Ali Fedotowsky Diagnosed with Shingles at Age 36: 'I Didn't Even Think It Was Possible'
Ali Fedotosky/ instagram Ali Fedotowsky-Manno
Ali Fedotowsky-Manno got a surprising diagnosis this week: at age 36, she has shingles.
The former Bachelorette wrote on Instagram Thursday night that she was unaware that people in their 30s could get shingles, which is most common in people over age 50.
"For those of you who don't know, shingles is a painful neurological condition that usually affects seniors. It's relatively common for people in their 60s and that's why people are vaccinated against it if they're 50 or older. But based on my DM's, I'm realizing it's getting more and more common in younger people," Fedotowsky-Manno said.
The mom to son Riley Doran, 2, and daughter Molly Sullivan, 4, had been hiding the spots on her face the last few days but realized she should share the news in the hopes that it could help others, "because early detection is key in hopefully lessening the severity and duration of shingles."
"I don't really know why I wanted to hide it. I think it's mostly because I didn't want the added stress or pressure of the Internet while I was trying to rest and heal," she said. "In fact, stress is likely the reason I got #shingles. I'm sharing now because I hope my story will help others detect it early. I didn't even think it was possible to get it at my age."
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Fedotowsky-Manno noticed something was off in her body and quickly let her doctor know.
"The very first video you'll see in this carousel is one I sent to my dermatologist @drjenniferlee the day after I noticed my forehead feeling a little itchy and tingly. I remember I kept itching my head and felt this electricity underneath my skin (my nerves acting up). So I sent her a text and she immediately FaceTimed me," Fedotowsky-Manno said.
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"I am soooo grateful that she diagnosed me early and got me on the proper medication," she continued. "So early that it was a day before I even had a tiny little pimple-like spot on my face which I wouldn't have thought twice about (see 3rd pic) and days before I had multiple spots that ended up causing swelling and blurred vision in my eye."
Fedotowsky-Manno said that she's since learned that shingles can develop from "a weakened immune system due to stress or other health related issues," and she's looking into any undiagnosed problems she may have.
"So needless to say, I'm trying to limit the stress in my life and hoping my vision clears up," she said. "Today the swelling is down a lot so I'm grateful for that!"
