General Chat

Thank You Von Sylvia appreciate your comments he isn't going out I did local shop myself today .he has been in bed most of the afternoon. We have got callomime lotion .really it's just a waiting game just hope he calms down a.bit .x

This is just a suggestion that you could ask your doctor or pharmacist about ...............

my daughter caught chicken pox as an adult, same virus that causes shingles.

Her doctor told her that warm baths could help the itching, and also that a mild anti-allergy OTC drug could also help ............. by "mild" he meant one that didn't have a lot of ingredients.

Both helped her!


What about calamine lotion?


Just try to stop him going out and about ............. you don't want to pass it onto a pregnant woman or small child.

Barbra - I sympathise with your husband. Shingles is a horrible virus and can affect people in different ways.
Sometimes pain killers as well as the anti-viral drugs are needed.
Do talk to your Dr - he should be able to prescribe something.
I hope your husband can get some relief soon
Take care
Von

Thank you. Will see pharmacist on Friday they open at 9am .

You can buy various things that go on the skin and ease itching quite a bit. Not cheap and as OTC not usually prescribed by the NHS. Speak to a proper pharmacist at your usual place and he/she will sort you out.

If yr pharma can't / won't help there is always Amazon or eBay.

good luck

My oh is being really funny more than usual can't do anything right. I am not sleeping up at 3am then 5am separate bedrooms as his has office desk in .our choice but handy just now with him having Shingles .he is so bad tempered your right Ann .hope he feels better soon done my best but just had enough sorry for moaning x

Hope the meds soon kick in and make him feel less itchy and take the pain away. It is a virus so no doubt he will be grumpy.

People are very kind on here :-)

He is lucky it was caught soon enough for meds, Barbara.

Hope he gets rid of it soon.

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 :-)

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.

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.

Sorry Rollo...my mistake

Florence in the hebrides

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.