Introduction

[Vonnegut]

I was perfectly fit and healthy until at 74, I got a bout of shingles but had the pain before the rash appeared so that the doctor on the phone refused to believe it was that so I couldn’t get an anti viral jab and by the time I got an appointment the pain had gone and the rash had appeared so they had to admit that is what I’d had! And this was before covid!

Since then I now have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. That was reasonably controlled with flecainide until the latest lot from a different manufacturer which does not work!! And it seems as if it is up to me to ring around the pharmacies in the area to try to track down the brand that works!!

You might recognise my story as I was on here before I seemed to be “struck off” a year or more back so glad to be back! You are a great support on our journeys!

[jeanjeannie50]

My pharmacy always had a problem getting the particular make of drugs Almus/Accord that suited me. I went to Boots and there's been no problem there whatsoever.

Jean

[Vonnegut in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thank you- It must be a woman thing as they usually test drugs on men! I’ve just reported the problem to the yellow card people as the lovely pharmacist at the Co-op suggested I do. She sticks the one that works but I have to get the surgery to send her an electronic prescription before I can get it!! What a pain these drug manufacturers can be!

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Vonnegut]

Yes, my GP always states the make of pill I want on my prescriptions.

[Singwell in reply to Vonnegut]

You can ask your GP to specify the brand. I liked the Accord best and my pharmacist was very accommodating about it.

[Vonnegut in reply to Singwell]

I attempted to get that done but couldn’t manage to convince them but taking a different brand now as that was given by the place that was supposed to stock the original brand and fortunately seems to work!

[Vonnegut]

You are fortunate to have a decent GP like I remember from the old days.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Vonnegut]

I know I am, that's one of the blessings life has given me and what comes from living in a small town. Though I agree with you, in the old days GP's appeared to have had more time and there used to be one doctor at our surgery who would tell you all about whatever you had wrong - you couldn't get a word in edgeways. Trouble was he was always behind with his appointments.

My GP surgery now is excellent and if you ring early in the morning, a doctor will phone you back discuss what is wrong and give you a time to see them later that day if they think it necessary.

[Vonnegut in reply to jeanjeannie50]

You are lucky. I used to have doctors who became friends - not any more!

[Vonnegut in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I live in the country and had excellent doctors until we moved a little further out and the surgery we now attend is nowhere near as good - apparently the second worst in the district. The nurses and receptionist are nice!

[Singwell]

I often wonder if a bout of a bad virus triggers our systems to AF. I had shingles too a couple of years before my AF. Terrible pain - like you with no rash to begin with. Shingles revisits me if I get low or stressed or overtired. Apparently there's now a vaccine for it. Some here have had it.

[bassets in reply to Singwell]

I would imagine anything that stresses the body and leads to inflammation would be a trigger.

[Vonnegut in reply to Singwell]

Interesting to find someone who also experienced the pain before the rash occurred. But even weirder some time prior to that I had a weird pain occasionally on the right side of my my back which a pain specialist declared was “the pain that came after shingles”! He prescribed a cream that I never used on the advice of a young locum because it contained something dangerous so I forgot about it until when the bout of shingles happened and even though I explained the whole saga, the doc just said “ take paracetamol and if it’s ok by the time your appointment comes round ( about ten days later) cancel it”! By the time it came round the rash had appeared and the pain had gone! But doctors won’t and can’t accept that it is shingles until they see the rash!!! They don’t seem to understand that we are all different. I’ve had the “vaccine” (which isn’t really) now as I never want to go through that again!

[Vonnegut in reply to Singwell]

I have never had a further bout and have now had the “vaccine” - I understand it isn’t quite a vaccine but ensures that any further bouts of shingles will be very mild - as I said, I had the jab as I never wanted to go through having it full blown as I had done, again!