For many years, Barbara Bender was healthy and active — until one day, she noticed she was falling behind.

“I was healthy and started noticing an inability to keep up with duties,” Barbara said. That led her to see a doctor, and tests showed that her main artery was 99 percent blocked. She had a stent placed to restore blood flow.

That marked the start of a new chapter in her health journey — one that involved managing not only heart disease but also an unexpected bout with shingles.

A Shingles Diagnosis at 85

Barbara was 85 when she developed shingles. She had received the shingles vaccine earlier, so her case was considered mild, but it was still painful and disruptive. “Mine was on my face and involved face blisters and a very painful left ear,” Barbara recalled.

At first, she didn’t realize what was going on. Her initial hospital stay was for symptoms that suggested she had a type of bladder inflammation. “I was first hospitalized because it looked like cystitis,” she said. “A sample was sent off, and it came back negative. I was then diagnosed with shingles.”

That diagnosis helped explain her symptoms — blisters on the left side of her face and a burning, intense pain in her left ear.

Shingles Pain Management

Barbara followed her medical team’s advice closely. “I followed their instructions as to what creams to use,” she said, and turned to a few over-the-counter options: “There are various ointments and creams that help. I used a shingles skin care ointment.”

“Mine was on my face and involved face blisters and a
very painful left ear.”

— Barbara Bender

What helped most during the worst pain was something more personal — her husband’s care. “My ear pain was extremely painful. It would come and go,” she said. “I remember my husband supplying me with a cool cloth when I could feel it coming on and I would scream from the pain, and the cool cloth seemed to help.”

The Lingering Impact

The worst part of the shingles passed, but some symptoms linger. “To this day I have itching on that part of my face,” Barbara said.

She didn’t notice a connection between shingles and her heart condition. “Shingles didn’t have any impact on my heart disease that I remember,” she said.

Still, Barbara knows that managing both conditions at once can be tough. “Work with your doctors,” she advised. “Depending on the severity of your heart condition, it could be very stressful, and pain usually affects your blood pressure.”

Having shingles can also raise the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Support Through Grief and Healing

Barbara’s experience with heart disease and shingles was shaped by the support of her close-knit family — especially by her husband, whose care brought comfort in her most painful moments. She recently faced another profound loss. “I lost my husband six months ago, and if anything could stress my heart, it has been this,” she said. “A day doesn’t go by that I don’t find myself sobbing from that loss.”

“I remember my husband supplying me with a cool cloth when I could feel pain coming on ... and the cool cloth seemed to help.”

— Barbara Bender

Now 88, Barbara still lives in the town where she grew up, in the home she and her husband built 25 years ago. Despite the challenges, she remains independent — still driving, still mobile, and surrounded by support. “My children live close by and check on me daily,” she said.

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On MyHeartDiseaseTeam, people share their experiences with heart disease, get advice, and find support from others who understand.

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