I was stunned. I was shocked. He looked up the symptoms I was experiencing online and determined that I had shingles. I thought that I was too old to contract the disease, but later I learned that it is a common illness among older people. increasing among younger people. He was right.
My doctor was concerned about my vision because the swelling and lesions were near my eye.
Shingles are a type of infection. impact the eyes My trip to Costa Rica was approaching, and I would be in places without easy access to medical care, putting even more pressure on the situation. It was getting closer to my trip to Costa Rica, where I would not have easy access to medical treatment. This put even more pressure on me. My eye doctor was able fit me in for a full exam and confirmed that everything was fine.
My doctors told me not to touch the rash or my eye because I was on antiviral medicine. Otherwise, I risked developing a bacterial infection—or even spreading the virus to others. The varicella-zoster is contagious. It can be spread by the fluid in the blisters. This can lead to chicken pox for people who have never had the virus. My doctors said that I would need to be screened for shingles. pretty up close and personal For that to happen, the company didn’t mind if I passed it around during my trip. So, off I went.
I was cleared medically to travel but I wasn’t as well-prepared as I would have liked to be. The antiviral drug I was taking was probably a major factor in my headache and dizziness. The trip was seven days long and I had to change hotels each night. This alone was enough to make me anxious. My health issues only added to the chaos.
It looked like I had fallen on concrete face first. It was under my eye and it looked pretty disgusting. Not only were the scabs embarrassing, but they were also extremely itchy—at points unbearably so. I put anti-itch cream on them—I still don’t know if that was the right choice—and tried to ignore how miserable I was feeling.
I was concerned about developing shingles, but I always had a guide by my side. He was there for me in case I needed medical help, and that made me grateful.
My travel insurance was changed after this experience.
If my doctor had said I couldn’t travel to Costa Rica, I would have stayed home—and it would have cost me a lot of money. Instead, I endured the trip in severe discomfort. I usually have a pretty good attitude about my health. travel insuranceAfter this trip I switched over to a health plan that included a telehealth component. I thought that if in the future I had a problem that could be seen visually, then I could still “see” my doctor while I was on the go.
It’s difficult to diagnose shingles because other conditions can have similar symptoms. When people are younger, like myself, they don’t usually think of shingles.
The fact that multiple doctors told me they couldn’t pinpoint the cause of my uncontrollable symptoms was one of the most frustrating aspects of my experience. I should have pushed for more testing and further investigation but I was desperate to feel better so I accepted the answer “we don’t really know, but we will give you antibiotics”.
It took about five weeks to feel like myself again—long after I returned from Costa Rica. Unfortunately, the scabbing has left a scar below my eye. I hope that I will never experience a similar intense health problem while traveling again. If it happens again, I’ll be even more determined than ever to find the answers.
