Actor Nick Shen reveals battle with shingles, consulted 'more than 10' specialists
The 47-year-old actor recently took to Instagram to share photos of his journey battling shingles.
Actor Nick Shen wants to raise awareness about shingles. (Photos: Instagram/nickshenweijun)
Local actor Nick Shen recently revealed his battle with shingles in a series of Instagram posts. On Friday (Sep 22), Nick uploaded a photo album on Instagram, showing the early days of his shingles diagnosis.
He wrote: "Before any visible rash appeared, I felt an odd combination of pain, itching and tingling on my neck and ear – the very places where the rash would later emerge."
According to Nick, doctors initially diagnosed his condition as erythema multiforme, a skin condition that appears with red patches. He then visited a traditional Chinese medicine specialist to get a second opinion and was prescribed vinegar, lotion and some medicine.
He said: "That very night, the rash spread across my neck, ear, face and half my scalp. Despite using various creams, lotions and consuming the medicine, the pain intensified."
In another post, Nick showed pictures of him suffering an advanced stage of shingles where rashes have spread to most of his neck and the lower side of his face. In this post, he urged his followers to "seek immediate medical attention" if they suspect they have shingles.
He added that the pain was "beyond description" and that he's had to "pause my work, cancel events, and withdraw from public appearances".
He also shared that he was "astounded" that no one close to him "emphasised the seriousness of shingles or the availability of the shingles vaccine".
"I've consulted more than 10 doctors, both Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine specialists and endured the 'Catch The Snake' treatment which is incredibly painful."
The Singapore Star Search 1999 winner also told Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao that more than a month after the onset of shingles, he noticed liquid flowing out of his mouth after he drank some water.
He looked in the mirror and tried to smile but could not do so. He was advised at the clinic to go to the hospital immediately, where he was hospitalised for five days as the right side of his face was paralysed.
Nick ended his social media post by assuring his followers that he is "doing everything in (his) power to get better" and that people are free to leave comments on his page, should they want to find out more about his experience.
