shingles

[kum yin lau]

Hi, it'd appear that shingles is everywhere. I have it. My brother in law's colleague [Sydney] has it.

I swear I must have caught it from reading the posts about it on this forum.

Jokes aside, it is the most unfunny thing to ever happen to anyone.

The pain is unimaginable. My sister got it when she was 13 & none of us understood the agony she must have gone through. My red dots are 20% of what I remember I saw on her body.

So I must have a mild version. 1st week, I didn't know it was shingles & the stomach knotting pain had me imagining wildly cancer or growths or ...

Ist doctor I saw didn't know, didn't examine me said it was just fat. And I kid you not. While I was there, there was a kind of knot just under the skin. The doctor said 'that's weird'.

Anyway, I'll tell what worked. Painkillers. Round the clock. Antiseptic cream, Savlon did a wonderful job.

And curse aloud. 1st in English all the words that start with f and some that contain venom. 2nd in Chinese, Cantonese is fantastic, Mandarin doesn't work, too genteel. 3rdly in Malay.

If I'm not well by next week, I'll cuss in Tamil. I can still count to ten so should be able to remember the Bengali bad words.

KY

 

[kathryn d]

Yes, shingles is extrmemly painful.
Caused by the same virus as Chicken Pox.
I had shingles when I was 3, but don't remember it.
I had it, a very mild case (3 dots) on my arm about 15 years ago.
I still remember that pain.It is so out of proportion to the size of the dot !!!
I actually still have those 3 dot scars.

I'm sorry you have it, and I've been told it can last for quite a while.

 

[BV]

KY
Pain killers are good but get on the antibiotics asap

HG had it recently
http://www.somersoft.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55305&highlight=dying

take care

 

[Macca]

Hi,

I was talking to a lady who has had recurring shingles (quite common to recur) on her face for 2 years, it gets in her eye and on her lips.

The only thing that helps her is colloidal silver water sprayed on the effected area (she uses a little spritzer spray pack). As soon as she feels an attack starting she sprays , morning and night until the feeling stops.

She gets it at a health food store, about $25.00 for a 500ml bottle of professionally made mix.

May not work for everyone but it is the only thing that helps her.

I hope I never get it, it sounds bad, every sufferer seems to say how bad it is

 

[see_change]

I'd see someone with it at least every month , sometimes more frequently . Most cases are mild and are often misdiagnosed and sometimes the presentation can be confusing.

The pain is more common in elderly.

Last two people I saw . Guy in 40's presented saying he'd had a couple of tick bites on his scalp and could I check he'd got them out . Had one area around 1 cm just behind left hair line and another similar area further back on the left side . Fairly uniform , no blisters, mild discomfort . The giveaway with the distribution in the distribution of the nerve . Mentioned shingles and that he was contagious and he mentioned his wife was starting chemo the next day ... Started him on Antiviral and took a swab . I don't take a swab all the time but in the circumstances I did and it came back showing Shingles . When he came back for the results it was positive . Picked that one .

Previous case . Older patient presented with a painfull right lateral ( outside aspect ) thigh and came back a couple of times , things didn't quite make sense , but... Came in two days later on the weekend when I wasn't there and at that time the rash had come out and started on antivirals . I saw him about a week later at which stage things were starting to settle down .

The earlier you get onto antivirals the better . In order to prescribe them on the PBS ( subsidised medications ) it needs to be within 72 hours of the onset of the rash .

Cliff

 

[Pushka]

I didnt think shingles was contagious (as opposed to chicken pox) and that it was caused by the 'chicken pox virus' lying dormant and then suddenly erupting when your immune system became compromised? If it is contagious, then how is it different from primary chicken pox?

I remember when my son got it as a 5 year old the school had to be notified as there was a classmate who had just completed treatment for leukemia. He had to stay away until the virus had cleared the class. Spring is a bad time for chicken pox. We all caught it in Spetember.

 

[kathryn d]

I didnt think shingles was contagious (as opposed to chicken pox) and that it was caused by the 'chicken pox virus' lying dormant and then suddenly erupting when your immune system became compromised? If it is contagious, then how is it different from primary chicken pox?

I remember when my son got it as a 5 year old the school had to be notified as there was a classmate who had just completed treatment for leukemia. He had to stay away until the virus had cleared the class. Spring is a bad time for chicken pox. We all caught it in Spetember.

I also didn't think shingles was contagious.
Thought it was triggered more by stress or immune system attacked.

 

[pully]

sorry to hear about the shingles. yes very painful. it is a pity antivirals were started promptly or at all in your case.

i hope you pain is being managed and any skin lesions are being treated.

get advice about boosting up your immune system too. good luck.
regards.

 

[kum yin lau]

Hi, thanks everyone for the replies. Good news, I don't have to cuss in Tamil after all. The dots are fading fast. There were 2 splotches that were fairly large but they've sort of disappeared.

The Asians know quite a bit about shingles. Unfortunately I'm not in Asia & can't get the 'snake medicine'. And it's not considered contagious unless accompanied by other health issues.

I can recognise the plants [weeds really] that 'cure' shingles. They are picked fresh & pounded to a watery paste & applied to the splotches. I know it sounds bizarre but I have 1st hand experience of the shingles, typhoid fever [recurring] etc

About 15 years ago, my brother had a really severe case. I remembered the lesions dried up after 3 days.

But the PHN can be part of the unorthodox herbal cures.

I'm glad the doctor I saw the 2nd time immediately had me on antivirals.

Hope fervently it doesn't recur.

KY