Thread: Has anyone suffered through a case of Shingles?

I am sorry your not feeling well and have to deal with such trouble. God Speed to you for a quick recovery.

Sorry to hear that Chris. I had the misfortune of shingles in my mid-twenties. Not as bad as yours' but localized on my back and wrapped around the right side of my rib cage. Just the natural motion of my arm swing while walking was painful. As others have said, there are some antiviral medications that may help if started early. Acyclovir is one of the generics in pill form that is available. There is also Zovirax in cream or ointment that can help with the pain and itching. Unfortunately, the cream and ointment are Brand name only in the U.S., so if your insurance does cover them, the copay will still probably take a bite out of your wallet. Talk to your doctor if you have not done so already to see if any of these medications would benefit you, speed your recovery, and at the very least ease the pain. Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks for all the well wishes, guys. When I was diagnosed, I was prescribed an antiviral pill that I've been taking. Apparently that's most effective if the drug is taken within 72 hours of getting the rash. Unfortunately I think I had more time than that elapse, so I don't know how effective the antiviral will be. Today for the first time, the pain, although still constant, is not to a level of being debilitating like it has been. I took a shower for the first time today in five days. I've found, hands down, that the best relief has come from cold wet washcloths on the rash. Calamine lotion was largely ineffective. I'd upload a pic, but it may not be for weak stomachs.

The cause for me was extreme stress or my reaction to it. We're relocating within the state and that, on top of doing everything that's been required to prep our home for sale as soon as possible, etc put me over the edge.

Chrisl

Hi Chris

Sorry to hear of your shingles.
Yes. Same virus as chicken pox (herpes zoster), glad to hear you've got the anti-virals.

Never had them but treated them a number of times in my career as a physiotherapist.
Not sure what healthcare you are able to access and the cost of this where you are living.

Therapeutic ultrasound (as used by physical therapists on soft tissue injuries ) and acupuncture can both have benefits in relieving pain and speeding healing.

All the best

If cold and wet helps: try levomenthol gel with or without lignocaine added. Alternative would be mentholated shaving cream. I have used Proraso green as a cooling cream with good results.

Kees: Do you think camphor oil would work? I have some of that. It may have a cooling effect?

I do not know camphor oil by experience. I usually prescribe levomenthol/lignocaine gel or cream for topical treatment.

Wow Chris, hope you feel better soon. Stress is definately a killer. One bad thing many of us do when we get stressed is to make bad choices with our diets. I have heard that virgin coconut oil is supposed to be a very good choice for out of whack immune systems. We have recently changed to it for cooking many dishes and it tastes awesome. Get well soon.

Sooo..How are you doing now?


Richard

Thanks for the well wishes, guys. I'm feeling much better. The lesions have mostly healed and are simply red on surface rather than raised. On my neck, it just looks like a bad case of healing razor burn. I can't say that the antiviral pills helped given that I started taking them most likely after the 72 hour initial window in which such treatment is recommended to start, but I have to feel the antiviral helped to a degree.

Shingles are intense. The first five days or so after the initial outbreak was acutely painful on several levels: the surface of the skin in and around the outbreak area was unbelievably sensitive and painful. In addition to that, however, the shingles was accompanied by nerve pain which was comprised of random stabbing jolts which I envision as though someone was pressing or poking a raw nerve. Now, the deep nerve pain is gone, and the surface of my skin on my neck, the back of my head and my shoulder is just a bit more sensitive than the rest of my skin, but bearably so. Really not a big deal at all.

I'm glad to be feeling better, that's for sure!

Chris L