Shingles

[PennyK]

Rats!
I seem to have just come down with this dreaded condition. It emerged after I took Prednisone for an ear problem. Apparently, the drug stops your body's natural immune system, and it was just enough that it encouraged the shingles to come out and make its presence known.
I developed all the lesser symptoms, like headache, nausea, and chills. And there is no rash yet. But the shooting pains up and down my left side are awful!
It went away for a while today, so when I visited my doctor and he confirmed the diagnosis, I didn't ask about pain mitigation. I plan to call tomorrow and ask, but is there anyone out there who can advise on this? As of now I'm using Advil (ibuprofen) and pretty much at the maximum safe dosage recommended.

[Warpy]

1. Yeah, you're going to need opiates

and depending on the doc, it might be like pulling his teeth out with a paper clip to get them.

Just be careful with them, don't exceed the dosage, and you should do OK.

[elleng]

2. I'm glad you were able to respond, Warpy.

[PennyK]

3. Are you serious?

I can't tell.
It's a new doctor for me, but he does seem to be a good guy.

[Warpy]

4. Like a hanging judge

You might be able to get by with something fairly light like hydrocodone when you just can't stand it any more or you might need something heavier. It all depends on the severity of the outbreak and your own response to pain.

Remember, what you want is to remain functional, none of it will make you completely free of the pain until it goes away. Drugs just make it bearable.

[PennyK]

5. I see

I actually told him, when I was there today, that I took a 5m oxycodone I had at home, and that it didn't help. So he is aware I might need stronger. Yeah, the Advil barely does anything.
Thanks.

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. Been there.

Entire torso from front middle to back on left side, my doc said it was the worse she had seen.

What helps.....STRONG opioids....
Also ask your doc about Elavil for nerve pain after the attack...it is used off label for post-shingle neuropathy.
Might even help during attack.

Strangely what else helped was I used snug wraps around my torso at bed time, it really helped to have the areas bandaged and bound.
Exposure to air and moving around, or clothes brushing against the skin, made the blisters hurt more.A corset would have been perfect at the time.
About 10 days of misery and uncomfortable sleep....if you have someone around who can kind of "take over" while you are sleeping so you can be more relaxed, it is a big help.

If I lived in a state where pot was legal I would have used it.

Never had headache chills nausea tho...it just started with a sharp increasingly painful stabbing pain at my waist and then blisters started developing over a few days, so it was advanced by the time I saw a doc and too late to take a medicine they can give you at first outbreak, which is horrendously expensive and may or may not help.
Try to get a lot of water in you..it can be dehydrating.

You have my deepest sympathy...I would not wish what I had on my worst enemy.

Ok..maybe Cheney.....

[PennyK]

7. Thanks

I'm so hoping against hope that I don't get the outbreak, but the odds aren't with me. I'm the type that breaks out from anything and everything.
Will call the doctor's office in a few and hope they will respond in a fairly timely manner. I may just "drop in" myself later as I have a chiropractic appointment nearby later. Since I don't have that touch aversion thing I read about, I'm hoping I can still do the chiro.
Your advice is VERY appreciated.

[Nay]

8. Oy. I have it right now, too. I had the vaccine 4 years ago, so my case is milder

than would be the usual. It's on the left side of my head -- scalp (rash), temple (shooting pains, headache), and right below eyebrow (rash, pain). Since the rash at the eyebrow was less than 72 hours old, the doc gave me 7 days of an antiviral (famcyclovir). It seems to have helped slow and stop the rash. Ask yr doc about taking it!

I've had the scalp rash for a month or so -- I didn't know what it was, and it wasn't bothersome enough to go to the doc. When the temple pain and eye rash developed, I realized what it was and got to the doc right away. I also saw an eye doc to make sure my left eye wasn't affected.

The rash on my scalp had become so painful and touchy that shampooing my hair became difficult; my whole scalp itched and was painful. To be gentler on my scalp, I used a baking soda/water mixture to shampoo with, and then a diluted apple cider vinegar rinse. The itching stopped immediately and my scalp felt soothed. When your rash shows up, you may want to try that (on a small area, to make sure it doesn't make it worse).

[PennyK]

9. Sorry to hear it, Nay

I'm still hanging in, no rash yet, but areas along my pain-line do feel mildly irritating at times. I wrote down your tips and will try if I need to.
I still have the pain, but I'm getting by with ibuprofen. I'm taking lots of C and L-lysine, which I've read can both help. Mostly, I'm grateful that I have a huge sewing project I'm in the middle of (a queen-size quilt), and it gives me something to go in and work on when I feel like it.
Am I correct in thinking that kids get chicken-pox shots these days? That could cut down a lot on people getting shingles in the future.

[Nay]

10. A project will help keep your mind off of it. Yes, kids do get chicken pox shots (2 of them)

but I don't think they know whether that will keep you from getting shingles later in life. I hope so, for my grandson's sake!

[PennyK]

11. The rash made it appearance last night

Last edited Mon Aug 24, 2015, 11:32 AM - Edit history (1)

A bit on my front (just below my breast) and today, a bit on the back at a similar height. I put some skin medication (high cortisone leftover from a mystery rash years ago) and so far not terrible. We'll see, I guess.
I called the doctor and he'll see me this afternoon. I'm within that 72-hour period, so maybe he'll prescribe the ant-viral medicine. And maybe some prescription pain meds?

[PennyK]

12. Okay, my doctor came through

I was in that 72-hour window, so I've got the Acyclovir. he also prescribed pain meds, which I'll pick up a little later. My rash hasn't spread much, for which I am SO thankful!

[PennyK]

13. One more post

Today I had the worst pain so far. The body/nerve pains I'd been having focused on one spot in my back, and it was awful! When Ibuprofen did nothing, I took the Oxycontin 10 mg. I helped a lot, and for the rest of the day, never came back as intensely. I'm hoping that perhaps that was the worst.
The rash has spread, but not much. Still managing.

[PennyK]

14. My, this is an interesting ailment.

Starting last night my pain divided itself. So now half is in my back and half has moved to my side/front (feels like a bad stitch in my side). Taking too much pain med upsets my stomach, so I'm trying to eat more and use the drugs less. Just hoping it will be over soon!

And my husband watched a movie about nutrition last night -- he's decided to go vegan (we are low-carbers). Oy.

[PennyK]

15. I think I've reached the beginning of the end.

Woke up this morning with considerably less pain.
I still took a pain pill and then did the morning tidy-up chores feeling good!
My rash looks like it's actually healing. I guess the anti-viral meds have been working and the worst is behind me. This has certainly been an experience and as stated before, one to wish on only a Cheney.
On the bright side, I think I lost a few pounds due to nausea from the meds.

[PennyK]

16. Since I seem to be talking to only myself

I may as well continue.
It's over! Today, as every day, I woke up feeling all right, and then within minutes, the pain kicked in. Today's was MUCH less. I took one ibuprofen, and that was enough. Didn't need any more as the day went on. The rash is fading too. I did experience some unpleasant side effects from Oxy withdrawal, but that was resolved (bathroom) easily.
Yeppers, this will soon be a thing of the past. It's SO nice to feel like a person again.
And I know I was lucky not to get a worse case.

[Vinca]

17. Sorry I didn't see your post sooner.

My course was similar to yours. The pain in my side was like a horse had kicked me and definitely required the BIG drugs for a bit. It took quite a few months for the rash to fade and even to this day, a couple of years later, I occasionally get an itchy feeling in that area. Like you, I felt lucky. People who get it around their eyes really, really, really suffer and often lose vision.

[PennyK]

18. Thanks, Vinca

My pain still hits when I wake up, but I think today will be the first where I can get away without even ibuprofen. The rash is less again. I think I'm going to wait another week to resume yoga class, but today I'll do a bit of gentle stretching and even try the exercise bike for a few minutes.
The most annoying thing was that I got a bill for $85 over my $30 visit fee, from the ENT who prescribed the Prednisone (that allowed me to get this in the first place)!

[PennyK]

19. It began three weeks ago today

And it is SO nice to be back to normal!
I can go to yoga this week. The only ache I had today was from working on my quilt (it's heavy).
I know there's always a chance the shingles could come back someday but it's OVER for now!