parkinson's and shingles

[aquario]

Have had pd for 20+ years. Still quite mobile and functional. Recently diagnosed with a nasty case of shingles. Anyone out there who has had both? Any advice? Any problems with mixing of meds -- C/L and Valacyclovir? Thanks.

[faridaro]

Wow, 20+ years and still mobile and functional sounds very encouraging! May be you can share some advice with us on your PD treatment/management.

Regarding shingles - I've had an outbreak 1 year ago, however by the time I was diagnosed and got Valacyclovir prescription 4-5 days have passed. In case of shingles, the sooner you take Valacyclovir the more effective it is and I was not sure it would be effective by then so I ended up not taking it. I think you should ask a doctor or pharmacist about your drug interaction concern.

There is some evidence that amino acid Lysine has antiviral properties

ppt-health.com/shingles-see...

and I got myself SuperLysine+ on amazon

smile.amazon.com/Quantum-He... which seemed to work pretty well and is good to have on hand in case of another outbreak. Now I have to add that at that time I was taking only Mucuna and not sure if Lysine would have any adverse effect on someone using C/L.

Also, it is recommended to avoid high arginine foods which counteract lysine - here is info on that:

healthgrades.com/right-care....

Hope you get better soon!

[chartist]

If you make a topical spray of Original Gold Listerine and basic uncoated aspirin/ASA, it can be useful as a topical spray to relieve pain and help interfere in the viral replication process. If you put 25 uncoated and unbuffered aspirin (the cheap ones with no color) in a blender and add 8 ounces of Listerine original and blend at high speed until completely dissolved, filter through a paper towel and then fill an empty 8 oz. spray bottle with this mix. Apply as needed 3 to 4 times/day for pain and to disrupt the viral replication process as outlined in the links below . You can also use a basic hand and body lotion in place of Listerine, but the Listerine may be additive to the aspirin while the lotion may not be. ASA / Aspirin has antiviral effects.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/117...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/882...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/968...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/159...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/114...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/105...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/112...

Art

[condor39]

Having PD does not protect you from getting other diseases.

This is a good time to remind everyone to get the vaccine which protects from getting shingles. And while you are getting it ,have the flu and the pneumonia vaccine, too.

Ask your doctor.

[GrandmaBug]

I'd like to know, Too, what you have been doing to stay mobile and functional for 20 years. I was just diagnosed a few months ago. Just finished getting my second shingles shot. Got my flu shot with the first shingles shot.

[glenandgerry]

I would also love to know what you have been doing to stay mobile and functional for 20 years. My husband (PWP) was diagnosed 15 years ago but is not very mobile at all. We would love to know your 'recipe'. Thanks so much.

[aquario in reply to glenandgerry]

here's what i wrote grandma bug: sorry for the delay. my encounter with shingles has been very fatiguing but at least it wasn't the covid curse. while recuperating i put down some thoughts as to why the pd has been relatively mild:

One of my standard answers as to how I’ve managed to stay fairly functional for 20+ years with pd is that “I avoid looking at the headlines or looking in a mirror. . . .” Admittedly a pretty lame joke, but humor is a central part of my attempts to slow down the progression of pd.

Avoiding the headlines and the stress they can create has become increasingly difficult the past 4 years, but it’s worth the effort. Another possible reason that my symptoms have been manageable may be that I am a musician and have been accompanying dance classes for 40 years.

The physical benefits of playing or dancing while being rhythmically accurate can’t be overestimated. I’ve also done a lot of composing for dance during that period. And there have usually been projects to work on, thus taking my attention away from the disease. But making hands and feet fire regularly and rhythmically which naturally occurs in making music or dancing (and boxing which, as you probably know, has some popularity in the pd community), would seem to keep some of the physical aspects of the brain functioning.

Other than that, I have tried out some of the more promising suggestions for useful pd control including regular doses of vitamin B-1/Thiamine, plenty of curcumin and bioperine, a daily walk, and a daily exercise series. The 7-minute series from the New York Times is a good one: well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013...

I follow various “cures” which appear, but am doubtful that any of them will bear fruit in my lifetime. Oh yes, I take rotary and sinemet 4 times a day. And laughter and chocolate seem to be very beneficial. Do let me know whatever seems to be helping you. Best wishes, Jon