Thread: Has anyone suffered through a case of Shingles?

At the ripe young age of 41, and within a period of only a handful of days, I've been in the throes of a bad case of Shingles. Zoster. Within a few days, I have large ghastly and very painful excruciatingly itchy blistery sores on my right chest/shoulder both front and back and extending up that side of my neck, cheek, on my ear and up the back of my scalp. I'm homebound. I can only take it one day at a time. By the time I'm healed, it's looking like three weeks to a month.

Has anyone else suffered with this?

Thanks.

Chris L

Not to the extent that you are experiencing, but yes. My wife has had it too. I feel for you my friend, I just remember the pain that you cannot get away from. I'm very sorry that this has happened to you.
As mine wasn't near as bad as yours I don't know exactly what you are going through, but good luck and take care of yourself.

When I was 28, after a bout of pneumonia when my immune system was compromised, I was strucken with shingles. My case was much the same as yours, except I had them also on my wrists and ankles. I think it took a couple weeks to clear up, till then I was forced to sleep sitting up in a chair, it was a very unpleasant expierience that I don't envy you for. Good luck! and I hope you get over them quickly.

Could be worse...

My next door neighbor, after having a cyst removed from his tailbone, had a shingles outbreak localized on his spine, in the vicintity of his pooper. Not knowing what these new sores on his butt were, he went to an emergency clinic. Not having his immediate records, the clinic told him that he had anal herpes, since the outbreak looks alot alike and surrounded his butt hole. When asked if he was openly gay (he's married with two kids) and he denied such alignment the doctor answered, "sure you're not." It wasn't until after he spent two weeks curled up in bed wondering how he got anal herpes that he went and saw his regular doctor who let him know that it was shingles. He felt miserable, but better after that.

Sorry to hear you got ill. It doesn't feel like it, but it will pass. If it makes you feel any better... you weren't falsely told you have anal herpes.

I'm sorry to hear about this ChrisL.
I've had this myself, and it is no picnic.
I found it to hurt pretty bad for a couple of weeks.

I wish you a speedy recovery!

I have heard that stress and exhaustion can bring this on and as for the ER Doctor in Peasels story,I hate doctors who have cocky lousy bedside manners.He should be beaten with his own reflex hammer ! Get well soon though

Chris,

That is an unusually large area of shingles. In the acute phase you can take antiviral medication, you can even have the nerve blocked through an injection in the cervical ganglion. Other options are painkillers.

Get better soon!

So far I have never had the shingles. My nurse practitioner told me there is a vaccine out to prevent shingles that originally for people aged 60 and over, now it is 50 and over. Now if I heard her correctly, if you had the chicken pox, you can come down with the shingles; they are related. She also said people will still carry the chicken pox virus even though they had the chicken pox. But when there is an outbreak, it comes out as shingles.

You might want to check with your doctor or practitioner.

Sorry to hear about you having the shingles. You will be doing a lot better pretty soon hang in there. I had shingles last year. You sound like you have a pretty bad case of it. Mine was localized to the right side of my face. I thought at first that it was poison oak because the dog and I went to the river bottoms a couple of days before so I put off medical attention. If caught early enough anti-viral drugs can be most helpful and even now you should be on them to lessen the severity. Shingles can happen to teenage kids, and does so it is not an age thing. I was thinking "Oh my God" I have an old persons disease. Life comes at you sometimes! The vaccine can be helpful for preventing a recurrence but the jury is out on that and I am sure that gains are just around the corner.

My case was caused by out and out stress from work. They were pushing me to the breaking point day after day, and week after week. I made some major changes in my attitude and it has been helpful.


Take care,
Richard

Sorry to hear that mate, hope you recover soon!

I've never had shingles and I hope not to, but I do go through periods where i suffer from migraines and anything like that is no fun at all.

Get well soon!