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Step 1
Realize that shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. If you have had chicken pox, there is a possibility that you can some day get shingles.
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Step 2
Understand how you get shingles. The chicken pox virus inserts its DNA into nerve cells during a case of the chicken pox. The DNA remains there, silent, not bothering its host. It can, however, reactivate, and when it does, the live viral infection is called shingles. It is an infection limited to the nerve where the virus's DNA had been lying dormant.
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Step 3
Know the symptoms of shingles. Understand that this means that the virus will not be generalized, as was the chickenpox. There will be a red cluster of bumps, or a rash, and it will be in a pattern that follows the nerve. The chest, arms, neck and face are a common place for shingles to reactivate.
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Step 4
Study pictures of shingles to get a feeling for what they look like.
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Step 5
Know the early signs that you may have shingles. Be aware that before shingles erupts into a rash, there is often a period during which the affected nerve is irritated. Until the eruption of the rash, this neuralgia is often a difficult symptom to diagnose. Depending upon which nerve is affected, it is a symptom that can be mistaken for a wide variety of other problems. There can be skin sensitivity or itching that radiates into other areas or seems to "move."
