Anyone Ever Had Shingles?

[DVC Sadie]

I just found out today that I have the Shingles and I hurt,itch and am basically miserable.

If you have had them, how long did they last? TIA

 

[doxdogy]

I have never had them, but my poor dad is getting over them. The shingles were all healed within a couple of weeks. He did have some lingering pain with them and a couple of months later he is starting to feel back to his old self again. The worse part was the shingles delayed his bladder cancer treatment for a few weeks.

 

[CraftyMouse]

I just found out today that I have the Shingles and I hurt,itch and am basically miserable.

If you have had them, how long did they last? TIA

DD14 had them last summer. She said they were VERY painful. The doctor put her on Acyclovir (sp?) which is the same thing they use for Chicken Pox since Shingles comes from the same virus. She felt better within a day or two but it took a couple of weeks for the sores to clear up.

She still has a scar from one stubborn patch she had. Shingles follows a nerve path and she has no feeling on the scarred area. I guess the nerve endings were killed. Other than that small patch she is perfectly fine.

Hope you feel better soon.

 

[horner5]

I never had them personally, but my mom got them in December 2004 and started suffering during a trip we all took to WDW-she was absolutely miserable. When we arrived home, within days she broke out in a chicken pox type rash all over her body and was in so much pain-she couldn't dress or shower or even brush her hair because it hurt so badly. My mom rarely complains about pain ever and this woman was in tears every day. Her doctor gave her some medication to help relax her and ease her pain a little, but from what I remember, it took a couple of months for her to really feel relief. She is a teacher and had to take off at least 2 weeks from school. I think her doctor told her she had to let it run its course and there wasn't much that they could do.

On top of the shingles, she developed colitis and still suffers from that. I really feel for you-I hear it is absolutely one of the most miserable experiences!

 

[lovmy2girls]

I think? if you get around anyone that has not had chicken pox, or the shot, you will give it to them. Its a form of the same virus.

My MIL had shingles, and my youngest daughter didn't have her shot yet, and she got the Chicken pox from her. I had no idea.

 

[minniecarousel]

I hear it's harder on older people. It sure has been for my Mother. She had shingles almost 6 years ago. She has had post hepatic neuralgia ever since. It took almost 3 years for the doctors to finally prescribe vicodin for the lingering pain. She's had a rough week because of the extreme heat our area has had (it's down to 93 today - from a high of 113). My sister had them and they were painful while she had them, but once she was over them, she had no lingering pain. Two of my sisters-in-law had them (one while she was pregnant!) and neither had any residual pain.

Did you get the anti-viral meds for it? It only works if you start it within a short time of the outbreak. Regardless, you'll just have to wait it out. Hang in there!

 

[scrump]

A friend of mine recently recovered from them. She was miserable from the pain and discomfort, and that probably lasted around 2 weeks. I hope you feel better!

 

[DVC Sadie]

Thanks for the encouragement you all! I really appreciate the the kind words and hugs.

My doctor put me on Valtrex and Lortab so I hope it starts to work soon.

 

[KristiKelly]

I had shingles last November on my right side around to my spine. At first I thought I was having an appendicitis, I hurt down deep. Then I hurt at my spine right where my pants came to, my skin was really irritated and I thought it was the tag in my jeans, even though were old jeans. Then patches of blisters started to pop up.

I went to a local walk in clinic (my Dr. for years had just retired and I didn't have a new Dr. yet - great), I was breastfeeding my DD (then 5 mo. old), he told me I was fairly young to have shingles (I was 34 at the time) and that my DD would be fine - DIDN'T TELL ME THAT SHE COULD GET CHIK. PX FROM THEM ). I couldn't take the anti-viral meds because of breastfeeding (and I wasn't about to stop that so I just suffered through) but he did give me some painkillers that helped but Motrin was almost as good.

Over Thanksgiving DD started developing blisters and sure enough, she had ChixPox, forunately it was fairly mild and she didn't seem bothered too bad. Anyway, it took me 5 good weeks to get over them.

From blisters they then scabbed over, really dark, almost black and I had to keep a big bandage over my side to keep my pants from rubbing (I also went back to my loose maternity pants ). It has now been 8 mo. or so since I had them and from time to time I still have pains in the same spot. They say (whoever *they* are ) that this could go on for years.

Hopefully you will not have as bad a case as I did and it will not take that long to get rid of. It is painful but if you can take the anti-viral - take it. Good luck!!!

 

[ozarkmom]

My youngest son had them when he was 3 and the doctor had never seen anyone that young with them. The poor baby was complaining with pain before the blisters appeared. I actually thought he was faking at first because I had started a new job and we were trying to get him to sleep in his own bed. Wow I felt terrible when I realized he was sick.

 

[Mickeyroks247]

My uncle had them once and was really miserable for a few weeks
Hope you feel better soon

 

[DVC Sadie]

Thank you for the encouragement because today I really needed it. The worse part is the constant pain but the pain pills are helping. i just hope this is better soon.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I had shingles when I was 17 and I had no clue what it was at the time. Not a clue! I was a senior in high school, and my parents already stopped bringing me to doctors and getting physicals years before (I guess they assumed I was old enough to earn money and get my own medical care). I remember first seeing a bunch of blisters all over my left side. This may be TMI (guys, look away now! But I originally thought my bra strap somehow rubbed me raw and got me an infection and that's what the blisters were from). Anyways, the blisters then got all over my side, in raised clumps. It was awful! I never told a single adult or the school nurse - I just bought really big bandaids and covered up the rash as much as I could!

Finally one day (I think this went on over a week), the rash started crusting over - I remember being overjoyed to finally see a change! Then from there, it slowly scabbed up and healed. I don't remember a lot of pain, just remembering looking at that yucky rash! But it took a LONG time for that rash to heal! I only found out it was shingles a few years later, when I was flipping through a medical book at someone's house and recognize the rash.

But yuck! Shingles was no fun!

 

[luvwinnie]

How are you feeling? My coworker was just telling me he knows 2 people who have had shingles this month and there were a few on this board and on 2 other boards I go on also.

 

[DVC Sadie]

luvwinnie, I feel crappy. The pain is excruiating and I swear the pain goes to the bones. Thanks for asking. My itching seems to be doing better but I make sure I don't get hot and sweaty so I don't make the itching worse.

Hope your friends get over the shingles soon!

 

[hydster]

Oh I so feel for you! I had them when I was 5 and I can still remember how badly they hurt and how miserable I was with them! My ds had them at the age of 8 and he had a miserable time with them as well. Our doc gave me an instruction sheet with the following things to make him "more comfortable" if that's possible

1. Keep the affected area clean, dry, and exposed to air (without clothes covering it) as much as possible. Don't scratch or burst the blisters. If the pain keeps you from sleeping, snugly bind the area with an elastic sports bandage.

2. For the first three or four days, try ice for 10 minutes on, 5 minutes off, every few hours. Later, apply cool, wet compresses soaked in aluminum acetate, available over the counter in the form of astringent solution, powder packets or effervescent tablets.

3. To desensitize nerve endings, crush two aspirin, mix them with 2 tablespoons rubbing alcohol, and apply the paste to the blisters three times a day. To cut down on itching, ask your pharmacist to mix 78% calamine lotion with 20% rubbing alcohol, 1% phenol, and 1% menthol. You can apply this mixture continuously until your blisters scab over. Other remedies for itching include frequent applications of vitamin E oil or gel from the aloe vera plant. Dusting colloidal oatmeal powder where clothes rub against your skin can reduce pain.

4. We bought some Aveeno for the bathtub for him to soak in and that helped tremendously with the itching and stay in for 20 min. He suggested that we do this especially before bed and then I knocked him out with Lortab as well.

Hang in there. It WILL get better but it sure doesn't feel like it when you are in the middle of dealing with it!

Hope you feel better soon!

 

[TruBlu]

DS7 had them last spring. It took about 3 weeks for them to clear up, but he says the spot still hurts. He has a really bad scar on his chest.

I hope your clears up much faster! Good luck!!!

 

[Laurajean1014]

Get meds quickly. Within 24 hours the itching and pain will ease - if you don't scratch, it will be easy for them to fade away.

It takes 2 months for the swelling or scabs to go away.

I had a mild to medium case of it a few months back and it wasn't as bad I thought it would have been.

Best of luck to you......

 

[mickeyfan2]

DH had them are they are painful. There is a med the Dr. can give you for them. They take days to go away. His started at his belly button and ended when they got to his back. They were on one side only. Shingles run along nerves.

 

[luvwinnie]

luvwinnie, I feel crappy. The pain is excruiating and I swear the pain goes to the bones. Thanks for asking. My itching seems to be doing better but I make sure I don't get hot and sweaty so I don't make the itching worse.

Hope your friends get over the shingles soon!

Oh, no, sorry to hear this! Sending some PD!