Patient/caregiver was educated on complications of shingles as follows
- Pain: The activation of virus in the nerves can spread down along the nerve path it is living in, causing a painful fluid-filled blistering rash with itching and burning along the distribution of the nerve involved. The involved skin could be very sensitive to touch.
- Chickenpox infection: The fluid-filled blisters can grow bigger and burst open, releasing the fluid that can be contagious and spreads the varicella-zoster virus to others, causing chickenpox infection to immunodeficient patients and individuals who failed to complete the vaccination schedule for chickenpox.
- Secondary bacterial infections: The open blister sites can provide free access to bacteria and result in secondary bacterial infections. Individuals can present with pain & tenderness, erythema or redness with local warmth or elevated temperature of the skin site involved. Advanced and untreated bacterial infections can result in fever, chills, and foul smelling white or yellow pus discharge from the site involved.
