Ali Fedotowsky-Manno Thought She Was Having a Bad Reaction to Botox Before Learning She Had Shingles

The former Bachelorette said her shingles pain was so bad that she "would wake up in the middle of the night just screaming"

Ali Fedotowsky-Manno. Photo: Inside Edition/YouTube

Ali Fedotowsky-Manno was in disbelief when she was diagnosed with a case of shingles at just 37 years old.

The former Bachelorette star opened up about her experience with the virus in an interview with Inside Edition on Wednesday, explaining that she did not suspect shingles at first, and instead assumed she was reacting to Botox when she felt a tingling in her forehead.

"Honestly, I couldn't believe it … I'm only 37 years old. How could this possibly be happening?," she said. "I always thought it happened to people in their 60s."

Shingles, which is caused by the same virus as chickenpox and typically occurs in people over age 50, can result in a painful rash, according to the Mayo Clinic. Fedotowsky-Manno told Inside Edition her pain was so bad she compared it to "lightning bolts pulsing through my brain."

As she teared up, Fedotowsky-Manno said, "I didn't think I was going to get emotional talking about this, but the pain was so bad that there were times I would wake up in the middle of the night just screaming, just begging my husband to make the pain stop."

She added, "I can't even explain how horrible the pain was."

When she first noticed her symptoms, Fedotowsky-Manno saw two spots "like tiny little pimples" appear on her forehead. She explained, "As the days went by, they started blistering out and then it started moving."

Paul Archuleta/Getty

While she tried to conceal the redness on her face by styling her hair over it, her condition worsened and developed into nerve pain. The Mayo Clinic notes that postherpetic neuralgia is one of the most common complications of the virus, and can cause pain even after a shingles rash has disappeared.

Fedotowsky-Manno has since recovered from her case, and is sharing her experience to help others.

"Even though I caught it early," Fedotowsky-Manno told Inside Edition, "it was still so intense, so I want to spread awareness so other people can catch it right away because that's key."

RELATED VIDEO: Ali Fedotowsky-Manno on Being Real on Social Media: 'I Don't Ever Edit My Body to Look Skinnier'

Fedotowsky-Manno's dermatologist, Dr. Jennifer Lee, also spoke to Inside Edition, explaining that shingles is increasingly common in younger patients because of factors like stress.

The Mayo Clinic states that "the reason for shingles is unclear," but notes, "it may be due to lowered immunity to infections as you grow older."