Shingles symptoms originate from the same virus as the chicken pox. If you have a previous history of chicken pox, have suffered from a compromised immune system, have been diagnosed with HIV or have had a major surgery, you are more likely to get shingles.
Symptoms like the Flu
The prodromal stage is the first stage of the infection. This stage can last up to five days. If you have been infected with this virus, you might have symptoms that are similar to the flu such as nausea, vomiting and the chills. You might also develop a fever, because your body is fighting the infection.
Skin Symptoms
The symptoms tend to affect one side of your body. You can experience a burning sensation, itchiness and sharp pains. The episodes of discomfort tend to vary on duration, and sometimes the symptoms might move from one side of your body to one side of your face. These episodes can affect you at anytime, and they can last anywhere from a few minutes to a long period of time.
The one thing that you should keep in mind about the shingles infection is that the pains and discomfort can only affect one side of your body or face. This is because the infection is attacking your nervous system. On many occasions, these symptoms are present on both sides of your body; if this is the case, you do not have the shingles.
