the nerves in eye. Shingles of this type may appear on the end of nose. Patient may develop vision problems, swelling in eyes, and rash around eyes and inner corner of eye near the nose.
- Ramsey hunt sign occurs when the virus attacks the facial nerve leading to hearing loss, severe burning and lightening pain on face, paralysis of facial area, and dizziness.
- Virus can attack central nervous system which may cause inflammation of brain. The condition is called encephalitis. It occurs rarely, but more often in people with immune-compromised state such as among people with HIV infection and patients taking chemotherapy for cancer.
Natural Treatment For Internal Shingles
Although the symptoms of internal shingles heal on its own within few days, you need to seek treatment to prevent complications which may sometimes are life threatening.
- Antiviral drugs are mainstay treatment for this condition. They are effective when taken within 3 days after the first symptom develops.
- Pain killers, anticonvulsant anesthetic skin patches, antidepressants, are useful for alleviating severe and discomforting pain.
- Cold fomentation is beneficial to relieve pain and burning.
- Often patients with shingles and post herpetic neuralgia feel depressed due to pain. The best technique is to take rest and practice relaxation methods such as hearing music, yoga, and meditation.
- Applying cream containing antihistamine medicines is beneficial in reducing itching.
- Apply turmeric paste on lesions present inside the mouth. Turmeric is natural remedy to reduce inflammation and pain. Prepare the paste by mixing water and turmeric powder. Alternately, drink a glass of milk mixed with a pinch of turmeric powder.