[Closed] Does anyone know about shingles?

Cedar or felt?

Is it related to the shingles?
Should I go back to the doc?
Is it the nerve thingamabob?

Probably.

The symptoms appear to be improving so no.

Yes shingles attacks the nerves so hence the pain.

Mate of mine got it when we decided to have a last minute trip to Zurich for the weekend, rocked up and stayed at a cheap and nasty hotel. I seemed to escape it but he got hit by it. He suffered sympthoms like you describe, and seemed to suffer from the after effects for some time after. He has Eczema also so seemed to have a bad time of it (not sure if the Eczema had an impact or not) but he did fully recover after a number of months, so don't surprised if it does take some time to fully recover. Just crack on with the treatment and it should get sorted eventually.

I noticed mine as chest pain, went to the doc but no heart issues so sent me home then a few days later the rash came out on my back, so nowhere near the pain. 2 weeks living by the clock of the painkillers later and the rash was gone, a few weeks later I wasn't feeling totally wiped out, a bit after that I could think about riding again, a few months later and the stabbing pains in my chest and arm became less frequent. Its a bit of a bugger.

Cedar or felt?

😀

Just crack on with the treatment and it should get sorted eventually.

Treatment is finished now. Shoulder still pretty darn painful and inside arm feels uncomfortable.

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I mean it is quite an interesting thing (if it didn't hurt so much and means it keeps me awake)
The doc showed me a diagram of nerve pathways.
Mine followed it exactly, down the top of the arm and up the thumb.
Didn't touch the bottom of the arm or anywhere else on the hand.

It is apparently the chicken pox virus that has sat dormant for something like 40 years in my case. When the rash is blistery, it is contagious, but only in that someone who hasn't had chicken pox can catch chicken pox from it. You can't catch shingles from it.

That is pretty much all of my knowledge of shingles.
(I had no idea what it was beforehand)

I hope some feel educated.

a few months later

and the stabbing pains in my chest and arm became less frequent. Its a bit of a bugger.

Oh, bugger.
Did you do anything about the pain, or just take the drugs for the week at the beginning and then the pain went away on its own eventually?

The doc offered me some fancy painkillers alongside the anti virals but like a fool I said I didn't fancy the side effects so he said paracetemol and ibuprofen on overlapping doses.

Eta - for balance Mrs P has had it too, all she had was sensitive skin for a few days and a rash, she made a new set of curtains while she was signed off then that was it done.

Cedar or felt?

Ain't got time to fix the shingles.

My 70 year old mum was just telling me a week before how she had a shingles jab!

Available to 70 or 78 apparently (but not in between?)

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/shingles-vaccination/

Worrying though!...
"Shingles can be very painful and uncomfortable. Some people are left with pain lasting for years after the initial rash has healed. Shingles is also fatal for around 1 in 1,000 over-70s who develop it."

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/post-herpetic-neuralgia/

wot rocketdog said linked - persistent pain following shingles (esp if you've tried "normal" painkillers without benefit) merits a trip back to your doc for some additional treatment

It took me a week to leave a darkened room and not be in serious pain.
It took a fortnight for the pain to become an ache.
Three weeks later I went back to work for half days.
A month later I was back full time, but stuck in office still.
I think it took three months to feel properly 'me'.
I've still a funny bit on my chest that doesn't feel the same.

This terrible disease could be wiped out forever if only Shaky wasn’t so damn busy.

Chickenpox is rife at the moment....

The namesh Bond. Jamesh Bond. I know lotsh about Shinglesh.

I like dogsh alsho.

Mate of mine got it when we decided to have a last minute trip to Zurich for the weekend, rocked up and stayed at a cheap and nasty hotel. I seemed to escape it but he got hit by it.

Cheap Hotel? Are you sure it was shingles?

Think yourselves lucky.
Mrs Egf was in hospital last year with a nasty dose of bowel cancer, which eventually was the least of her troubles as she got an infection that turned out to be sepsis related (I just read 'sepsis' somewhere on her notes) She was in ITU for a week & ventilated for 3 of those, when she was moved to HDU she developed....SHINGLES!
& still has the scars to prove it.

The surgeon went off to some big religious do in Jerusalem just before & said he'd say a prayer for her while he was there.
Cheers Allah. 😉

Last Oct I had a big off, one of those where you seriously do a primary and secondary check on yourself. Ended up in hospital but ribs and shoulder not broken but two weeks later shingles started to show. Even a month after they cleared my side was sensitive.

I got-on the antivirals within a day of the rash appearing, so it didn't get bigger than a square inch or so - disappeared over the next couple of weeks.

The pain stuck around for about six weeks or so..... it was worst at night.

As your doc says, overlapping doses of ibuprofen and codeine/paracetamol. Take the ibuprofen with a glass of milk (if you're not having it with a meal), and if you're taking codeine for any length of time, make sure you drink plenty of water to keep things moving.

A mate of mine got it on his forehead and around his eye. Was in pain for nearly a year. Only thing that worked for him was a long term dose of several generations ago anti-depressants (which bizarrely somehow work on shingles nerve pain despite the fact that they weren't very good anti depressants

Another one got it in his arse, couldn't sit down for a week and had pains like muscle cramos in his legs for weeks. It's a bugger. Hope you get better soon but if it continues you could enquire with your doc about the antidepressants (think they may have been tricyclics?)

Had it post stress after an unfair dismissal years ago, still have the scars, I was at a best friends weddings stacked up on paracetamol and Ibruprofen and I felt like a was strapped up to an electric chair.. I got drunk forgot about it and woke up to an electric shock and a banging head..

Rest and plenty of water

didnt know i had them, went to docs a week or two after our summer holiday in italy cos it still felt like i had sunburn, but only on one side of my body. thought there had to be something wrong, some skin complaint or somethings.

apparently the 'just on one side of your body' is a common sign, and he asked if id had any stress lately. turned out it was watching my dear old pops die of cancer over the previous couple of months that had brought them on.
still have the scars. the mental ones obviously but also a few physical scars on my arm and side.

OK, thanks for this.
So, the bottom line is that it sucks but it is normal to have kind of nerve pain.

It's unclear if the area of pain is ALSO where the shingles came up??

The oral antivirals may shorten the length of the illness, and may reduce the risk of POST HERPETIC NEURALGIA, but they may not!

It's likely that if the rash has gone, but the areas still painful, then the nerve remains 'irritated'.. painkillers and time should hopefully settle it.
a small percentage of people have longstanding pains... hopefully it's still early days

DrP

I had Shingles about 3 years ago ... all over my face. Didn’t get into my eyes but Shingles lead to a whole viral meltdown....
I completely lost my balance and then developed Scleritis. Something I would recommend you try to avoid getting ...
Re Shingles - I still get issues where my face has a full on pins and needles sensation. Last week being aprima example ...

Dull down in time apparently.

My daughter has chicken pox at the moment, didn't realise that there was an immunisation available for it that is given as part of childhood immunisations in the USA and Australia.
Apparently the virus remains in your body for the rest of your life, and your immune system constantly suppresses it. When you're subjected to stress or weakened immune system it can't fight it and it pops up again as shingles. Being exposed to children with chicken pox helps your body to "top up" your immunity and reduces the chance of it flaring up as shingles.
This is apparently the reason that we don't immunise against it, it costs the NHS very little to treat children with chicken pox, and them being around to top up the elderly then reduces the cost of treating people with shingles as it happens less.
Of course, it wouldn't happen at all if we immunised our children so that the virus didn't get into them in the first place and therefore future generations wouldn't get shingles.
(A lot of internet "knowledge" in there, I'd appreciate the opinion of our resident medical experts on the truth behind it!)

i got it in february, on my rear
I didnt know what shingles was before. It was only mild, the doc knew straightaway what it was and gave me a prescription for amitryptiline, which I never used
It cleared up , iirc I took some gabapentin, which helped stop the discomfort and let me sleep

you could enquire with your doc about the antidepressants (think they may have been tricyclics?)

Probably Amitriptyline, often prescribed as a pain killer.

It’s unclear if the area of pain is ALSO where the shingles came up??

This is what confused me initially.
When hunting internetally, it seems like the pain generally (post rash) is on the surface where the rash was.

Mine is inside the shoulder (where no rash was) and inside my arm down to the wrist.
The rash was on the top part of my arm and onto my thumb.

But, on reading things carefully, it seems that this is normal.
(currently using paracetamol and ibuprofen combo which seem to build up over the day to help)

I appreciated the input guys, thanks.
So, my shoulder first started hurting 5 or 6 weeks ago, but over the last few days, the pain is subsiding.
I slept through the night the last couple of nights.

It is a pretty interesting thing, shingles, isn't it?

I cycle up a hill every day and have been struggling more than usual recently.
I have been pretty weak.
I am just beginning to get some strength back.
I guess it isn't just pain and a rash eh?
It makes you ill for a while as well.
I suppose it is a virus.

Glad to be over the worst of it now, looking forward to getting back to full (as limited as it is) strength again.

Don't rush back to full on efforts yet. Yes it's a virus, but it's a sneaky virus that lurks until you're weak enough for it to have a field day in your system. But it's smart enough not to fight your body to the bitter end so once it's getting beat it retreats back into your deepest depths and lurks again, waiting for its next chance.

My dad had shingles on his legs, you have my sympathy.

I'd be careful having Amitriptyline. I was on this briefly as a pain blocker for foot pain and it really screwed me up big time. I only ever got to half the dosage I was supposed to be on as it just made me so sleepy and lethargic. Went back to the hospital to get prescription changed to Nortryptyline which I find a hell of a lot better.

I'm in the middle of a shingles outbreak too. its rubbish

I saw the doc Thursday as I ad left ear pain as if it were blocked and the left side of my head is painful to touch. Doc said my ears were fine and it was likely referred pain as I had some ulcers in the back of my mouth.

then I got a really bad pain in my lower back & hip on the left side, I thought it was Sacro Illiac as I've had trouble with the other side before. Then the blisters appeared in the same area.

Going back to the docs tomorrow. Am I likely to get signed off work? Two of my colleagues are pregnant (nothing to do with me!) and I've read I should avoid them while I'm contagious

Everyone has regaled their own stories, so not much to add, but for cathartic reasons I’d like to add that I thought shingles was mightily shit. I had what I thought was stomach pain or kidney pain, then fainted and felt nauseous/wiped out and missed my best friends stag do.

Second time I saw a doctor (within about 3/4 days of each other) the rash had then come out so I got diagnosed - felt terrible for a few weeks. However, it really affected my fitness. I did mayhem as part of a large team around five or six months later and was totally wiped out still - the c.7 miles almost made my cry. I did one lap and slept all night ignoring calls from teammates for extra laps. I reckon it took me nine months to feel normal again. I had no power or energy at all throughout that period. And it’s not like I was fit and it was an understandable drop, I’m very much Joe average (possibly below) in terms of fitness, I just had nothing to give.

Two of my colleagues are pregnant (nothing to do with me!) and I’ve read I should avoid them while I’m contagious

They won't catch shingles, but they can catch chicken pox.
Your doc will tell you though. Good luck.

I reckon it took me nine months to feel normal again.

Oh boy, oh boy.
Honestly, it seems like I have got away with this one quite lightly.
I know what you mean about nothing to give.
That is exactly it. Like someone has turned down the power in your body.
The breathing is not as good either.

I will try a gentle ride in the next few days, just to get out and see how i feel.
I will go on my own as it might be a real short ride 🙂

I had it about 3 years ago. Doc gave me some pills and I felt a bit rough for a couple of days, then took it easy for a week. Was back up to full speed 10 days later.

They won’t catch shingles, but they can catch chicken pox

well that isn't true. While shingles is less contagious than chicken pox it is the same virus and you can have one without having the other. You can also get another bought of chicken pox too.

Saw the doc and was prescribed Aciclovir today. The side effects are horrible. I have a really bad headache and feel terrible, will this last? Pharmacist said I could take Paracetamol bit its making no difference.

Doc said to just avoid my pregnant colleagues.

As I understand it, you don't catch shingles.
You only catch chicken pox.
I believe that anyone who has shingles has to have had chicken pox before.

I had aciclovir too.
5 times a day for a week.
Had horrible night sweats and all sorts.
Hard to know what was the tablets and what was me from being already pretty darn ill.

Again, as I understand it, (not a doctor), you can take ibuprofen and paracetamol at the same time.
You take them in between each other. Make sure you have at least a glass of milk with ibuprofen.
It took the edge off for me. Enough, you know? Nights were pretty rubbish still.

When I broke my ribs years ago, i was advised to go with ibuprofen and paramol (I think it was)

My doc said if they are not enough, go back. I think they can prescribe something stronger.

I reckon stick with the Aciclovir, it seemed to stop the rash in its tracks.
Sounds like it can get way worse otherwise.

Good luck, man.
It sucks, but it does get better.

If the rash is bad, look up relief online.
Stuff like cold packs and some creams can help ease for some people.

(Please note all of the 'I think's in the above statements.)

Just an update.
My shoulder is slowly slowly fixing, but boy it is taking a while.
The same with my hand.

Just goes to show it is more than just a rash eh?

I have a bit of a cough and if I put any effort into cycling, my lungs feel a bit pants and my heart gives a sort of flutter.
Like I was COMPLETELY unfit. (But not THAT bad nowadays)

Boy, don't it hang on?
I was thinking I was getting over it pretty smartish when I read it took ages for people to get over. But it is still there.

I reckon using the arm as an indicator as to when it has gone.

Can anyone tell me whether you would always get the rash with shingles?

I caught chickpenpox off my daughter about 4 years ago, as an adult with it, i felt absolutely rough as hell, but it seemed to go after a week or so.

Then last year, i had a period where i was absolutely wiped out, felt rough as hell for a few months, the doctors ran loads of blood tests, thyroid tests, can cancer tests etc, but never really got to the bottom of it, i had no rash, but reading the above is making me wonder if it was connected...