Any Tips for Getting Through Shingles?

[BigguyZ]

So, I've had a headache for the last 5 days, and I went into the Dr as soon as I could today. Going in, I was worried about all kinds of stuff, but as it turns out they are pretty sure I have shingles.

So, not only does the medication I'll be taking not do much for the pain- I'm told this will be a 2-3 week ordeal. So that'll be fun. That's the worst thing... People are telling me "I hope you feel better", and my thought is "Oh, I will... in three weeks".

Plus, I haven't been able to sleep, so I'm a little tired on top of that....

Anyways, it's mostly on the back of my head so far, but as I'm wondering how bad it's going to get I'm also wondering what I can do to mitigate the issues (according to my Dr, not much).

[cabinetman]

Do you have any kind of skin rash or itching, or is it just a headache now?

.

[chopnhack]

Hopefully they are treating this aggressively due to the proximity to your eyes! If the pain is bothering you, ask your doctor for some lidoderm patches, they are expensive but work well for this type of pain. Good luck and get some rest.

[steve-norrell]

I have had pretty good luck with mild pain killers, especially those that combat inflammation (aspirin, Advil). It does go away, in my experience, after from 10 days to two weeks.

Good luck, Steve.

[jking]

I know what you're going through. Back in February, I had similar symptoms, except mine were more front of the head type headaches. I pushed through it for 4 days before going to the doctor. Unfortunately, I ended up going to the urgent care clinic & not my regular doctor because it was late enough in the day. Initially, they didn't have any explanation for the headache. When I went back the next day because it wasn't any better, they figured out it was shingles. I had started getting a rash & it had affected one of my eyes. Had I not decided to "tough it out", I think my regular doctor might have figured it out quicker.

Anyway, for pain they gave me some prescription pain meds as well as anti-viral meds. I have a pretty high pain threshold, but, this was miserable. Painwise, I was ok after the first few days on the meds. The recovery was bad, though. Since it's viral, there isn't much they can do other than anti-virals & steriods. I had a pretty severe case, I'm still dealing with some effects. You don't want it in your eye, trust me.

[Chris_B]

I understand that severity varies significantly between individuals, so I hope that you have a better-than-usual experience!

I've read conflicting reports on whether anti-viral medications are effective once the "fun" begins. Some say it doesn't help at all, while some say it helps a little. Unfortunately, nobody says it helps a lot.

Try to take it *really* easy and sequence several different pain-killers so you don't over-do any particular one. Heat made things worse for me, so try to stay cool.

My episode was while we were on vacation in Europe, and was complete misery...

[BigguyZ]

It began as a headache, and I thought I had a bug bite of two behind my ear... The doctor I went to was at my usual clinic, but not the doctor I saw before (though these days, does it matter?). She had a pretty good idea right away it was shingles. I also apparently have an ear infection, which explains the sharp, shooting pain in my ear... So now I'm on two medications. An Amoxicilin and Acyclovir. Good times....

I've got a couple of blisters by my lip now, and I was told that if they show up anywhere near my eyes to tell them and we'll see an eye doctor right away. I have a follow-up in two weeks. She told me 2-3 weeks, but hopefully it's shorter.

One of the frustrating things is, my neck is sore from my swollen lymph node (it's as hard as a marble now), and the back of my head is inflamed and tender like a bruise. So trying to sleep is hard, as the weight of my head on my pillow hurts...

So I guess I should cancel any first dates now, huh?

[cwsmith]

I wish you well and that the Doc is accurate in diagnosis of the time frame.

As was previously mentioned, the severity widely differs between individual as does the location of the outbreaks.

For those that had the chicken pox (corrected, I originally said "Mumps") when you were young, and are approaching their mid 50's (although I understand some can get it earlier) I strongly suggest you get vaccinated. (My wife and I were vaccinated earlier this year, after seeing a friend get the shingles this past winter.)

Keep in touch with your doctor and I wish you a very speedy recovery.

CWS

[atgcpaul]

I'm sorry to hear you're going through this. My mom had it and there wasn't
much she could do to mitigate the pain. And I'm not just saying this because
she's my mom, but she's one of the most pain tolerant people I know (she
raised me!) She found cold compresses around the area of pain helped the
most but she was still extremely uncomfortable.

I never had chicken pox as a kid and have heard conflicting info about the
zoster vaccine for adults. It's been out for only 5-10 years. What I've heard
is that it's not effective or that it could actually give you shingles. I just
recently saw, though, that it's on a top 5 or 10 vaccines that all adults
should get so maybe things have changed.

I have a high threshold for pain on certain things--cutting myself in the shop,
stubbing a toe, etc--but when I'm sick, I am the biggest baby. I do not look
forward to getting shingles because you'd better call the priest to read me my
last rites--and I'm not even Catholic.

[d_meister]

My girlfriend had a very bad case with severe lesions across her chest. She did a lot of internet research and found quite a bit of information on using vinegar to treat the lesions topically. That provided her more relief than any kind of ointment. Also, taking a tablespoon of vinegar a day is supposed to be beneficial for all kinds of things, including treating shingles. I hope this helps you in some way. If nothing else, it will help take your mind off it while you're hunting all over the internet for vinegar shingles cures!

[BigguyZ]

Well so far, I haven't had too many blisters. Just behind my ear and on my scalp, and one spont below my lip.

Do the blisters occur right away, and only then, or do they come and go throught the process?

But right now, a headache, soreness, and swelling at the back of my head are the worst symptoms...

[jking]

My blisters started drying up after about 6 or 7 days. It took close to another week for all of the scabs to fall off. I didn't have additional blisters start after the first week.

[BigguyZ]

Well if that's the case, I may be getting off easy then.

The headache and general achiness sucks, but not nearly as bad as the pictures I've seen....

[jking]

From what I could tell talking to the doctors, I think mine was a bit worse than most.

[jking]

BigguyZ,

How are you getting along?