General Chat

Anyone on here had SHINGLES my oh been told today he has it rash on right side & his back .only noticed this morning but he had pain Saturday .feels tired any advise or help please Thank you Barbara

Barbara
Was it a doctor who diagnosed shingles? If your OH has seen a doctor or nurse practitioner within 72 hours of the rash appearing he should be given antiviral drugs. They won’t cure it but can stop it getting worse. I did this and ended up with quite a mild dose.

If the person who told him it was shingles wasn’t a doctor, then he needs to seek medical help. Most of us on here won’t be qualified to give him advice and without medical help it can have all sorts of complications.

I wish him well.

Get vit B complex as well as doctors drugs/cream. It's given out here to help with the damage to the nerves. OH was out of pain and recovered quickly.

You can get the shingles injection in UK.

Pat, in the UK the shingles jab is currently only available to certain age groups. I didn’t get it because I fell between two groups.

He rang GP no appointments so was told go to Pharmacist they said looks like SHINGLES he didn't have the rash Saturday just pain .Today rash was there. have to ring GP first thing Tuesday hope he gets an apppintment he isn't a good.patient :-)

People between 70_ 79 can get injection in Scotland don't know about other areas Thanks All .see what happens Tomorrow just mithered for him x

I thought I had pulled a muscle but nothing helped for days. Got a emergency appt the day the rash came out (told them why I needed it)
Started the antivirals that day and used the prescribed painkillers for a few nights to help me sleep. The pain is always worse at night. Got very tired with the shingles.
Now, about 6/7 months later just have a twinge in the morning.
Hope your OH gets his appointment in time before the meds become pointless.

Currently in England you have to be 70 or 78 for the vaccine

I was very lucky. As I got the antivirals very quickly I didn’t have too much pain and recovered completely in 3 or 4 weeks.

I had it several years ago and used ice cubes which helped immensely - of course they would.

OH and I slept apart and had separate towels daily.

It was gone in two weeks.

Keep away from pregnant women if it is shingles. OH did my shopping because I would never have been able to live with self if I'd infected one of the checkout girls who may not have even known she was pregnant.

Everyone got offered the shingles jab when they turned 70. It use to be for that year but it's been extended as my friend who returned to live here got the jab in her late-70s.

Some people who have had chicken pox or shingles in the past can suffer from Bell's Palsy. This tends to immobilise one side of the face or the other including the ability to close/open the eye and blink. The cause is a swollen facial nerve.

Some doctors will say just wait it will go away. That is quite wrong failure to treat B.P. can result in blindness.

If treated promptly with corticosteroids, such as prednisone, the B.P. inflammation will go in about 48 hours. Meanwhile wear an eye mask and keep the eye well lubricated.

At 8 months old I got measles from older siblings and then chicken pox with it

Am told I was very poorly and was going to be hospitalised

I got over it but years down the line i came down with shingles

Subsequently I also suffered with cold sores even though I hadn’t had any relationship that i may have got them from skin contact

Doc thought it laid dormant from the shingles

It was a nig problem as a young adult but flare ups have decreased over the years

If I get the itchy then slap on the Zovirax ASAP and usually it averts an outbreak

I had shingles many years ago. I developed a line of about 6 spots across my stomach in a straight line and a line down. The herpes virus which is what causes chickenpox lays dormant for many years and then various things can trigger shingles.
In my case I was under a lot of stress with my job.
I was very tired and the spots were sore.
Think the Dr gave me some tabs and signed off for 2 weeks and then felt recovered and returned to work.
The spots follow the line of the nerves.

Rollo shingles of the eye is actually a lot more painful but think Barbara's OH has the spots on his trunk.

Florence in the Hebrides

Hope he feels better soon Barbara

Do please force the issue with your doctor's receptionist ............... your OH MUST see the doctor tomorrow to get the correct treatment.

Don't accept "sorry, not possible until xxxxxxxx"

That will be too late.

It started with pain in his back .& down the right side of his body then rash came out today he was changing a.shirt I noticed it .I will ring GP surgery 8am Tuesday if they can't see him going to take him to local cottage hospital.they will have to do something for him Thank you All

I was not talking about shingles in the eye I was talking about Bell's Palsy which is something else.

Where the facial nerve goes through the skull space is very tight. Anybody who has had chickenpox / shingles in the past is liable to suffer from Bell's Palsy.
People over 50 are far more susceptible.

As the nerve swells because of the trauma of the virus the face literally freezes, becomes immobile and devoid of feeling. Movement of the lips, eyelid and half the tongue become impossible. If you are really out of luck it affects the whole face and tongue.

Unfortunately the condition is often misdiagnosed which is not good as the best time to deal with B.P. is in the 48 hours after it the initial symptoms. It is not a suitable case for the GP 'cos (a) half the time they get the diagnosis wrong and (b) waiting god knows how long for an appointment is not an option.

Bell's Palsy can leave deep lines in the face if there is any delay n treatment which can be problematic for females.

Barbra, don't be surprised if the doctor asks you to describe the rash and symptoms on the phone, asks a few more questions then tells your OH to stay away from the surgery if he diagnoses shingles as three days is too late for him to give effective medication.

Yes, without actually seeing the doc who knows it is highly contagious and definitely doesn't want it to spread in his surgery. It takes a superb physician to do that, I think, and I had every faith in mine.

Doc will likely suggest the usual over-the-counter painkillers if there's pain, and separation of bedding and towels - I washed my things (clothes too) separately. Can't be too careful.

As I wrote previously, ice cubes work a treat - stands to reason doesn't it. Mine cleared in two weeks but I used ice cubes constantly throughout the day. The nerves don't like the big freeze!

But, don't worry, if he is any doubt the doc will get your OH to the surgery.

Sorry Rollo...my mistake

Florence in the hebrides

You can,t catch shingles from shingles. But shingles can cause chicken pox in someone who hasn’t,t yet had it.

Hope Barbra.s O H got his appointment.

And, as I wrote, namesless, contagious and dangerous for women in the early stages of pregnancy.

There's enough written online for people to know what not to do once it's diagnosed.

Good luck to your OH, Barbra.

Thank You all very much it's good to talk appreciate your comments x it is Shingles caught early so Oh on meds now after seeing GP this Morning Thanks Barbara :-)