Why do I have shingles?

[kittynurse]

I should clarify - I know the mechanics of why I have shingles - I just don't get why I have it *now*.

My lifestyle and eating habits are not the greatest but since January I had actually been really making a change and especially in the last 2 weeks I have been eating much better. I've also been taking my vitamins regularly and drinking more water. I had just started a new exercise program which I was loving. My marriage is good. My circle of friends has recently become much stronger and I've developed some really good new friendships.

My son has special needs which does cause a lot of stress in my life but things have actually been going really well lately.

I don't think I'm immunocompromised in anyway. I feel like I'm the healthiest I've been for awhile (which still isn't great but much better than say 4 months ago).

What is going on with me?

Martha

p.s. I should also mention that on top of the shingles, I also have pink eye but the doctor feels it is allergic and not bacterial or viral. The shingles appeared *before* the pink eye.

[tanyalynn]

I would still look to immune system stuff, even with the recent changes. I'm sure that's due to my experience, which was that it took about 20 years to see that I had some significant problems with my health (fixable problems, definitely fixable). I thought I felt pretty normal all that time, it took a series of significant life stresses to push me over the edge, and then I hit the wall and felt horrible. I've sometimes wondered if I had clued in to good eating when I was, say, 25, would I have hit the wall? And yet the problems started in my early teens/preteens and wouldn't have been significantly changed just by eating real, nutritious food as an adult.

[kittynurse]

Thanks for the reply. I suppose it could still be immune system stuff. I am due for a physical so I will ask for some bloodwork and stuff.

I guess what I don't get is that I read that shingles attacks generally come when you are under stress but things have been so good lately. I do have a significant amount of stress in my life in general but the last month and a half have been really really good and I have been feeling amazingly happy. If this had happened in November then I wouldn't have been particularly baffled! Is it possible that this is a delayed reaction to stress? Or maybe it's just the wake-up call from my body and it came now because I'm in a headspace that I can cope with change at the moment.

Whatever the reason - it hurts a lot and I want it to go away! LOL

Martha

[tanyalynn]

There can be a rebound type reaction, for years and years, my dad got sick only on vacation. Every single year, that was it. He also had a lot of chronic stress.