Shingles - anybody ever had 'em? UPDATE: I have a controlled substance and a gun! It's party time!

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Shingles - anybody ever had 'em? UPDATE: I have a controlled substance and a gun! It's party time!

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:08:41 AM EDT

I've got a doctor's appointment Monday morning, but my completely unqualified self-diagnosis is shingles. I had chicken pox when I was around 10, so I've been exposed to the virus. The patch on my chest and on my sternum looks just like the stuff that came up on Google.

This stuff freakin' hurts! It alternates between stabbing pains and dull, throbbing pain. I thought I had pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve when my back first started hurting a couple days ago. This morning - surprise! - a couple nasty patches of rash.

Any ideas to help me through the weekend until I can see the doctor?

UPDATE: It's shingles alright. The doctor gave me Lycira (for nerve pain), Acyclovir (anti-viral) and Oxycodone (for pain). I took the Lycira and Acyclovir at lunchtime, I'll hold off on the oxycodone until I am safely at home and don't need to drive. A fellow ARFcommer sent me a pointer to Lysine, which helped me through the weekend.

This is the worst pain I've ever had. If I knew any state secrets, I'd be singing like a bird by now. I hope the Lycira kicks in soon.

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:10:58 AM EDT

[#1]

Hookers and blow should work nicely.

But take some motrin every few hours and try not to aggravate the area. Also you will be shedding viruses.

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:13:25 AM EDT

[#2]

No but I hope you feel better soon.

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:16:41 AM EDT

[#3]

Used to get them on my lower legs sometimes, itched pretty damn bad. I think it was stress that brought mine out. Isn't it a form of Herpes

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:17:55 AM EDT

[#4]

I replaced them with metal roofing.

Best thing I ever did.

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:21:46 AM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
you will be shedding viruses.

That sounds icky. Is that through physical contact, airborne, bodily fluids?

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:22:15 AM EDT

[#6]

Been there, done that. It started on my right ear (stress, exhaustion and poor diet brought it on) Shingles travels along the nerves so it didn't have far to travel to do some damage. I was hospitalized and in a drug induced coma for 3 days on some serious anti viral drugs. Seems that it caused a serious case of Menengitis. I almost croaked from it. So, I try to avoid any one that has active shingles or chicken pox because it may set off another case in me.

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:22:34 AM EDT

[#7]

Had it in high school in a big patch across the back of my shoulders. Missed a few football games because of the shoulder pads breaking open the sores. I recall coming down with the rash while deer hunting. I think the doc gave me a cream that helped ease the pain. Hope you get better

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:24:46 AM EDT

[#8]

My mother and uncle had them. Mom came out okay but my uncle suffered some permanent nerve damage to his legs. They work fine - he just can't feel them! He has trouble doing things like going up and down stairs, or snow skiing becasue he can't feel his feet to judge pressure and balance.

Shingles are some nasty stuff.

CMOS

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:25:17 AM EDT

[#9]

They will treat you with an antiviral and pain medication. The weird thing is that the virus lives in your nerve roots and only affect the area that nerve supplies on the skin.

Dermatomes.

Its a form of chicken pox which is a herpes virus. Varicella.

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:28:08 AM EDT

[#10]

Yup I've had 'em about 25 years ago.
I was 25 years old at the time.
It started at my sternum and followed my rib cage on the right side. You are right, it hurts like hell!!!!

The doc gave me some sort of anti viral meds and told me to just relax and take it easy.
It took about a week to get rid of the stuff.

Good luck -

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:31:39 AM EDT

[#11]

I had shingels over my right eye. My eye swelled up so bad that I couldn't see to drive, my dad had to drive to the hospital. When I got to the hospital, I was unprepared for the doc question me extensively about whether I had AIDS appearently. Appearently shingles is a symptom for people who has AIDS(BTW-I don't have AIDS). The doc precribed some anti-viral drug(I forget the name of it) to lessen the symptoms, but mostly it just had to take its own course. It went away in about 5 days. To this day, I still get headaches a few times a year, and still itches above my eye.

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:36:54 AM EDT

[#12]

Sounds like I'm in for a fun weekend.

I have a couple metal rods in my back, alongside my spine. When I first started hurting, my first thought was that the rods had aggravated a muscle. I already have some funny nerve damage from the surgery when I got the rods installed.

Whee.

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:37:46 AM EDT

[#13]

A pox upon thee!

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:41:10 AM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
Yup I've had 'em about 25 years ago.
I was 25 years old at the time.
It started at my sternum and followed my rib cage on the right side. You are right, it hurts like hell!!!!

The doc gave me some sort of anti viral meds and told me to just relax and take it easy.
It took about a week to get rid of the stuff.

Good luck -

Yep, same place for me, right after I had my appendix removed. In my case, it was caused by mental+physical stress. They clear up quick with meds, but are truly uncomfortable.

As a side note, the first doc I saw about it said that it was a side effect of AIDS...I was like WTF???? And I had just told him that I had my AP removed a few weeks prior! Got a second opinion, found out it was no big deal...had half a mind to go beat that doctor with his own fucking arm.

Posted: 1/20/2006 9:41:11 AM EDT

[#15]

Once, when I was at home depot, I cam down with a case of shingles.
came in real handy repairing the hole in my roof.

Posted: 1/20/2006 10:03:30 AM EDT

[#16]

man, had shingles on my face too. ran over my left eye, over the side of my head. the shit over my eye swelled up and drooped over my fucking eye, i had to lift it up to see...i looked like i shoulda been pulling a rope in some gothic cathedral!

and the pain, the incredible burning pain. i was out of work for 2 weeks thrashing in bed before i decided to go to the docs (idiot!). he gave me some salve that i think also had a topical anaesthetic and it went away soon after. the whole area where i had it still feels thick and tingles like a mild charley horse; i guess it's permanent nerve damage. it was so bad the doc took pictures of it...

a marine in my office has a 4yo daughter who got it on her shoulder and back. man my heart went out to her! i'm in my mid 40's and the doc told me it's unusual to see it in someone my age. he said it's usually older folks and you usually don't get it on your face/head (lucky me!

). they don't know what causes it and you may only get it once or it may come back again and again.

i know a korean guy who's wife has recurring shingles and he keeps a constant suicide watch, it causes such despair.

Posted: 1/20/2006 10:18:05 AM EDT

[#17]

Glaxo Smith-Kline makes an anti-viral that usually helps with this. It is a herpes/chicken pox virus that resides in your spine, and comes and goes. Good luck. I hope your self diagnosis is wrong.

Posted: 1/20/2006 11:11:47 AM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
Glaxo Smith-Kline makes an anti-viral that usually helps with this. It is a herpes/chicken pox virus that resides in your spine, and comes and goes. Good luck. I hope your self diagnosis is wrong.

VALTREX

Posted: 1/20/2006 11:21:50 AM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
I replaced them with metal roofing.

Best thing I ever did.

Me too. Mucho savings on light bill.

Posted: 1/20/2006 11:34:45 AM EDT

[#20]

My 90 year old dad is suffering from shingles right now. He has them along his left side and down his back. I'm pretty worried about him, although he does have a good doctor.

Posted: 1/20/2006 11:35:02 AM EDT

[#21]

My physician (my brother) diagnosed my shingles when I talked to him at church on Easter 2005. It was pretty early, and he got me on anti-virals (Valtrex, I believe).

While it sucked, I'm not complaining, because it could have been much worse.

As I understand it, anyone who's had Chicken Pox can develop shingles, as it's a reactivation of the same virus. The reactivation is often brought on by a weakened immune system. Perhaps that's why the physician referred to in the earlier post made the AIDS reference. In my case, I had been pretty sick for a week or two before the flare-up.

Hang in there.

Posted: 1/20/2006 12:06:30 PM EDT

[#22]

My wife had this about 6 years ago. She had never had a full-blown case of chicken-pox as a child.
Regardless, we both found out that even a full-blown chicken-pox episode in childhood still leaves a virus that, under circumstances, may lead to shingles in adults.

Her shingles episode settled in her ear.

Posted: 1/20/2006 12:27:37 PM EDT

[#23]

Yeah, I had to go to Home Depot last fall to get a bundle to replace the ones I lost after the hurricane. They are painful to hold if you leave them in the sun too long!

Posted: 1/20/2006 12:32:02 PM EDT

[#24]

Sounds exactelly like what my dad described when he had them.

STAY AWAY FROM PREGNANT WOMENZ.
SERIOUSLY.

Posted: 1/20/2006 8:18:11 PM EDT

[#25]

My dad had them about a year ago. He says it hurt like hell. You'll also feel like fire is crawling through your skin. Good luck, and hope you get better soon.

Posted: 1/20/2006 10:06:50 PM EDT

[#26]

My dad had them, so did my mother-in-law.

They suck and they take a long time to go away. That is all I know.

Goodluck!

Posted: 1/23/2006 10:29:42 AM EDT

[#27]

Update on page 1. Thanks to everyone for the support and suggestions.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Shingles - anybody ever had 'em? UPDATE: I have a controlled substance and a gun! It's party time!

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