Hi all....

[Exeterdave]

I'm Dave and I have just sold my print business which should give me a little extra time to post on here.

I contracted shingles 4 years ago which left me with rather bad Post Herpetic Neuralgia from my left nipple area around to my left shoulder blade. I started on all the usual meds such as amytrip and Gabapentin and ended up on Lyrica (Pregabalin) 3+ years ago.

I have attended our local pain clinic and have been various treatments including Lidocaine patches, a day case procedure for capsaicin patches (very painful) and more recently an Lignocaine infusion.

Unfortunately, none of these has proven to help, although I am still pinning my hope on the infusion treatment as I have another one to do in a few weeks.

I have managed to cut down my dosage of Lyrica from 600mg to 300mg a day, but the problem I have is that although I am still in some pain which is worse at certain times of the day and on random days, the side effects of the Lyrica are very unpleasant.

I have found that using meditation and self-hypnosis is a great help and if nothing else, it helps to keep me positive and motivated.

As I have had some training in hypnotherapy and pain management, am happy to offer advice and a sympathetic ear.

I am now working on a website and can give further info when it's up and running.

[Madlegs1]

healthunlocked.com/painconc...

[Jenharri]

I've had shingles 3 times once leaving me with Post Herpatic Neuralgia very painful.

I couldn't use any of those meds they do not agree with me.

So I was stuck with codeine! I had acupuncture needling which helped. But what really helped was the Olive leaf extract I religiously took one capsule a day and the pain gradually went.

It boosts the immune system helps our bodies fight the virus.

I'm not sure whether half the time those drugs work? They are meant for other problems ie epilepsy & depression and are frequently given to people like myself to fight pain! I have Psoratic arthritis OA psoriasis DDD spinal stenosis L4L5 L5S1 C3 to C7 narrowing & thickening facet joint arthritis.

Hope your pain eventually eases like mine did 6 months of that pain was no fun.

[foxglove in reply to Jenharri]

Would you be kind enough to tell me what strength of olive leaf extract you took? - Thankyou

[Jenharri in reply to foxglove]

Hi Foxglove 500mg

Jen x

[foxglove in reply to Jenharri]

Much thanks Jen, I am ordering some (500mng) as it also helps with high bp and other things I need help with! I had shingles in early Dec. and am still having probs. with PHN. I am at the desperate stage. Hope it doesn't last 4 years like Dave's did.

Thanks again, xx

[Jenharri in reply to foxglove]

I do hope they help you foxglove thinking back I felt So well on them I'm going to back on them.

Jen xx

[foxglove in reply to Jenharri]

Good luck to both of us! - hope I feel well on them too.

[Jenharri in reply to foxglove]

Indeed, I think it does mention it on the bottle take with food. They are a large capsule good luck x

[Lou_inpain]

Hi Dave!

Ouch! I contracted shingles as a child and thankfully recovered without the complications you mention - I think the older you get it, the worse it is.

I have Trigeminal Neuralgia as the result of trauma to the face nearly two years ago. I have tried the lidocaine infusions and I must say they didnt do a whole lot for me. The actual infusion is quite nice - a warm fuzzy feeling and you will be quite drosy for a few days afterwards. I brought my ipad in and watched a movie with my headphones on during the infusion and at one point even fell asleep. I hope you get a lot more out of them than I did.

Good for you - working on your own website. I have started a face to face group support organisation for chronic pain in Northern Ireland - painfullystrong.co.uk

We are currently on the lookout for Guest Bloggers as we are starting our guest blog page very soon. If you would like to blog for us and promote your website in the process feel free to submit your piece with a short intro about you and some pics if you wish - [e-mail]

Lou xx

[Lou_inpain in reply to Lou_inpain]

sorry the email is [e-mail] x

[foxglove]

Poor you!!! - my sympathies, I had an out break of shingles in Dec. and still have PHN, can't imagine how I would cope with 4 years . Doc. says the longest he's known is 2 years and that freaked me. Amitriptyline is helping but don't know how long I will have it prescribed . It's not so bad if I focus on something else and the ami. helps with sleep, going to try the olive leaf extract that jenharri found boosted the immune system

p.s. look forward to your website . Good luck with getting better soon.

[johnsmith]

Try massage. It is possible that the pain and discomfort has some roots in shortened muscle. An experienced massage therapist can determine if this is true or not.