25yo and diagnosed with shingles (when will this end?)
Posted , 9 users are following.
Hi all. This is my 29th day with shingles. The rashes have mostly subsided but not totally gone. What bothers me though is that the extreme skin sensitivity is still present. The rashes are in the left side of my chest that loops on my back and for a month now I wasn't able to wear upper clothes due to extreme itchyness everytime something touches my rashes. Even water and wind causes itch.
My question is will this skin sensitivity ever go away? Could it be possible that Im suffering from neuralga? Is skin sensitivity part of PHN? Ive read from internet that shingles mostly heal on two to three weeks and yet Im on my fourth week now. I already resigned from my job because I've been absent for a month. For a young man like me its very depressing to be confined inside the house for a whole month. I could not go outside because I cant wear any clothes.
p.s sorry for the bad english, its not my native tongue
0 likes, 13 replies
jane97743 Sad_Titan
Posted
I hate to say this but i had shingles 6 months ago and am still suffering from extreme itching about 3 times a day!! it is my eye area, eyebrow and forehead, The worst thing is that there is nothing to cute the eye itching, as creams are too strong for that sensitive area, I can use anti itch cream on the other area. but it's my eye that is causing me so much grief, as when I rub it , it gets so sore and the white of my eye gets red! Despite seeing the opthamologist regularly, she gives me various drops but nothing ever works!! I wish you good luck and hope you don't have this problem as long as i have had it, and no Dr can tell me when it will end! it really is ruining my life!!
chris06204 jane97743
Posted
I had shingles in my eye (and nose) for 4 months before it went away.
However, any pain went way immediately when I took 2 amitriptyline 10 mg tablets each night so I was lucky to lead a normal life.
looloo43 chris06204
Posted
jane97743 chris06204
Posted
I still take a 10mg one at night as it helps me to sleep most of the time, it doesn't help the itching eye problem unfortunately!
jane97743 chris06204
Posted
chris06204 jane97743
Posted
Worse than that. 2 months after the original shingles went I have a large patch of it on by back. Just trying to ignore it's itching. Driving is worse but I'm not going to let it get in the way of normality
davideastchurch Sad_Titan
Posted
I came down with shingles in early June of this year. It has now gone, although I still have a slight mark where the worst of the rash was.
It was many weeks before the symptoms of sensitivity and itching stopped. It was on my right abdomen and around to my back and the last patch at the front would suddenly itch several times a day for several months after it first flared up. I wore very loose clothes and I made myself an ointment with colloidal oats, coconut oil, a little olive oil, and a few drops of lavender oil. I smeared it on several times a day - always after my shower, and always before bed, then intermittently as required. I found it really helped. I also kept some colloidal oat powder and dusted the rash after showering, to ensure that it was dry, before applying the ointment.
For me, the most distressing symptoms were depression and a lack of energy. I would just feel myself 'drop' and had little choice but to stop and rest.
The ointment was easy to make but I'm sure you can find a preparation already made somewhere. My only other advice is to listen to what your body is telling you. Do not try to push yourself. Do what you can but stop at the very first sign of fatigue.
Hope you're soon on the road to recovery.
jean75312 Sad_Titan
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jane97743 jean75312
Posted
jane97743 jean75312
Posted
Hi Jean, i just want to ask if you ever use hair dye and if it is safe to use one with peroxide in it after shingles on the head? The reason i ask isn't to be personal, but i do use it and so far haven't used the normal one i used to, just the one that washes out in 8 washes, but it is so inconvenient having to keep colouring it, as i don't want to go grey just yet! I know i have had no rash for 5 months but am still a bit worried to use the permanent colour!
looloo43 Sad_Titan
Posted
Hi Titan & all us post shingles itchy people! i still have itchy skin from the shingles, & use salcura bioskin junior daily nourishing spray to soothe it. its actually for kids, but it is very light, non greasy & is so soothing for itchy, irritated or sore skin. widely available. xx
jane97743 looloo43
Posted
Merry19451 Sad_Titan
Posted
Dear Titan,
I am so sorry for your suffering. Herpes Zoster-Shingles isn't just about the pain and rash. Its accompanying symptoms include fatigue, exhaustion, insomnia, and yes, depression. The sensation you have, the hypersensitivity to touch causing the area to itch is called allodynia.
I have experienced severe itching from other causes, but also try to help people on this site. You might want to try the antihistamines such as Benadryl and a prescription for Atarax and the strongest, Doxepin.
Oatmeal baths by Averno can be soothing, if only for a short time.
What might work best is a numbing medication Lidocaine, combined with Aloe. The product Solarcaine, used for sunburns might work.
Put the Solarcaine in the refrigerator before applying as the cold will cause the blood vessels to constrict, and thus help with the itching.
I have had Herpes Zoster-Shingles in my right ear every three to five weeks for the past twenty years and have had it in my right eye twice.
I am a Nurse Practitioner in the States.
Let me know how I can help you.
Best wishes
Merry Juliana