A IF THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT..

Hi susane, good god..I am so glad you got it checked. You are right, peri is confusing...we put off going to the dr for every symptom as they usually look at us like were nutso and send us out the door.

Shingles is very painful. My friend is in her mid 50s post meno and she got it last year. She was sick for a couple of months with it...very painful. she worries about it coming back again.

Thank you so much for posting...please take good care of yourself! ❤

Oh my, I remember your post and I didn't think it could be shingles because you said it looked like a burn. I had shingles last year around my eye and cheek. I took high doses of lysine and vitamin c to help heal them up along with the antivirals. I had another small break out this year but I knew exactly what it was and took lysine which cleared it immediately. Absolutely take lysine and c to help. Google it as it's a well known treatment.

oh susane - i am so sorry! i remember my mother had it & drs told her it was one of the worst cases they had seen - so very painful - just curious if they gave you anything for it - i remember my Mom had some kind of cream made from cayenne pepper that gave her great relief - i hope you have a speedy recovery from it -

I had shingles in 2012 at 52. I was two years post menopausal. I didn't catch mine in time either so they couldn't give me the meds. It was painful! Mine was brought on by stress. Mine started out as a backache.

I got a shingles shot about two years ago. The pharmacist said it primes your body to fight it and you only have to get it one time in your life. Take care of yourself. The medicine they gave me didn't touch the pain so I stopped taking it. I still have some scars, very faint.

do not worry! i have had shingles several times now (this is actually pretty common although you will find most doctors do not know squat about shingles). i am 47 and in great health but was unlucky enough to have chicken pox twice-once at 5 which was severe and inside my mouth, ears, private parts etc and then confirmed again at 21. this makes me even more prone to shingles.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE LASTING NERVE DAMAGE. I had my first episode 5-6 years ago after a traumatic event and valtrex cleared up the blisters fast even though i had already had it several days. burning and itching gone in a month. most recent episode was 2 months ago (crazy hormones) on my lower back and valtrex got rid of the blisters and burning in 3 days. i agree lysine can also hepful. gabapentin can be prescribed for bad nerve pain. but i would hold off on this if you can.

both my parents had it in their 70's (my poor mom got shingles on her lady parts at 76 and went to the doctor thinking she had caught a "social disease" lol). neither one had any lasting effects but very painful for several weeks.

THE MOST IMPORTANT WAY TO PREVENT SHINGLES AND NERVE DAMAGE IS MANAGING STRESS. take care of yourself. exercise and eat right. get good sleep. easier said then done in peri i know! there is also a shingles board on this site thats very helpful. good luck. any questions please let me know. I feel like I have become an expert!

Hi there,I had this same experience two years ago at the age of 42. Mine was in a different area, around my right breast, under my arm right to the centre of the rib cage, it was four days of pain, burning, tingling, I too thought it was just another strange symptom with hormones until the fifth day I woke to blisters,I will never forget that pain, it was constant, muscles, nerves and skin all involved, if anyone moved around me I could feel it.I was unable to complete the antiviral meds as I broke out in an allergy rash on top of it, so my natural path put me on stuff which sped up the process, but for a year later I would still get pain in that area if I overdid it physically. I never thought at 42 I would have shingles, but my body has been going through so many changes and my stress and anxiety peaked along with it. I hope you feel better soon.

I'm so sorry to hear that you were suffering like this. My sister had this about two years ago. She is post menopausal. I think our declining hormones definitely play a part in triggering shingles, among other things. And you're right we shouldn't ignore things and assume that it's just hormones. That is why it is so important to go see a doctor if we are ever unsure about what we are feeling. I know that can be such a bother since most of them seem to have no clue how to help us.

Yes, when your hormones are low or when you are super stressed it can lower your immune system and allow dormant viruses to take hold. Sorry about the shingles, I hear they are extremely painful! Hope you feel better soon!

XO