OT-My mom has shingles?

[Luv2trav]

Both of my boys have been exposed and I am not too worried about them. They both received the chicken pox vaccination.

I am more worried about my mother. She has it on her eyelid, head and scalp. I have been reading it's very painful. She worried the pain will last a long time.

Does anyone have any experience with Shingles or anyone who has had them? What was the outcome? Right now she is at the blister stage.

 

[flipflop]

I got them on my tush in college. Painful, yes. It's been sometime since I had them but I think it lasted about a week. I believe the older you are the worse they (kind of like the pox, themselves).

 

[Mama Penguin]

Shingles usually lasts a few weeks, and it can be very painful. It is a different kind of pain from anything I ever experienced before. The pain/sensitivity subsides gradually, and by the time the lesions started healing, I had no more pain. For a few people, the pain can last a long time.

Shingles on the face can be serious, I hope she is under a doctor's care. There are antiviral medications that can shorten the course, but they must be started quickly after the eruptions, to be most effective.

Anyone who has never had chickenpox or been immunized should stay away from someone who has shingles until they are no longer contagious, they could get chickenpox.

 

[Luv2trav]

Shingles usually lasts a few weeks, and it can be very painful. It is a different kind of pain from anything I ever experienced before. The pain/sensitivity subsides gradually, and by the time the lesions started healing, I had no more pain. For a few people, the pain can last a long time.

Shingles on the face can be serious, I hope she is under a doctor's care. There are antiviral medications that can shorten the course, but they must be started quickly after the eruptions, to be most effective.

Anyone who has never had chickenpox or been immunized should stay away from someone who has shingles until they are no longer contagious, they could get chickenpox.

Yes she is under a Doctors care. However, I am a little annoyed with her Doctor. They DX her with hives on Monday and she went back today because she knew it wasn't hives... They told her it was shingles. She started the antiviral medication today. I wish she could have started on Monday. Some of her sores are already starting to erupe but not all of them.

How long did yours last? She started to see bumps on Saturday but the pain didn't start until Mon-Tues.

 

[beavismom]

I was told, but they could have been wrong, that a shingles outbreak can't spread chicken pox, but that a person with chicken pox can cause someone to have a shingles outbreak (especially if they have had them before). I was told this by a doctor when I came down with a really bad case of the chicken pox as an adult 2 years ago.

 

[Pennykay]

It is my understanding that even immunized children can get the chicken pox from someone who has shingles. This info. is from my Dr. I asked when my MIL had shingles and my children were exposed. HTH

 

[Twingle]

I had shingles shortly after the birth of my twins (one side of my face, my scalp, and the back of my neck), and while they were painful, it wasn't BAD pain. I was able to control it with pain medicine, I think I took 1000 mg of Motrin. Once they blistered and crusted over (god, that sounds nasty as I re-read it!), they pain was much better. Now, I had ALOT going on at the time, and the last thing I had time for was taking care of myself, so it may very well have been a mind over matter thing.

My mother on the other hand, just suffered an outbreak of shingles about 6-8 weeks ago, on her leg and hip. She no longer has the blisters, but she CONSTANTLY complains of the pain. BUT - anyday she can't complain is a wasted day, if you know what I mean! While I don't doubt that she was/is uncomfortable, she just sits around and thinks about the pain, and how bad it is, and how bad off she is, etc., etc., etc.

Have your mom talk to her doctor about the pain - they may be able to recommend some pain remedies. I know when I had mine my doctor recommended oatmeal face masks - it helped with the burning/tingling sensation.

Good luck - tell your mom that as uncomfortable as she is, it WILL pass!

 

[kbuckley]

My dad got them back in January and the pain has been unbearable for him. The Dr. gave him some pain patches and they seem to help but he still has some pain every now and again. There are definitely different pain relievers out there so she should get some and take them.

 

[Luv2trav]

Right now they have her on vicoten(sp??) and she said it has helped. She said it still hurts but not as bad. I am more concerned with it infecting her eye. Right now it's only on her eyelid and her Doctor said to watch it very close to make sure it didn't spread to her eyeball.

Of course I read her everything on the internet and I have totally freaked her out.

From what I understand my children can still catch the chicken pox from her. I call their doctor and she said they should be ok because they had their vaccination. If they do get it she said it should be a mild form of it.

Thank you for all your help....

I will admit I am little nervous because our trip is only 42 days away... I want her healthy and happy with us...

 

[rie'smom]

I was told, but they could have been wrong, that a shingles outbreak can't spread chicken pox, but that a person with chicken pox can cause someone to have a shingles outbreak (especially if they have had them before). I was told this by a doctor when I came down with a really bad case of the chicken pox as an adult 2 years ago.

It's just the opposite. Shingles can cause chicken pox to break out.

I had shingles and it was horrible.Mine as on by back arching around to my front right below the bra line. For 2 weeks even air hitting the sores was excrutiating. My grandad had them a couple of years before and was hospitalized for pain. He wondered how God could let such a painful disease exist.
Even now,10 years later, if I'm run down or not feeling well,I feel pricking where the shingles spots were.

 

[Mama Penguin]

Yes she is under a Doctors care. However, I am a little annoyed with her Doctor. They DX her with hives on Monday and she went back today because she knew it wasn't hives... They told her it was shingles. She started the antiviral medication today. I wish she could have started on Monday. Some of her sores are already starting to erupe but not all of them.

How long did yours last? She started to see bumps on Saturday but the pain didn't start until Mon-Tues.

The pain started a few days before the lesions. I could not figure out what was causing the pain and Tylenol, heat etc.was not really helping. Then when I saw the lesions, I called the doctor and got on antiviral within 24 hours. Even so, it took 3 weeks for the lesions to heal. The pain did not last that entire time for me though.

 

[Mama Penguin]

I was told, but they could have been wrong, that a shingles outbreak can't spread chicken pox, but that a person with chicken pox can cause someone to have a shingles outbreak (especially if they have had them before). I was told this by a doctor when I came down with a really bad case of the chicken pox as an adult 2 years ago.

It's actually the opposite. Shingles is a reactivation of the virus that remains dormant in your body after your chickenpox infection. It spreads along the nerve route to the skin surface causing the pain and eruptions. Someone who has no resistance to the virus through either prior infection or immunization can become ill with chickenpox if exposed to someone with shingles while they are contagious. Being around chickenpox or shingles after you have immunity from a prior infection or immunization you are not likely to catch chickenpox again (it's unusual but not impossible). However, you can't catch shingles from someone else.

 

[Jules123]

Even now,10 years later, if I'm run down or not feeling well,I feel pricking where the shingles spots were.

ME TOO! I had the shingles on my side when I was almost 18. I'm now 38. To this day I can tell you exactly where the spot was. It still tingles at times to this day. I remember it being horribly painful.

 

[KathyRN137]

I'm a dermatology nurse and I really feel for your mom; shingles are painful!

Just as an aside; even though this condition is viral in nature, once the blisters de-roof (pop), the skin is broken and susceptable to infection with bacteria.

Just to be on the safe side, she should use some polysporin or bacitracin ointment on any broken skin daily to prevent a secondary infection. **As long as she is not allergic to these, of course!** Don't use neosporin ointment, many people are allergic to the neomycin in it**

If you are not sure about her medical treatment, perhaps she should see a dermatologist....

All my best wishes to you and your mom,

Kathy

 

[ProudMommyof2]

I am a nurse practitioner and treat shingles often ( I have actually lectured on the topic). The only time shingles is contagious is if someone who has not had chicken pox or the vaccine touches the rash. Unlike chicken pox itself which is airborne, someone would have to touch your Mom's Face to be exposed, or if she touches it herself and doesn't wash her hands.
Most of the time the nerve pain related with shingles will diminish as the rash begins to resolve. However in some instances, more likely the older you are, the pain will actually intensify even as the rash begins to resolve. This is called post herpetic neuralgia. This can be a debilitating pain that can last over a year. The antivirals your Mom is on will lesson the chances of developing PHN(post herpetic neuralgia) and steroids like prednisone can help too. But if your Mom complains of worsening pain when the rash looks like it is improving,get her back to her Doctor ASAP. The faster she is treated with drugs like Lyrica or amitryptiline the better outcome she is likely to have.
Good luck and don't worry, most come through just fine. Also, don't be so hard on her doc for missing the diagnosis at first, it is a very tricky diagnosis in the early stages.

 

[MousekaMaddi]

Im far from any medical fields but all I heard whem my Mom had em is keep pregnant people far far far away from her for weeks.........that is all I know, HTH
Sendin her speedy recovery wishes for a fun relaxing trip

 

[kate11razorback]

I was at WDW the last week in March. Just prior to my trip I had gone to the doctor about ear pain but neglected to tell him about the blister under my eye. I got a blister on the top of my head on the second day there but I thought it was from the sun and my sunglasses rubbing. I get home, go back to the doctor about my ear that STILL hurts and the blister that WONT go away and he informs me I have shingles and had them the whole time I was in WDW! Besides ear pain that kept me up a few nights and those two painful blisters, I felt fine while at WDW. It was when I got home that I fell apart! I tell everyone that Disney truly is magical because I had so little pain while I was there!!!!

Today is one of the first days I have not felt really bad and this is going into my fourth week with it! My sister in law calls today and tells me her daughter has chicken pox (they went with us on the trip) so I am wondering if I exposed her too!!

Hope your mom feels better soon.

 

[PigletsBestFriend]

I had shingles on my back last year, and have had a heck of a time with Post Herpetic Neuralgia. I hope your mom feels better soon and gets to avoid this part of singles misery.

 

[nicolemomof4cuties]

My five year old daughter broke out in shingles on the back of her neck about 2 months ago and it was VERY painful for her. My pediatrician said that he had never seen a case in someone so young. He put her on Tylenol with codeine for the pain. She was LOOPY! But not in as much pain so we didn't mind that she was a wee bit drunk on the syrup. He also put her on some kind of medication that is supposed to help speed up the healing process. He told me to not allow her to become stressed out as they can come back again once you have them once.
Nicole