Lets talk about shingles...not the roofing kind

[need_a_Disney_fix]

I have been miserable this week and have had a bad ugly rash on my back. I fianlly went to the doctor and come to find out...I have flippin shingles! Let me tell you, I have an extremely high pain tolerance and this rash BURNS!!!

Have any of my fellow DISers experienced this and have you had any after effects with it. How long did your rash last?

 

[3jsmommy]

I had it and the rash (also on my back) lasted a few weeks but the pain wasn't that long, maybe 10 days of bothering me. I know each case can be unique in the pain level & duration.
I got it the year after I lost my sister & my Dr. told me to try to relax & not get stressed out. About 5 min.(literally) after getting home from that apt. my cousin calls me to tell me there was a tsunami & earthquake in Indonesia where my brother was visiting on one of his surfing excursions We found out a few days later that he was fine, he was on a remote little island w/ out phones! Talk about stress, once we knew he was OK I wanted to kill him!
Shingles stinks! I hope you feel better soon!!!

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

Bumping for more help please. I am miserable.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Apple Cider Vinegar!

Yep!

Rub it on the rash, the nerves will go crazy for a few seconds, but after a minute or so they will calm down and the burning and itching will stop for a few hours.

Good Luck

 

[MdmMim]

I lived on aspirin for about 3 weeks, as it was very painful. I have a little bit of numbness in a few small spots on my back since. (This was about 15 years ago.)

Mine, too, was stress-induced. I got the shingles but could do nothing about the stress--just had to wait things out.

I hope you find some relief soon.

 

[D&R love Disney]

My bosses wife has it and was misdiagnosed. I said thats what it was when she first talked about the pain but she didn't think she could get it in her leg. It took doctors 2 months to tell her it was shingles and now she doesn't know if the pain will ever totally go away since she didn't get treatment for it at the beginning.

My Mom had it on her back, hardly any rash and it took 3 visits to the emergency room to diagnos her. At least she got medication and the pain was totally gone in about 2 months.

There is a shot available now that you get if you've never had shingles and are over 50. My boss just got it.

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

My doctor gave me Valtrex and she said the med will shorten the timespan of the rash and help ease the discomfort and pain. I HATE this. Thank you for your responses.

 

[Pop Daddy]

Im sorry, hope ya feel sexy soon

 

[Kath2003]

I see you have two grandchildren on the way - avoid their pregnant mothers, shingles is horribly contagious and something that pregnant women really should avoid.

 

[Bumpy Grumpy]

Hope you feel well soon.

When I went for a flu shot it was recommended that I also have the shingles vaccine (I didn't even know that they had one) which I did. It gives about a 50% chance on not getting shingles.

Arlene

 

[chobie]

I had it on my forehead and still have a nasty scar from it! I feel your pain. Mine was stressed induced too. I also gave my 2 year old chicken pox.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I had it on my forehead. The doctor gave me Valtrex and it really stopped the progression. Fortunately I had a mild case and it didn't bother me too much.

Now, 2 years later, I sometimes get itching in the same area.

 

[momof2inPA]

My husband had it and took an anti-viral med. The shingles went away, but the Valtrex left him with an intestinal thing that lasted awhile. My almost one year old got chicken pox from it, and DH couldn't visit his dad who was undergoing chemo. It hasn't bothered him since, and it's been 9 years.

 

[Claire L]

Be careful with anyone who hasn't had chicken pox as they can catch it from shingles, as it is a reactivation of the chicken pox virus from a case of chicken pox when you were younger. I was diagnosed with shingles in September and to be honest it was only sore with clothing rubbing on it no other side effects and was gone in two or three weeks. Although I suspect it may have been a reaction of my condition, RSD rash also nerve related, that looked like shingles as I do not truely believe I had it as it was so painfree and shortlived.

Hope you are feeling better soon

Claire

 

[BonnieA]

I had it twice (yes you can get it more than once). First time was right on my bra line on the right side. That was miserable but it was caught quickly and never formed blisters. I took Valtrex for it. The second time was a year later on bottom of my right foot. I didn't think you could get shingles there but my doctor looked it up. I also took Valtrex for that and it went away almost immediately. Now when I get an itchy area for more than a day I start the anti viral drugs. Even mild cases are horrible and I don't want to go thru that again.

 

[minniecarousel]

My Mom was over 80 when she got them and has suffered from severe post herpatic neuralgia ever since. PHN is generally more common in the elderly. She had shingles almost 8 years ago! She generally can control the pain with vicodin and neurontin. There is a new medication, lyrica, that is supposed to be helpful, but she took a short term of it and it didn't seem any better than the neurontin & it's more expensive.


Hopefully, you started the Valtrex in time and you'll get relief soon.

 

[ammo]

Shingles is apparently occuring more frequently and at younger ages due to the use of the chicken pox vaccine. Adult exposure to kids with chicken pox acts like a booster. None of my kids have had chicken pox (good for them), but I was hit with shingles last year. Valtrex only helps if you take it soon after the onset. I didn't, so I lived with excruciating pain for about 3 or 4 weeks. I still have a bit of a scar, but it seems to be continually fading. I hope yours passes quickly.

 

[summerrluvv]

My grandmother has had shingles for a couple of months now and says it's quite painful. I hope you feel better soon

 

[airhead]

I had it last August. The pain was intense. I now have scars and
numbness. My Shingles were from being run down. I was working 12 to 14 hours a day at my new business(Chance To Run Dog Daycare)and my immune system was definitely compromised.I now work 4 days
a week and that rest has helped tremendously. I'm so afraid I'll get it again!
Hope you feel better soon!

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

Thank you all for your responses. I cannot believe how much the Valtrex is helping! I had a long discussion with my doctor and she gave the okay for my DD and DDIL since they already had chickenpox themselves and the fact that my rash is advanced and already drying. Also, DGD is clear since she has received the CP vaccine. The doctor's main worry is my mom who is undergoing chemo. Mom called her oncologist and utimately received an okay to be around me, but not too close. All I can say is shingles is very strange thing and it has certainly added to my holiday enjoyment.