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Shingles

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Polly1958 | 14:36 Wed 24th Feb 2010 | Body & Soul
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I was diagnosed with them on Monday, they are so painful,and am told that they can take months to go.Anyone else had them?
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Yes Polly I`ve had them and my GP was so slow to diagnose (instead going for a skin infection) that the pain was pretty bad and sleeping was awful. I suppose painkillers are the main route in the short term.

Take care

M
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Thanks Mamya,my doctor thinks i went in good time so hopefully can nip it in the bud.I have been given anti-viral tablets and paracetamol are keeping the pain under control.
well you may improve soon, mine was left too late for anti virals even though I askrd if it was Shingles!! at my first visit.

M
Hi Polly,

Nasty..sorry to hear you got 'em.......my mum got it many years ago and was treated very quickly for them...went in no time, so hopefully yours will be the same.

Good luck, my lovely xx
I had shingles last year Polly in my breast and round my back .Very painful .I was much too late going to the doctors with it . My own fault, thinking it was just one of those things until the stabbing pains and blisters took me there post haste :)
You have to get the anti virals into you asap ,so they didn't really help me .It seems you are more sensible and hopefully it's been caught in time for the antivirals to clear it quickly for you .
It did go on for ages little or much even after the blisters cleared up.I dabbed the blisters with calamine which cooled it somewhat .I hope you soon feel better.
My elderly aunt had them a few years ago. They were extremely painful, and lasted over a year. As others have implied, if they are not diagnosed quickly so that treatment can begin early, there's really no treatment available other than to let them disappear naturally.

However, there is a high success rate of managing the pain with hypnotherapy. Ask your GP to recommend one or, if they really are unbearable and you don't mind paying, find a local one through Google or Yell.

The hypnotherapy doesn't take the pain away, of course - it just "programmes" you not to notice it.
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Thanks yogi and shaneystar!
Where have you got the infection? I got it in my face and neck and ended up with developing Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, with a paralysed face and eye. See http://www.medicinene...me/page2.htm#2howdoes

The treatment was with antivirals and electric shock which was very unpleasant, although i am not sure they do that these days. The paralysis went as quickly as it came although it lasted several weeks and I had pain across my face, neck and scalp for about 18 months afterwards.

Hope yours is somewhere else - good luck.
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Around my waist, only half way so far!
my sympathies go out to you. I had them half way round my waist and took month s clear. That was a good few years ago but still get some itching in the area if I get warm
Treatment with anti virals is the only answer.
Looking on the bright side I have heard that they never meet in the middle !!
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Thanks, i heard that too Mctavish.I must say Lanacane ointment is keeping the itching at bay.
Yes, I got them years ago, in my eye and around my armpit.

Shingles is a two-stage infection - first of all you are afraid you might die ... then you are afraid you might not!

Actually, joking apart, although it's painful, it is unlikely to last a long time, so do get plenty of rest and fluids inside you. Although it's a strain of the chicken pox virus, it is often exacerbated by stress, so take it easy in the future to prevent a recurrence.

There used to be an 'old wives tale' that if the rash met around your middle you would die - which is nonsense, but as mentioned, you may feel like it.

Keep the painkillers going - try to overlap your dose if things are really bad, and have three before you go to sleep, and a couple more if you wake in the night.

You will get past it, but it's nasty, my sincere sympathies.
I had it many years ago before the advent of antivirals, so it was just rest and painkillers for me.
I do remember that it was very painful, as if I had been scalded, I thought. I also remember thinking that the painkillers were having no effect...until they wore off. I had it down my scalp and over one eyelid.
What I was advised at the time ,and did ,was to take really huge doses of vitamin B complex. Three times the daily dose every day for a week. I have no idea whether it worked or not, but my shingles lasted only 3 weeks. Mind you, I was in my twenties at the time, so had youth on my side.
Do get plenty of rest, plenty of fluids and take the painkillers regularly, don't wait until the pain get too bad.
Hope you feel better soon.
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Thankyou Andy and ladyalex,you both mention rest,i am still working,does resting make a difference? I must say i feel very fortunate in that i haven't got them as bad as a lot you have had,thanks all for your concern and comments.
Hi Polly - I had a bad dose of shingles more than 15 yrs ago. The pain was terrific and like a twit I didn't go to the doctor straight away. The pain deprived me of sleep for nearly a week. In fear and trepidation of something terminally wrong with me I went to the dr and he quickly diagnosed shingles. I felt such relief from the news that I laughed until I cried - he just thought I was mad. I had it mainly in my lower r shoulder (and armpit) and the pain went through my chest like a red hot poker. I found tremendous relief in taking tepid pulsating showers letting the water hit the exact spot. I never was so clean in all my life. The nights of sleeplessness were the worst part so I became a t.v. addict and borrowed all the boxed video sets I could. But like all bad things it is just a memory now. Wish you a speedy recovery.
Yes. Resting makes a big difference. If you push yourself to go to work you will be ill for longer. Also, until your rash crusts over, you are infectious. If anyone you have contact with has not had chicken pox, then you may well infect them. If you think shingles is unpleasant, chicken pox as an adult is just dreadful.
Did your GP not sign you off ? Should have.
Stop working and go to bed.
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Thanks again Ladyalex and moucha.I have taken your advice.Taking some time off work after finding it is much easier when resting!
Good for you Polly. Hope you find more improvement daily
Good to hear it. Phone your GP for a certificate and keep on resting.
Hope you feel better very soon.

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