A client has just recovered from a long course of therapy for shingles. The client says, "What can I do to keep from having that again?" What information should the nurse provide?

Question

1. Try to find healthy outlets for your stress.
2. Once you have had shingles, you are not likely to get it again.
3. Try to keep as physically healthy as possible.
4. There is little you can do to prevent outbreaks.
5. Try to keep your immune system strong by taking good care of your physical and emotional health.

Answer 1

1,3,5
Rationale 1: Challenges such as emotional stress can promote active replication of the virus with lesion appearance.
Rationale 2: The virus that causes shingles can lay dormant for years and then become active. Multiple outbreaks over time are not uncommon.
Rationale 3: Physical health challenges suppress the immune system and make it more likely the client will have a shingles outbreak.
Rationale 4: The client can take some active steps to lessen the likelihood of recurrence.
Rationale 5: Challenges to physical and emotional health can suppress the immune system, which allows the virus to replicate actively.
Global Rationale: Challenges such as emotional stress can promote active replication of the virus with lesion appearance. Physical health challenges suppress the immune system and make it more likely the client will have a shingles outbreak. Challenges to physical and emotional health can suppress the immune system, which allows the virus to replicate actively. The virus that causes shingles can lay dormant for years and then become active. Multiple outbreaks over time are not uncommon. The client can take some active steps to lessen the likelihood of recurrence.