furtinan

question we have everything booked flight car rental ferry to france car rental in france hotels in germany and switzerland now my wife has come down with shingles she has rash on face and painful flight is next week she still wants to go is it safe to fly thanks dennis

everittp

Oh Dennis, what a shame. Shingles are so painful. And they last a long time. My mother-in-law had them for three months. She was miserable. She tried to go on as usual, but it really cost her. I think less stress is definitely part of treatment. Travel, though welcome stress, will not be good for her.

I hope you have insurance.

I think as far as safety, you really need to be consulting a physician.

LoveItaly

Hello furtinan, I assume and hope that your dear wife immediately went to the doctor when the shingles presented themselves. I say this as they know have a prescription that really works well for shingles IF one starts taking it immediately.

What a terrible situation!!! I had a family member that had shingles (that turned out to be a mild case thanks to the meds). The doctor told her she could not get around any elderly people or babies as they could contact the shingles from her.

I can't imagine travelling with the shingles because even mild cases are normally so painful. Have you talked to the doctor about travelling? I sure wish your wife a speedy recovery.

cmt

Safe, yes. But it is so awful and interferes so much with sleep that it can really interfere with living one's life.

However, let me tell you what worked for me. Background: I got shingles right after coming back from a trip, so either the long flight and/or exposure to smokers might've weakend my usually good immune system. I was initially misdiagnosed by a nurse-practitioner when I couldn't get an appt with one of the MDs--she thought it was the other kind of herpes and prescribed Cipro, which was no help. After a few days, I went back and was diagnosed correctly and got a prescription that is supposed to shorten the duration of shingles if taken asap after symptoms begin (by this time I'd had the symptoms more than a week).

After about a month of hardly getting any sleep, I went back seeking further relief, and one of the doctors prescribed a very very low dose of Elavil, which in high doses is a psychotropic (antidepressant or anti-anxiety), but in tiny doses is used to reduce certain kinds of pain, including that o shingles. I could have taken several of these low dose pills, but I was a little afraid to take it, knowing it's a psychotropic under some circumstances. So I bit the already tiniest possible dose in half. I was told it would take a few days to work. But I found it worked quickly on me. It didn't stop ALL the pain, burning, and intense itching, but it got it down to a tolerable level, so I could sleep at night, and once I was able to get a good night's sleep, I guess my normal immune system was refreshed and I started to improve rapidly and it was all over in a week or less.

So I highly recommend asking your doctor about the use of Elavil for shingles pain. It is contraindicated in some people, so may not be for you, but my doctor thought it was very safe for me, especially in the very low doses used for shingles pain. It's an old-fashioned drug, so not pushed by the drug companies so maybe not prescribed as much as the fancier more expensive drugs.

julia_t

Please pass my best wishes on to your wife, I wish her a speedy recovery.

She needs to see a doctor and take the correct medication straight away. If taken within 36 hours of onset this can clear it up quickly.

Shingles itself is not catching/contagious. Only people who have had chicken pox get shingles. But if you have shingles and you come into contact with persons who have not had chicken pox, then they can develop chicken pox. I was told that when you get chicken pox, the virus hibernates in the base of your spine and can reactivate as shingles at a late date - (I don't know how true this is, or if it could be an Old Wives' Tale). And you can have shingles recur, particularly when under stress. When stressed, that tingling itch starts....and you know it's time to relax!

If you have insurance, and a doctor advises you to postpone the trip, then I know it is a huge disappointment but you can reclaim costs, and book to go again.

I wish you all the best, but you do need to get medical advice as to whether it is safe to fly, because of the risk of passing on the virus. I know some airlines will not let you travel if you have shingles.

Good luck.

jody

I hope she saw her Dr immeadiately and was given an RX for Zovirax..

It's safe to fly but if she has not received immeadiate treatment she might have a lot of pain.

I first noticed a small rash at work . Since I worked in a medical facilty I asked one of the docs at lunch and he told me to start at once ..I had no problems after less than 4 days. But undiagnosed and not treated they can go on for months and months with lots of pain.

TexasAggie

I'm so sorry to hear of your wife's illness. Hopefully Rex, another poster who is a doctor, will see this. He always has very good advice.

ira

Hi fur,

My sympathies and condolences.

My sister came down with shingles last month.

Her dr gave her something that greatly reduced the pain and itch within a few days, although it took a few weeks to be rid of the blight.

I hope that you will be able to take your trip and just do it more slowly.

rex

Acknowledging seeing this posting, but you already have better advice than I would know to offer, on this (generally) adult illness. While shingles can affect pediatric patients (school-age and teenagers), I have no personal experience base from which to offer advice.

On a very generic level, it is worth mentioning to all "netizens" that http://medlineplus.gov is a very, very worthwhile information resource for all persons seeking reading material gerared to "non-professionals". The information on shingles there is good, and for those of us who are approaching or have reached "AARP age", the recent info on shingles vaccination is worthwhile reading on a general public interest basis.

Best wishes,

Rex Bickers, M.D.
(neonatology)

nibblette

Furtinan,
If your wife has not seen her MD yet, get her in ASAP. She needs to be placed on a specific anti-viral medication for the shingles. This will shorten the duration of the rash and pain and may prevent the shingles from turning into the long-term sequelae called post-herpetic neuralgia (severe pain over the former area of shingles). She may need something for the pain as well. Be aware that the rash can take up to 5 weeks to go away completely.

As to whether or not it is safe to travel, it depends on your wife's overall health status. She may not want to travel if she is having a whole lot of pain. If this is the case, use your travel insurance. It's hard to enjoy yourself if you are in pain or too sleepy fromm medications.

Shingles often strike people who are elderly (increased incidence with increasing age - 50% over age 80 have had it) or have compromise of their immune system (stress, diabetes, steroids, transplants, kidney/liver problems, etc).
If she has other health problems that subsequently led to the shingles outbreak, she needs to get those under control as well.

Shingles ARE contagious! They are the reactivation of the chicken pox virus which stay in the base of nerves after you've had chicken pox. When it is reactivated, it will affect the area covered by that nerve (occ it can be reactivated in more than 1 nerve).
So anyone who has never had chicken pox can catch it if her rash is still active (open lesions/blisters). Once the rash has crusted over completely, she will no longer be contagious.
IF she still has active lesions at the time that she is to go on the flight, DO NOT GO! She can spread it to others inadvertantly by touching her face and touching others things that others contact. This is a safety hazard! People with shingles are put on isolation in hospitals because of this.

She needs to see her MD ASAP! If he/she clears her for travel and gives her pain medications to take (narcotic), make sure you get a note from him/her that your wife is taking them under supervision. Also leave them in their original pharmacy container. This is just in case you get pulled over and searched.

Good luck to your wife. Shingles are a really painful condition.

Christina

I've had shingles and a lot of the above info is not correct. Cases vary greatly, and you have to go to a doctor. It sounds like you have been to a doctor or how would you know it is shingles? There are other kinds of dermatitis or allergic reactions that can look similar.

What isn't accurate is that shingles is NOT always painful and lasting a long time, severe, etc. I had a very mild case that was limited to a small area a few inches wide around my waist, and it was not painful at all, it was just red streaks and itchy. I could easily have traveled, it was just a little annoying, and my dematologist (who is one of the best, so I believe him) gave me some cortisone cream which helped. The residual only lasted about a week (I had had them about 1-2 weeks at that point).

He told me he himself had had a very mild case, also, that isn't unusual. I didn't take any antivirals or medication that made it a mild case, it just was. The good news is that I guess once you have them, you never get them again.

BrooksNOLA

So sorry to hear of your perdicament... this seems to be a case where travel insurance would definitely reimburse your canceled trip. From now on I will purchase trip cancellation insurance, thus assuring the abillity to rebook at more advantageous time.

nibblette

Afraid Christina's info isn't accurate. Shingles CAN be mild with just a small rash (or just a few bumps) which makes the diagnoses difficult in those cases. It's more common that shingles are painful and this chance increases with age.

Facial shingles, as furtinan's wife has, is a much, much more serious situation and almost ALWAYS needs medication. And is often painful. Please DO NOT listen to Christina! Facial shingles should NEVER be taken lightly!

The best person to talk to is your wife's MD who can assess which stage her rash is in and tell her what to expect. And if she may need pain medicine. He/She is the one who should be clearing her for travel.

pat

I work in a hospital, and my friend who also works there, got shingles, not only on his face, but in his eye. After going to doctors and getting very strong pain pills (he went from percoset to dilaudid) and nothing seemed to help. Then another nurse friend told him to take advil around the clock for a few days and he finally got better on that. But I`d check with your doctor first. Shingles can be miserable, and I hope you get to go on your trip!

Mara

I had shingles on my back and around to the front of my chest this past March. Even though I started the antiviral drug quickly I was pretty miserable for quite a while and did postpone my trip to Japan. In my case since I used ff miles it will only cost me about $100 to put them back in my ff account. I did not feel well enough to travel and had no doubt about it. It really depends on how your wife feels.
Best wishes,
Mara

kswl

I have an older friend whose shingles laid her up for almost three months. She was miserable, despite the most advanced drug therapy and pain medication a large teaching hospital had to offer. Another friend had a very mild case---but although the severity of each case was pretty readily apparent, the length was unpredictable.

I would err on the side of caution and not go on the trip if there was even a small chance that I could harm anyone else. You never know who on the airplane or sitting next to you on a bus or ferry has a compromised immune system.

Seamus

Your question was about the safety of flying. In terms of safety for your wife, the compressed atmosphere of the cabin is not a threat, but if she does not sleep well and winds up stressed and overtired it could delay healing, maybe even allow the syptoms to worsen. As to the safety of other passengers - there IS the possibility of transmitting the virus (varicella zoster, a member of the herpes family that causes chicken pix) to others who may be vulnerable. The virus is shedding as long as there are lesions present, and vulnerable people would include anyone who has not had previous exposure (usually through having had chicken pox) especially any with a compromised immune system.
The pain results from irritation of the nerve, along with itching of the skin. This virus (correctly described earlier as lying dormat for years after chicken pox) follows the path of a nerve, thus the typical pattern of the lesions. Getting on an antiviral medication ASAP can help decrease the severity and duration of symptoms. If it is of any comfort, most people who have shingles do not go on to develop postherpetic neuralgia, though there can be some residual "tingling" sensations for a while in some cases.

If you have travel insurance that will cover the cost of cancellation, you might want to consider using it. If you do decide to make the trip you might consider covering the affecetd area with a temporary dressing during the time on the plane, and don't let the time zone change interfere with regularly scheduled medications.

jody

"Once you've had them you don't get them again" also "they are not contagious"


Then why did 5 people I worked with in a very small pharmacy all get shingles one after another! And a few years later one of them get them again?

I think Christina needs to reread her post..my shingles were not painful or long lasting..or maybe her double negatives have tripped me up! Mine were bothersome but were promptly treated and certainly not what I would call painful.

I have known patients that have actually become addicted to pain-killers with long term treatment, before anti-virals were available.

Just treat them and if she feels comfortable with traveling with some discomfort ..do it!

jody

I justy reread your post..and if the rash is on her face that makes it a bit more serious. It can be very hard to reat if it is anywhere near he eyes. Make sure in addition to her PCP she sees an ophtamologist.

Henry

furtinan,
I had an outbreak of shingles while on vacation in Italy. You can see my trip report http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34608686
Have the doctor go through a list of possibile problems with your wife and it may influence her desire to go.

Things like not being able to sleep, eyes swollen so you can not sight see, and general discomfort would put a damper on anyone's holiday.