Aussie radio host Jodie Oddy returned home from the trip with ‘horrendous’ symptoms – with shocking images showing her neck, upper chest and shoulder covered in blisters
A woman has recalled the moment she returned home from an idyllic Bali holiday with a horror souvenir that brought pain “worse than childbirth”.
Aussie radio host Jodie Oddy, who co-hosts the Nova 919’s breakfast show, revealed on Monday that she had recently returned from what was supposed to be a dream holiday trip “horrendous” shingles — an an infection and painful rash caused by the chickenpox virus. A horrifying photo posted to her Instagram page shows the journalist’s neck, upper chest and shoulder covered in bright red blisters, with the pain being “worse than childbirth”.
The mum-of-four also shared the image on social media, alongside another snap of her floating around a pool overlooking a beach in Bali. “Insta V reality,” she wrote in the caption. “Shingles for the win.” Speaking to The Adelaide Advertiser, Jodie said she went “straight to the hospital” after getting off the plane, adding: “They did all the tests and I was told it is definitely shingles.”
Several fans rushed to share their sympathy with Jodie, with some opening up about their own agonising experiences with the infection. One woman said: “I had shingles in the eye , hairline and face last year. It was horrific.” Another added: “Omg that looks painful. I had shingles on my face and inside my left eye as I was turning 16.”
A third woman urged Jodie to “get that shingles jab!”, to which she replied: “Is it too late? I don’t ever want this again!”
According to the NHS, the first signs of shingles can be a tingling or painful feeling in an area of the skin and a headache or feeling generally unwell. A rash usually appears a few days later, most of the time on your chest and tummy, but it can also appear on your face, eyes and genitals. It can take up to four weeks for the rash to heal but in some cases, shingles can result in blindness, hearing loss, nerve pain and death.
The shingles jab is currently available in the UK to those aged over 70, but from September 1 last year, it began being administered to anyone severely immunosuppressed and over 50. Those turning 65 and 70 will also be eligible for the vaccine after their birthday.
As a result of the move by the NHS, the jab is expected to reach an additional 900,000 people.
