Image: screengrab from YouTube/Candy Pangilinan
Candy Pangilinan disclosed that she has been diagnosed with shingles and that she is currently on self-quarantine to avoid infecting her family and other people.
Shingles, according to Mayo Clinic, is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. This condition is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox.
The actress-comedian spoke about her condition while showing the side of her face covered with gauze, as seen on her YouTube vlog on Tuesday, Aug. 27.
“Ang meron po ako ay shingles [at] masakit po siya. I was supposed to be admitted in the hospital,” she said. “Ang nangyari, sa derma ako pumunta [kasi] akala ko ang problema is skin lang kasi para akong may pimple. Medyo tinatamaan ‘yung eyes ko, tapos parang nahihilo ako.”
Pangilinan was then informed by her dermatologist that she has shingles, and was immediately given medication to kill the virus. As advised by her dermatologist, Pangilinan also visited an ophthalmologist to check if there were scratches in her retina.
“Ang problema kasi nasa ulo e, so paakyat ‘yung shingles ko,” she stated. “They wanted to admit me for pain management [but] I opted to stay at home. Nag-quarantine po ako sa loob ng office ko… Naka-monitor naman sa akin ‘yung doctor.”
The celebrity mom also decided not to show her face to her son Quentin, saying he might panic out of worry.
Pangilinan said that she’s close to full recovery, which she regards as a “miracle.”
“Minsan ang shingles ‘pag pagaling na, lumilipat siya. Kaya ‘yon po ang pinagpe-pray ko, ‘yung hindi siya lumipat,” she said. “But I’m still blessed because I’m alive.”