Shingles

Shingles, or better known to Chinese by the name "snake" (蛇) is a viral disease caused by Herpes (Varicella) Zoster Virus.
First thing first, to bust a myth of Shingles (蛇), it won't kill you if it makes a full circle around your body.

Normally those who suffer from shingles has a band of painful lesions (normally small blisters), that can occur in any part of the body. Face, chest, leg, arm, etc...
And normally the lesions would not cross the mid line, and stay only on one side of the body, not many are unfortunate enough to have it both sides.

So now, the keywords are: band, blisters, painful, one side. Oh, also fever.
But still remember there still could be exceptions. There's no 100% in medicine. If you have the above mentioned problem, go see a doctor. There are other diseases that may present similarly.
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It may be curious for many when doctor asks them about previous episode of chicken pox when they come for shingles.
Chicken pox and shingles are both caused by the same virus (Herpes Zoster).
When one is infected by Herpes Zoster, usually we see chicken pox.
When one recovers from chicken pox, the Zoster virus actually doesn't die out, but retrogradely moves up from peripheral (small branches of) nerves to the central nerves (ex. spinal cord). And there, it stays dormant (sleeping) until a suitable opportunity.

Although Shingles is a self limitting disease, meaning they normally develops till a certain extend and stop, but it can be also potentially debiliating, or may even cause permanent damage to a certain organ or tissue. For example, someone may lose an eye or get permanent nerve pain due to shingles.

So it is very advisable for those who suffers from chicken pox or shingles to pay a visit to the friendly neighbourhood doctors.
As for the current treatment, the aim is mainly to decrease the symptoms (eg pain, fever etc).
There are also medicine available to treat Herpes family of viruses (which includes Zoster, that is shingles and chicken pox). One that is most commonly prescribed is Acyclovir, which can shorten the duration of the disease, decrease the symptoms and importantly, to reduce the chance of possible bad complications.
Acyclovir is most effective if prescribed within the first 48 hours when symptoms start showing. So, don't delay your visits.

If you have any question that I may have not covered here, feel free to leave a comment below or send me a mail or message.