On Sunday, I started developing the pain1. It was enough to cause me discomfort at the dining table during lunch. And when I went for family dinner, it continued to get worse.
On Monday night the pain got even worse. It started from the back. And then it came to the front. So, I texted my daughter and said something must be wrong, I might be having a heart attack. I'm feeling this pain, this excruciating pain. It is like somebody turning a screw. I went to the hospital and after two rounds of blood tests, I was told my heart was fine but they couldn’t conclude what was causing the pain. So I was sent home on painkillers and told to rest.
Later I felt something on my back and looked in the mirror. Blisters were appearing2. So, I called my doctor friend in the middle of the night, and she told me to come see her in the morning. I went to the clinic the next day and was diagnosed with shingles. She gave me a course of five days of antivirals, which I need to take every five hours, and pain killers.
The pain started off with a three and then it moved on to a five on the pain scale. At its peak, it moved to about an eight or nine. The shots of pain would come every couple of minutes. And then I would just pray that it goes off quickly.
“TWO & A HALF YEARS ON, I STILL FEEL THE EFFECTS.”
Am I suffering from shingles complications? The answer is yes, it has been two and a half years and I still have this chronic nerve pain especially at night just before I go to bed, or early in the morning.
More importantly, I was at a medical event recently, and I was taken aback to find out that shingles can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke3*. I never imagined there’s more to shingles than just rashes and pain1. So I would strongly encourage those that have underlying cardiovascular conditions to monitor themselves and to speak to your doctor and see how you can prevent shingles.
1. CDC;2024;1-4; Shingles Symptoms and Complications
2. World Health Organization. (2025, March 24). Shingles (herpes zoster). WHO.
3. Kim MC; J Am Coll Cardiol; 2017; 70(2); 295-296
*Studies have shown that shingles may increase the risk of heart attack by 59% (n = 46,426, Myocardial Infarction HR 1.59 (95% CI:1.27 – 2.01), p Value <0.001) and stroke by 35% (n = 46,426, stroke HR 1.35 (95% CI: 1.18-1.54) , p Value <0.001).
All statements are based on patient's testimony
