Can shingles affect the gastro intestinal tract? Since a bout of shingles in Dec. 2017, I have experienced lack of hunger, queasy stomach and sometimes stomach pain when ingesting food. When food has been taken, bowels become erratic and sometimes with spontaneous movements. Movements sometimes occur two or three times a day tho little food is eaten. Sometimes bowels appear to contain micous. Movements occur with little or no normal indicators such as stomach growling or gas passing. Occurences sometimes by just standin from a sitting position with no prior need to excrete felt before standing.
Age: 58
Male
Medications: tylenol
Hello. I would be surprised. Internal shingles can affect organs but it is very very rare. Blood tests, an X-ray, lumbar puncture, or CT scan would be needed for a diagnosis. You are probably experiencing some form of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) perhaps due to an excessive reaction by your immune system. A Sigmoidoscopy or Colonoscopy can be used to identify the problem.
Regards
Hi.
Thanks for the query..
The symptoms that you are facing can be due to problems associated with the digestive tract and there is a very slim to n chance that it is due to Shingles..
So first of all you should consult a Gastroenterologist and get evaluated and a clinical examination and investigations like Endoscopy and stool culture can be done to rule out the exact cause and treatment can be done accordingly..
For now take light diet, drink plenty of water and eat more of probiotics like Yogurt..
Hope this helps..
Regards.
Hi, I had shingles two years ago and it affected my gut, plus the classic symptoms of the zoster rash from my right abdomen starting at my belly button and wrapped around my waist to my spine. I was hospitalized for two weeks and at the peak of the zoster virus I had an internal bowel blockage that lasted 3 days. I was given acyclovir and as it began to work my bowel obstruction subsided over and of the fourth day I passed gas, on the fifth day I had a small liquid bowel movement, on the 6th day I… Read more »
Pubmed lists pages of medical reports of intestinal involvement with shingles (herpes zoster). Excerpt “Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction that occurs in the setting of an underlying medical condition is known as Ogilvie’s syndrome. The etiology of Ogilvie’s syndrome is unknown, and associated medical illnesses are varied and often extra-abdominal. While herpes zoster infection has been reported to cause constipation and hypomotility, the association with massive colonic distention has not so far been described. We present a patient with Ogilvie’s syndrome in the setting of herpes zoster infection. There was no evidence of other active illnesses, and the patient has continued to… Read more »
I had shingles and at the peak of the outbreak I developed Ogilvie’s syndrome, a bowel obstruction.
Pubmed has several posts that correlate abdominal issues with herpes zoster. Please look at the research.
I was given acyclovir and as it began to work my bowel obstruction went away. I was in the hospital for 2 weeks and the doctors observed the bowel obstruction and reported it in my file. The virus can impair intestinal nerve cells causing constipation also.
I hope this helps. Please read the research reports on Pubmed, there are many
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2240863
So I got shingles really bad in August of 2021 on my back and around to my breast. The shingles lasted 4 weeks and once they started clearing up I realized I have neurophathy. Totally numb on my back and the side of my breast. The pain is bad. I was taking gabapentin for pain and sleep for about 3 weeks and then the diarrhea started. Approximately 10 to 15 times a day for weeks. Went to my doctor she sent me to the emergency room they did stool samples, blood work and all came back good. I’m very sensitive… Read more »