Shingles

[mlp3434]

I posted over 9 weeks ago about my shingles outbreak. I still have horrible pain and can't stand clothing even to touch me. I have had 2 epidurals for the pain and they didn't even help at all. Someone wrote back and said that they had shingles since last December and I couldn't find the post. If you see this, please get in touch with me. I hope by now that you are better. Has ANYONE had shingles take this long to heal? Please help. Very depressed.

[jeanjeannie50]

I don't want to dishearten you, but a friend of mine now in her mid 80's had shingles on her back about 5-6 years ago and still has to wear morphine patches and take co-codamal to dull the pain. She can't bear her back being touched even with the medication.

Jean

[mlp3434 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I'm so sorry for your friend. I pray that my pain doesn't go that long. It is quite unbearable.

[CDreamer]

You have my sympathies, I had shingles but took the antiviral meds within 24 hours so only had very mild pain for a week or two. My son suffered for longer but did clear in a few months. My grandson got the antiviral quite quickly so thankfully didn’t suffer too much as he was only 9 when he developed juvenile shingles.

[mlp3434 in reply to CDreamer]

May I ask how many months that your son had shingles?

[Ppiman]

That's really bad luck. I had shingle when I was younger so badly that the doctor called in all his colleagues to look and photographed me. Luckily, apart from remaining scars, I have had no further repercussions.

Can I ask if you had the vaccine? I had my first last year and am due my booster shot.

Steve

[mlp3434 in reply to Ppiman]

No vaccine

[Ppiman in reply to mlp3434]

Was it never offered? As I'd already had shingles, I didn't think I needed it, but apparently it can be caught more than once.

I hope you are feeling a bit better by mnow. It is said that it can be awful pain. Bad luck.

Steve

[ozziebob]

The last of 2 episodes of shingles took over a year to "resolve". I know the experience of being unable to bear the touch of clothes, or even warm water, only too well. I was left with post herpetic neuralgia which shows as occasional sharp and/or dull nerve pain across my lower left breast. And as these damaged nerves are located "above" my heart, I often get confused about whether the pain is heart (pAF) or nerve related. 🤔

bob

[ainslie]

I think the trick with shingles is to either get the Shingrix vaccine or treat it immediately with Aciclivor, the sooner it’s treated the less chance of longer term pain, before Shingrix and after getting shingles I used to keep a box of Aciclivor in the medicine cupboard to be ready. I am sorry you have the pain and can’t help , I mention what I have said more to help others who may have not have it yet.

[doodle68]

Hi I had shingles one Easter years ago before antiviral medication became an option. My relief came from cool baths and calamine lotion.

What a nightmare I had to live in cotton nightdresses because I couldn't stand clothes touching my body. I then had postherpetic neuralgia which lasted for months .

My neighbour had a similar experience. She also had postherpetic neuralgia for many months. This was long before I developed AF.

I hope you are better soon ,

[mlp3434 in reply to doodle68]

How long did your shingles pain last? 2,3,4 months?

[Crystalbowl]

I am sorry to have to tell you that I have had PHN pain (post herpetic neuralgia pain) since I had shingles in January 2019. I have tried a wide variety of alternative/complementary therapies to try to alleviate the pain but nothing has made any difference so far unfortunately. I also have Allodynia which is the skin sensitivity which makes clothing difficult to wear. There is a FB group for people with PHN. I sincerely hope we both recover and soon!

[mlp3434 in reply to Crystalbowl]

My pain is constant, no let up. Do you have it constantly?

[Crystalbowl in reply to mlp3434]

Yes, unfortunately.

[lexigirl2]

Have you tried the FLCCC protocol for Shingles. I understand it's excellent.

[bigking]

I developed shingles in November 2023 on left side of torso. I still have nerve pain, albeit not near as severe as it was in the beginning. Doctor does not seem to know when, or if, it is going to completely stop. Gabapentin (Neurontin) helps when needed but I am unsure of long term effects of the drug so I take only occasionally. Hopefully, you will begin to see improvement in the near future. I began feeling better after about 3 months. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[JillyBeau]

Hi, low immunity can trigger shingles but can also trigger arrhythmia. Vit c intake is a big factor because so much is lost during cooking as it’s water soluble. Steam veg and eat whole, fresh food as much as possible. Low Vit c can also increase histamine levels which in turn can trigger adrenaline which in turn triggers increased HR. Other culprits to increase adrenaline : sugar, aged food/drink, cheeses, chocolate, cured/fermented food, caffeine. Keep a food diary, symptoms can develop straight away or up to 48 hours later. Personally, I usually notice symptoms within about 12 hours of eating trigger food. The Failsafe Diet is helpful to eliminate/detect triggers. There is a lot of research papers online supporting these theories. Vitamin supplements also trigger my HR, they are fermented We are now encouraged to eat fermented foods, sourdough, probiotics etc etc but these foods are a major histamine trigger which causes the adrenaline to be released

[treezone]

Sympathy - I had Shingles in 2016 and post herpetic neuralgia pain for a couple of years after that. The pain/itching gradually lessened though it took a while to go completely. I found that wearing loose silk vests under all clothing helped a lot (meant I could wear clothes !) and using Aloe-Vera gel definitely reduced the pain and itching. You can find inexpensive vests/blouses on eBay and aloe- vera gel in most chemists/pharmacies or health food shops. There is a Shingles Support Society on the internet which is full of good and helpful information and advice. Hope you feel better soon.