shingles?

[quiteone]

any one had shingles?? im suffering my 4th attack of it :(

[Kevin Milkins]

I remember my mam had shingles many years ago. It was like chicken pox on steroids. Hope you get better soon.

[Venture]

any one had shingles?? im suffering my 4th attack of it :(


Unfortunately yes. Dont know which is worse the shingles or the postherpetic neuralgia after it. I do so sympathise with you. I think Id go through childbirth before shingles.

[ciderally]

touch wood not so far but i hope you feel better soon, heard its pretty painfull

[ciderally]

childbirth.....before shingles...what

[nicnak]

I have had shingles and it is horrendous and I wouldnt wish it on anyone,
unfortunately like said before the after effects are every bit as bad if not worse.I hope your feeling better soon.

[Kevin Milkins]

Unfortunately yes. Dont know which is worse the shingles or the post herpatic nueralgia after it. I do so sympathise with you. I think Id go through childbirth before shingles.

Post Herpatic Nueralgia ? Dont know what that is but sounds like somthing you might need to scratch:lol:

[quiteone]

cheers its soo painful. like the flu but ten times worse. i go from my fingers bein sore to feelin like my backs been kicked to pains in my head then it jumps somewhere else and all the tablets u get make u drowsy and lightheaded. was only a year since i had i last took me 5wks to get completely over it :(

[Venture]

cheers its soo painful. like the flu but ten times worse. i go from my fingers bein sore to feelin like my backs been kicked to pains in my head then it jumps somewhere else and all the tablets u get make u drowsy and lightheaded. was only a year since i had i last took me 5wks to get completely over it :(


Where do you have the shingles and what are you being treated with.

[ciderally]

hope you have plenty looking after you...really sounds awfull never realised it was as bad as that...get well soon x

[quiteone]

scratch??!! needs a bit more than scratched. its the most painful illnes iv had.

[Venture]

Post Herpatic Nueralgia ? Dont know what that is but sounds like somthing you might need to scratch:lol:


Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy Kevin. This is the medical definition of it.

Postherpetic neuralgia is thought to result after nerve fibers are damaged during a case of Herpes Zoster (also known as Shingles). Damaged fibers cannot send electrical signals from the skin to the brain as they normally do, and may be erratic or exaggerated, causing chronic, often excruciating pain that may persist or recur for months — or even years — in the area where shingles first occurred.

Two of the worst things to set it off are a change in temperature or touch. Even something like a slight draught from a window can affect it.

[quiteone]

on my thigh and the doc has given me all the rite medication so jus have to wait til i get better. hopefully wont be as long as last time.

[jazzyr1]

i had shingles when i was 24,over my right side(chest,shoulder,head and face,still got the scars on my face)i am now 40 and still get the pains in the same place the shingles were,especially if i get stressed or tired,so i sympathise with you very much

[Margaret M.]

I think Id go through childbirth before shingles.

How about both? I got shingles when I was in my twenties right before I had my daughter. Until then, I thought shingles was something that only old wifies got. The worst thing ever -- my heart goes out to you and anyone who gets shingles. I never want to host those again.

I wish you a very speedy recovery.

[sassylass]

It's true - even the slightest draught of air can be misery. I foolishly suffered through my bout, and am glad you had the good sense to go the doctor. What meds did he give you?

[quiteone]

i got aciclovir, amitriptyline for nite time an solpedine max strength for day time but its not really makin much difference i wanted to avoid tramadol cos they turned me into a zombie last time. mind u i was painfree!!

[NickInTheNorth]

I too have suffered, and would not wish it on my worst enemy. I hope the meds (I guess aciclovir or similar?)

I hope you feel better soon, it really is the most miserable of conditions.

I hope you don't get it centred in your cranial nerves, that really is the absolute worst!!!!

[Venture]

Aciclovarworks if you catch the virus early. I had gabapentin and they turned me into a zombie but didnt help the pain much.

[Kevin Milkins]

I remember it affected my mams eyesight but had no idea it was as bad as it sounds. Wrap up and stay out the draught .

[zappster]

Ive had it twice & its a bloomin nightmare couldna hardly move for over a week after the last attack

[Ricco]

Just the once, Quietone. On my thigh; doc prescribed some tablets that cleared it up quickly. Make sure you continue the meds right to the end. And stay away from chicken pox! ;)

[dirdyweeker]

symathise greatly with you. Keep taking the tablets as Ricco says. I am sure with you having "been there ,done that" you will know already. Time is the healer but a pretty painful wait. Hope this wont send you back on the dreaded weed.....? You still stopped smoking?

[quiteone]

yea still stopped will be 4wks on wednesday and im so proud of myself and saved £170!!! iv never once needed to use my inhalers for asthma either so i can honestly say i will never smoke again!!! :D

[cuddlepop]

My youngest had an attack of shingles when she was only 13.I was in hospital at the time and my partner was looking after her and fortunatly the pain was so bad she let him look at the rash on her back.Took her to Boots the chemist in Inverness and asked for something for it and they refered us to our Gp as they hadnt a clue what it was.Typically it was a weekend so had to go to A&E decided to go to Broadford on the way home as it was going to be quicker to be seen than Raigmore.

she was giving the medication you mentioned but it was the tiredness that really got to her.
Please listen when they say to rest as it was months before my girl felt well again.

I didnt realise you could get another attack:(,is it alwas in the same place?

[quiteone]

always the same place!! i actually asked my doctor to cut it out of the skin but he wouldnt as it would only travel through another nerve and surface somewhere else.

[Margaret M.]

There is a vaccine for shingles but so far it is only offered and recommended for all people over 60 -- I wonder if they will give it to those who are younger but have had shingles already.

Some info on shingles:

Shingles is a painful localized skin rash often with blisters that is caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox. Anyone who has had chickenpox can develop shingles because VZV remains in the nerve cells of the body after the chickenpox infection clears and VZV can reappear years later causing shingles. Shingles most commonly occurs in people 50 years old or older, people who have medical conditions that keep the immune system from working properly, or people who receive immunosuppressive drugs.

Is there a vaccine to prevent shingles?
Yes. Zostavax, made by Merck, was licensed May 25, 2006 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in people 60 years old and older to prevent shingles. This is a one-time vaccination. Zostavax does not treat shingles or post-herpetic neuralgia (pain after the rash is gone) once it develops.

Can the shingles vaccine be given to people who have already had shingles?
Yes. People who have had shingles can receive the shingles vaccine to help prevent future occurrences of the disease.

Why is the shingles vaccine only recommended for people 60 years and older?
A person's risk for getting shingles begins to rise around age 50. However, shingles vaccine (Zostavax) is only recommended for persons age 60 and older because the safety and effects of the vaccine were only studied in this group, which accounts for about half of all cases of shingles occurring each year in the United States. Future research will determine if the recommended age for vaccination should be lowered.