NEW YORK – It started with a rash on her stomach that wrapped around her back.
Eventually, it cleared up. Until about a year later. This time with a blistering rash that put Viola Davis, the EGOT-winning actress, at a "9 out of 10" on the pain scale.
Davis had been in the dark about what turned out to be two cases of shingles. It wasn't until her co-star told her to see a doctor that she learned how the condition could affect her.
Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a viral infection caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One in 3 people in the U.S. will develop shingles over their lifetime, and adults over 50 years old are at increased risk.
Signs and
symptoms can include pain, itching, skin tingling, a painful rash with blister-like sores, fever, headache, chills and an upset stomach. It can last between two to six weeks, according to Cleveland Clinic. In cases like with Davis, it’s possible to get shingles two or more times.
On Oct. 7, Davis was joined by “Sex and the City” actress Kristin Davis, who has been outspoken about a harrowing case of shingles on her face, and former “TODAY” show host Hoda Kotb, who spoke with Viola Davis about navigating health care with aging at a luncheon celebrating the launch of GSK’s “Shingles, actually,” campaign near Central Park. Davis is a spokesperson for the campaign.
“It’s healing even in little ways to be able to speak your truth in a room full of people who have empathy,” Davis told USA TODAY after sharing her health journey on the panel.
'I had to take the pain': Why Viola Davis struggled to seek medical care
Despite how common shingles is, seeking help didn't come naturally to Davis. She felt pressure to be a "strong woman," and felt like admitting she was in pain would be mean showing weakness.
"The pain, when I had it, was so intense," she told USA TODAY. But it felt like "in order to be powerful, I had to take the pain."
She said she comes from a long lineage of woman who were taught to be "good" rather than "brave," who didn't value vulnerability as much as what you are able to push through. So she took the pain, but not without eventually facing severe burnout.
"It’s all these things that you are taught as women, to stifle your voice because it makes you more feminine, to service other people because that makes you more strong and more valuable. To not complain," Davis said. That resistance can bleed into your physical health, because sometimes to get adequate care, you need to "be all those things that you've been taught not to be."
Women often experience additional barriers when seeking medical care for pain, including not being believed by their doctor when sharing the severity of their symptoms.
"You need to be aggressive with your doctor," Davis continued. "You gotta demand answers, you gotta demand treatment options. They gotta tell you all the information, even about shingles."
How to seek support for shingles
Davis had a key piece of advice for those, who like she once was, are afraid to seek support while in pain: "Just jump in."
“People think it’s a big thing, opening your mouth and speaking your truth,” Davis said. “I think it’s just a step. That’s it.”
According to Mayo Clinic, your doctor may prescribe you antiviral drugs to speed healing from shingles and lower your risk of complications, as well as different pain medications and numbing agents. In adults 50 and older, the shingles vaccine (Shingrix) is recommended by clinicians for prevention, even in people who have had shingles in the past, per Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Jen Caudle, a board-certified family medicine physician who joined GSK’s campaign, said it’s not uncommon for patients to chalk shingles up to a “bug bite” or overreaction at first. But the pain doesn’t have to be unbearable before booking an appointment, she emphasized.
“It can be absolutely debilitating in terms of the pain, in terms of the time off of work or the ways it impacts their life,” she said. "I don't want anyone sitting at home with shingles, not getting treated, not being given whatever therapies or prevention may apply to them. There are real risks to that."
She’s a “huge advocate” of people finding the right care providers who “take them seriously and respect what they’re saying as patients,” so that feel comfortable seeking support sooner.
When Davis honors her voice, she feels better "100% of the time."
"We are valuable enough for our voices to be heard," she said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Viola Davis' harrowing shingles experience and why it was so hard to ask for help
