Shingles

[AustinTink]

Just wondering if anyone can offer a bit of insight if you've had it or had a parent with it. How long did it take to fully recover and what types of drugs did you use? My mom was diagnosed a few weeks ago and is still struggling. Now she may have it in her eyes and has just started medication for that.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[crazyme5kids]

My Mom was diagnoised with shingles the last week of April. The pain was really bad. She was on Gabapentin and Tylenol with Codeine (she tried not to take that much). She was still having pain as of last week, but less of it. She had a stroke on Sunday, so she wasn't focused on the pain from the shingles. I'll have to ask her if she still has the shingle pain or if it is gone now.

Your poor Mom, I can't imagine what the pain in her eyes must be like . I hope she feels better soon. From what the Dr. told my mother, the pain can last a few weeks or a few months, and some people can have pain for years.

 

[C.Ann]

Adult DD has had shingles more times than we can count in the past few years (not common, from what we've been told) and the recovery times and medications have varied depending on how severe it was.. During one of her bouts, it got very close to her eyes and she was sent to an eye doctor ASAP to start some kind of medication (can't remember the name of it right now).. It's a miserable, miserable thing to have and can range from mild to severe..

My aunt had a very, very severe case - couldn't even stand her nightgown touching her body - the pain was so severe.. They had to give her narcotics to control the pain and she missed a full year from work..

Sorry to hear about your mom's stroke - and I hope she's feeling better soon!

 

[AustinTink]

My Mom was diagnoised with shingles the last week of April. The pain was really bad. She was on Gabapentin and Tylenol with Codeine (she tried not to take that much). She was still having pain as of last week, but less of it. She had a stroke on Sunday, so she wasn't focused on the pain from the shingles. I'll have to ask her if she still has the shingle pain or if it is gone now.

Your poor Mom, I can't imagine what the pain in her eyes must be like . I hope she feels better soon. From what the Dr. told my mother, the pain can last a few weeks or a few months, and some people can have pain for years.

Sorry to hear about your mom's stroke. I hope she's better soon! My mom is not on the Gabapentin and the medication she is on makes her very lethargic. The shingles in the eyes is an added worry since she already has macular degeneration and has very limited vision.

 

[AustinTink]

My aunt had a very, very severe case - couldn't even stand her nightgown touching her body - the pain was so severe.. They had to give her narcotics to control the pain and she missed a full year from work..

That's what's going on with my mom. She can't stand the touch of any fabric, it's excruciating. The narcotic made her very ill so they are trying something else now in the antidepressant family that blocks the nerve pain.

 

[C.Ann]

That's what's going on with my mom. She can't stand the touch of any fabric, it's excruciating. The narcotic made her very ill so they are trying something else now in the antidepressant family that blocks the nerve pain.

Oh - I'm really sorry to hear that.. Did they try switching narcotics? Or giving her phenagren or zofran to take with it? I'm very sensitive to medications and there is only one narcotic that I can take now when needed - the rest of them either make me deathly ill - or extremely angry and nasty..

I hope the antidepressant works for her, but if not, there are quite a few different narcotics available that may or may not make her ill.. Sometimes even in the same "family" of drugs - so to speak - one will make you very ill and another won't.. I wouldn't allow her to linger in pain any longer than necessary.. How long before they expect the antidepressant to kick in? Can you go to the doctors with her - or get permission to speak to them on the phone - to explore all of the pain medications that are available? Also another thing to consider - what was the narcotic "mixed" with - if anything? Some are mixed with aspirin, ibuprophen, tylenol, etc.. I can only do a pain med mixed with tylenol - nothing else - or I get deathly sick..

I hope they can find something to make her comfortable soon.. Poor woman..

 

[DD Beech Bluff]

My mom has had shingles for around 5 years and still feels the effects.
Recently she went to a doctor for a pain block which seems to have helped somewhat.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I had it about 2 years ago....(40's) said it was because my immune system was weakened (after cancer treatments) and I had chicken pox as a child too.......
I was able to manage it with pain meds but it was awful and I got it back twice more when it was a stressful time for me.....mostly around my waist area, more one sided.........
My heart goes out to your mom OP, I hope she finds some relief with the meds! It can be Awfully painful