With sudden, excruciating pain radiating through her body, Viola Davis thought she had fallen victim to a venomous creature. “I would put it a nine out of 10,” she told People about the intensity of her discomfort. “I was surprised how much pain it was. Hard to lay down, hard to get up, hard to walk. Nerve pain, all of that.”
What Davis was experiencing was shingles, a disease that affects one in three Americans during their lifetime. The good news is that it poses no threat to life, yet the pain it brings is often severe and persistent.
Davis first noticed symptoms in early 2012, shortly after she adopted her daughter and received an Oscar nomination for her role in “The Help.” “I was working, working, working, running myself into the ground,” she recounted. “Then all of a sudden, I woke up with flu-like symptoms and an extraordinarily painful rash.”
The rash began on her stomach and eventually wrapped around her back. After a brief reprieve, it reappeared, this time with blisters on her upper back. When doctors diagnosed her with shingles, Davis said it was “the surprise of my life,” admitting, “I knew absolutely nothing about shingles.”
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus responsible for chickenpox. Once someone has chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in the body, potentially reactivating later in life as shingles. The condition manifests as a painful rash, often resembling a single stripe of blisters on one side of the body. Physicians can usually diagnose it through a visual examination, although lab tests can confirm the presence of the virus.
Davis described the rash as itchy and sensitive to touch, accompanied by a burning sensation. She also dealt with symptoms including fever, headache, and fatigue. Complications can arise from shingles, including postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a chronic nerve pain that can linger for months or even years after the rash heals. Adults over 50 are particularly susceptible to this condition.
“I felt that I sort of was immune to any disease at that point because I worked out, I ate right,” Davis said. “I felt that I was healthy because I did all the right things. And then all of a sudden, I have shingles.”
While maintaining a healthy lifestyle contributes to overall well-being, it does not prevent shingles. The Shingrix vaccine, however, is highly effective; it is over 90% effective in preventing shingles and the lingering pain associated with PHN, particularly for adults aged 50 and older and those with weakened immune systems.
Davis reflects on her experience with shingles, stating, “It woke me up to listening to my body, which I didn’t before that time.” She thought that pushing through pain made her stronger. “I didn’t know that that’s not what strength is about,” she added. “Strength is about sort of loving on your body and experiencing good health as you age.”
In light of her ordeal, Davis encourages others to prioritize their health and consult a doctor when something feels off. “Life is not supposed to be lived with anything that causes you debilitating pain,” she asserted. “I feel like I’m important enough and my body is important enough to listen to it and to honor it.”
The experience has altered her perspective on health, leaving her with a renewed appreciation for the importance of self-care. In a world where pain can easily be ignored, Davis’s message emphasizes the need to respect one’s body and its signals.
According to NY POST.
