Hi! I am brand new to this site. Just found you today. I have RA, fibro, and polymy. rhuematica.

[mgbella]

The RA was newly diagnosed one month ago and my RA dr. Has me on plaquenel for that.I have also been on prednisone for 2 1/2 yrs. bouncing around with doses. I have been as high as 60mg a day to now im down to 10mgday. I guess i have 2 questions.One is has anyone had shingles where the itch and pain doesn't go away?No bumps, just red skin on my abd. and that could be from scratching. It's been almost 1 1/2 years since I came down with them. And the other thing is my MD wants to add mtx to my list of of meds, but I'm worried about this "forever "shingles that I have.I forgot to ask him on Thurs.,but he told me I had to wait until I got over my thrush before starting mtx anyway. I read that some say stop mtx when you have shingles, but my shingles won't go away!! Sorry this was so long. MGC

[allanah]

Phew poor you, you are going through so much. Glad you found the site and you use the Nras one oo cos I found it so helpful.

I got shingles on my neck after an operation. They told me It could go on for ages but the itch did! The pain comes and goes though.

I think though you should see the doc as you can also get patches of eczema or even thrush on your abdomen skin. I did and had a full course of anti thrush tablets for a week which really helped.

Hope that is of some help but actually that is a hard question to answer , also did you get anti vitals at the time of your first outbreak of shingles?

Hope you get it sorted soon Xxxx

[mgbella in reply to allanah]

Thanks for reply. I came down with shingles when I dislocated my shoulder. I did get the anti viral. And I'm on liquid medicine right now for my thrush,so I guess if it was that on my tummy, it would go away. I could only hope!The shingles pain is not like when you first get it but the itch drives me crazy! I have med to put on it, but it just works for a little while.

[allanah]

you can get thrush cream to put onto skin as even when mine clears up internally i can still get it in skin creases, just a thought! But hope your med works very soon, itches are very annoying and distracting aren't they. xxxx

[shirlthegirl]

I'm sorry, i had shingles last year before i was diagnosed it was terrible, I felt really itchy all over but because i am going though the menopause i put it down to that, Basically my face came up like the elephant man as i got a really bad infection in my ear, at the time i didn't relies i had shingles, it wasn't until i noticed a blister one morning on the top of my forehead that i went to the GP and he told me that i had shingles but that it was to late to give me anything, but it was a night mare, i hope you feel better soon XXX

[emandedmum]

I had shingle 6 years ago and still, occasionally get tingles and itches and sometimes pain where my scars are. It can drive me crazy one day and be gone the next - it tends to be worse when I'm feeling under the weather with a cold or cough, I don't know if it's linked in any way! Hope you are feeling better soon