shingles pain

Hi I am new here, my blisters appeared about ten days ago, have finished my antiviral tablets , and am now relying on paracetamol and codeine for pain relief. I have tried calamine lotion and a paste made of water and baking powder but find night time the worst, getting very little sleep. Has anyone got any tips?

[Bacardi]

Hi I'm 5 weeks getting over shingles , the antiviral tablets plus I had the shingles jag all helped me . I found Eurax stop itching fast cream very good , it says 10 hours relief I used it every 5 hours and it kept on top of it . Cider apple vinegar can help too , my friend used that . Hope this helps .

[Hidden in reply to Bacardi]

Thanks Barcardi, the cream sounds good, I will give that a try and maybe I can get some sleep. I never realised how painful they could be,as mine are at the top of my leg and my stomach and rub against each other. O joy!!

[Bacardi in reply to Hidden]

Hi mines is on my back just where my bra sits , I went about with a toweling wrap on pulled up at the front and down at the back so nothing would touch it , and kept putting the cream on and taking dihydrocodeine for the pain . It's only this past week I have had a top on but no bra. Yours is in an awkward place to do that so I hope the cream will be some comfort for you . Take care hope it gets better soon .

[Pippins2]

Molly shingles pain is nerve ending pain so the best meds are Gabapentin or Pregablin ( Lyrica ). You can also get Lidocaine patches, they work really, really well but are very expensive so doctors won't tell you about them! X

[Hidden]

Hi pippins2 i have tried the Eurax cream recommended by Bacardi and have had some relief, but I think I may be in for a long haul with these little blighters so I will get back in touch with my Gp and ask about Gabapentin or Pregablin. Thanks for the info.

[Sorohan in reply to Hidden]

Hello Try a tens machine

I it gives you pain free time when you have it on as it blocks the pain pathway

You can get one for around under £20 from a pharmacy or on line

Good luck

Hope it helps

[Julesgettingthere]

Hello Molly

I am a member of the pain forum for other reasons, but my mum, who is living with me at the moment, had (possibly still is) having a long run with shingles, its a horrible thing.

Is there a question you would like me to ask her ? I would like to help if i can.

Kind regards

Jules

x

[Hidden in reply to Julesgettingthere]

Hi Julesgettingthere I would just like to know how long does a bout of shingles go on for. I believe that if you are a bit run down or stressed that it can start them off again. I am going to try some B12 vitamins to see if that helps to stave them off. In my ignorance I thought you only got shingles once! Thanks to everyone for your help.

[Julesgettingthere in reply to Hidden]

Hi there Molly,

I have forwarded that to mum - will let you know what she says - i think thou in my mums case it wont be welcome news - sorry, maybe better for you thou -

Jules

x

[Julesgettingthere in reply to Hidden]

Hi Molly,

sorry, mum hasnt said anything yet - problem is she is forgetful, i will ask her tomorrow - didnt want you to think i had forgotten to reply.

Hope your day was a little easier on you as it went on.

Jules

x

[Hidden in reply to Julesgettingthere]

Hi Julesgetting there, Thanks for your reply, I know deep down that it could take a long time to feel normal, the reason I wanted to know was because my front tooth crown dropped out a few days ago and I wanted to get it cemented back in as soon as possible. Its bad enough having shingles but whistling through the gap when i talk is nearly as bad.

[Julesgettingthere in reply to Hidden]

Hi Molly, Jules here.

I know exactly how you feel.

As part of my injuries from a crash i lost my front tooth.

I thought the same, its bad enough coping with the rest, but do i really have to cope with no front tooth - then the temp tooth was fitted and i whistled when i talked.

Its much worse for a woman than a man with the front tooth i think.

I have never had shingles, i think you are infectious for a while arent you ?

Do you feel up to getting your tooth done soon ? Hope so.

Jules

[Hidden in reply to Julesgettingthere]

Hi Jules, I will phone my dentist tomorrow and explain what has happened, I think I may be past the infectious stage as the blisters have scabbed over but I will wait and see what she says. i don think I would be able to put up with the pain as the dentist chair goes very far back and the pressure would be too much. I know I sound like a wimp, but I dont like going to the dentist at the best of times

[Julesgettingthere in reply to Hidden]

No, totally understand - pain on top of pain is not good.

Some dentists are less than understanding with how softly/slowley they reel back the chair as well - no matter how much you tell them about what else is going on with your body.

Hope you get your teeth fixed soon thou - front teeth are important to a girl.

Jules

x

[Hidden in reply to Julesgettingthere]

Thanks for taking the time to reply to me feeling sorry for myself when you are having a hard time of it yourself and your mum.I am having my tooth done on Friday, by the way thanks for the comment about teeth being important to a girl, this girl is 74 years young and survived breast cancer twice. Keep smiling its important!

[Julesgettingthere in reply to Hidden]

I am 51 and intend to always be a 'girly'.

My mum is (she would like me telling you!) is the same.

With my mum, since she got sick, its her nails that are really important to her - just because we are ill doesnt mean we stop being female with all its traits does it !

Good luck there - you made me smile.

Jules

x

[Bacardi]

Hi I was offered gabapenten or pregablin decided the bad side effects I had when on them previous was not worth it , plus the side effects you get coming off them was terrible , so you really have to way up if you want to go down that road . I got the lidocaine patches prescribed by the rheumatologist for the fractures in my spine they were very good for the pain but I taken a bad reaction to the adhesive , but if you can get them there with a try .

[Hidden in reply to Bacardi]

thanks for the info. on gabapenten and pregablin , I am always a bit wary about taking drugs, that was why I was going down the home remedy route.

[Bacardi]

I don't blame you , these drugs do serve a purpose at the time but once your on them it's coming off . As I said the patches are really good it was unfortunate they caused an reaction in me . My GP wouldn't prescribe them I had to talk to the consultant at the hospital , but reading some of the post some GP do . Hope you get relief soon .

[SqueakMouse]

Hiya Molly!:):). I'm so sorry for the delay in replying; I've been dealing with a combined case of zoster-related meningitis and shingles myself, so I've been away from the site for awhile:(. I only just got back to it tonight and noticed your post, and I was heartbroken to hear of your suffering...as I mentioned, I can definitely empathize:(:(.

I know your post is several days old by now, so with luck, you're on the road to recovery (you'll be in my thoughts and prayers that that is indeed the case!:):)....but if for any reason you're still in a lot of pain (and/or have further questions about shingles), I'd be delighted to try and help.

I have an immunodeficiency and also don't make antibodies to the zoster virus, so unfortunately, I get repeated and extensive cases of shingles (and other zoster-related illnesses) all the time:(:(.

But the silver lining of this medical history is that I've experienced a lot of trial and error regarding medications/treatments/etc., and have accumulated a pretty good list of the more effective ones. Let me know if you'd like the information, and I'd be happy to share my experiences with you:):).

Since you mentioned having some success with lidocaine patches (but can't tolerate the adhesive), one option I can enthusiastically recommend (that I haven't seen mentioned by other posters so far) is a topical prescription cream that is called "Emla" here in America (but is easily available as a generic: Specifically, "Lidocaine 2.5%/Prilocaine 2.5%").

I too am allergic to patch adhesives, but gained significant relief from lidocaine---so I was immensely grateful to discover that there's an alternative option available that provides the benefits of numbing agents, without the negative side effects of the patch delivery system. It is a tremendous help for managing even the most severe burning/itching; I honestly don't know how I'd get by without it, while I'm waiting for the oral meds to do their healing work: (which as you've seen can be an unpleasantly long wait; post-herpetic neuralgia can last long after the blisters have cleared, and the usefulness of antivirals has run out).

The cream comes in a tube, so it can be specifically targeted to the individual blisters and/or a wider symptomatic area, and can usually be reapplied as needed (because the dose isn't titrated for long-term delivery like patches, and isn't so concentrated either), which you no doubt know from experience is an important consideration (how many times have you managed to finally achieve a level of decent pain control, only to have a breeze or your dog accidentally brush up against the rash and flare it up again---but you're not scheduled to take your oral meds for another six hours?:):). Which means six long hours of unbroken suffering, usually:(.

But with this Emla cream, it's possible to treat the area immediately and gain significant relief within minutes (even if the dog scratches your rash again 30 minutes later!--'cause you can spot treat the painful areas once again, usually several times over).

And if you don't have prescription insurance, you don't have to worry, because this medication is usually quite affordable--often less than $30 per tube for the generic here in the US, which lasts quite a long while (depending upon how extensive your rash is, of course, and/or how often you need to reapply it).

Also, it isn't a highly regulated product like narcotics or benzodiazepines (again, here in America), so if you are an established patient, your doctor should be able to fax or call in a prescription for you without requiring an appointment, and/or a trip to the office in order to pick up a paper script in person (an important consideration when you're dealing with disabling nerve pain, especially when it flares in response to movement or fatigue, like shingles often does).

Many types of doctors from varying fields of expertise prescribe this medicine (neurologists, dermatologists, and GP's for sure--all of whom treat shingles), so if you bring the suggestion to your doctor, they will very likely be familiar with it, and shouldn't have a problem prescribing a few tubes for you to try:) They will be able to give you the most useful advice regarding how and when to apply it, based upon what brand they order and what your particular needs are as a patient:)

I've also found ice packs to be a great emergency solution (it also calms pain and itch by numbing those sensory nerves, and much better than heating pads, in my experience). I get a pack of miniature latex-free balloons (about the size of a golf ball to a tennis ball when expanded), fill them with water (again, not too much--you want it to fit easily in your palm), tie off the ends in a tight knot, and freeze them overnight. I like to prepare at least four; that way you can rotate them as the ones you're using begin to melt, and you'll never be left without one in case of emergency:):).

Once they've frozen solid, just wrap it in a thin soft cloth--cut up old cotton T-shirts are great--and place it over the painful area (though I sometimes prefer the balloon directly against my skin to start with; it seems to soothe the pain more quickly, and the latex is usually a sufficient barrier to protect the skin from "ice burns"). For less intense pain, a partially melted ice balloon can also be comforting---even if it's mostly cold water--and more malleable too, for awkward or bony areas like under the rib cage, over the eye, or around the ears.

I find commercial ice packs to be too large/heavy/unwieldy for shingles care, but these little homemade options are much more handy---it fit easily almost anywhere (depending upon where your rash is located) without tiring your arm out or blocking your vision. I've even used them as trigger-point relief, e.g., when I have shingles on my back; if you lie down with the "ice balloon" under your shoulder blade, it can not only numb the pain and itch, but it can release the muscle tension and soothe the ache that often results from shingles pain. And they are inexpensive and reusable , too!

You can bring these ice balloons with you in the car and hold it against the rash while traveling (I often get severe pain triggered by the seat belt or an open window,)--a time when applying cream or taking a medication usually just isn't feasible, and severe neuralgia is particularly distracting and dangerous--so these ice packs are uniquely useful under these circumstances ) Just remember to bring along a ziploc bag or a cup to store the balloon in when you arrive at your destination; they don't leak (unless they get torn somehow), but they can "sweat" a little in the sun, so I find it's a good idea to have a plan in place to protect your car/clothes "just in case":):).

Hope these tips are helpful to you...and most of all, I hope you're doing better and fully healed very very soon:):). Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions; like I said, I don't know for sure if I can help, but I'd be delighted to try:)

[Hidden]

HI SqueakMouse Many thanks for your reply, and very grateful that you h.ave taken the time to give me some advice about the treatment for shingles. The cream you suggested Lidocaine , I will mention to my doctor who I will be seeing in a few days but in the meantime I am trying an over the counter cream called Lanacane. the tip about the balloons is a great idea as I find ice very soothing. My late husband had shingles, a very small patch on his hip which did'nt bother him at all so I thought that shingles was not something to be concerned about -till I got them!! You seem to be having a hard time, I wish you good health in the future. Molly.