Depression with PHN?

Tiffany,

Thanks for the nice compliment!  Glad I could be of some help. 

I agree with you about strong pain medication.  I have never, and will never, take narcotics for PHN.  I've seen too many people's lives messed up with them.  GABA/Neurontin, I would try it if I felt the need, because it's not addictive and I've seen it help people.  But I really prefer the topical creams. 

Dogs:  You make a really good point that only a few have talked about here.  Pets really do help us a lot.  They distract us, make us smile and laugh, and they don't take no for an answer about exercising them.  And that gets us out exercising with them, and living our lives again.  I took my dogs to work with me in the hospital for 18 years, and saw them help people immeasurably. 

OK, about your worry that you will never be able to live your life in a normal way again:  You will if you make it happen.  I have pain and numbness and itching still, but I do everything I did before, even if it causes some pain.  I decided long ago that I will not allow PHN to stop me.  It can cause me discomfort, but I WILL do what I want to do.  So, though hats and helmets and wind and heat can hurt, I still go outside and wear a hat, I ride my bike a lot wearing a helmet, I hike, I snowshoe, I ski, I paddle my kayak, I go on walks with my two dogs, I do volunteer work outdoors, and I do exercise classes 4x/week or so.  And I wash my hair in the shower, which hurts every time.  But do you know what?  Few of my friends know I even have PHN.  And I'm no longer depressed.  And I can truly say I am having a good time and a good life.  So I have found a "new normal," and I am actually happier than I was before my PHN! 

I don't mean to brag and I hope I don't seem to "Pollyanna-like," but this thing can be coped with, and it can be done well, and life can be enjoyable again. 

You're welcome. Thanks for your informative posts responding to my comments. It's comforting to communicate with people who are going through the same health issues with PHN as I am. Because PHN is not as common a problem as other illnesses, having it can make a person feel isolated with no one to talk to about symptoms. Some of my friends dismiss my pain as trivial. In regard to your opinions about the lingering pain of PHN, I wonder if there isn't room for the idea that there is some possiblity that not all people heal the same and that some people with PHN do actually get better to the point the pain is gone. I personally have several friends who had very painful PHN for a few months after shingles and they told me the pain did go after some time. I know they aren't lying to me. I also have spoken to a close friend who is a medical doctor and his wife who is a nurse also a close friend who have both told me they have treated many people with shingles and PHN--they told me all of their patients did recover from PHN--either the pain went away completely or is not bothersome to them anymore. 

I don't look for a cure because I do agree there is no cure for PHN but I do think that people should know the pain can go away or lessen to the point where it flairs up only occasionally. All people are different in terms of how their bodies react to PHN. I have read a lot about PHN recently and talked to many people about it. Not all people will be left with long lasting severe pain. On the Mayo clinic site and on several other medical sites the statistics show that PHN does eventually go away in most people. 

I agree with you that if a person lives with the idea the pain will just suddenly and magically go away or that there will be a cure for PHN that can be disappointing and counterproductive. But, if one understands that by dealing with the pain in a proactive way and living a healthy life style that PHN can be managed and lessened to the point where the pain isn't severe, that can be energizing and helpful for healing. Also, PHN sufferers should know that for some people the pain does go away. 

I agree fully, Tiffany.  Sorry if I gave the impression that PHN never goes away.  It does for some people.  I expect that mine will last the rest of my life, because I'm 67 and I've had it for 26 years.  But, if it goes away, I will celebrate!  It has lessened significantly, and also my management of it lessens how much I notice it and how much it bothers me. 

Thanks! Your post is very inspiring. You are living proof that a person can live a normal and interesting life even with PHN. I am just beginnning to come to terms with my new normal. I am learning to accept that I don't have as much energy as I once did and that m PHN may linger for long time. I am finding many coping skills and ways to participate in some daily activities in new ways. Instead of constantly thinking that my life is over, I am now trying to look to a brighter future even with PHN. 

I know that stress and anxiety only make my pain worse. When I practice positive thinking and focus on living a healthy lifestyle, my pain really does seem manageable. I like to believe that with time, my body will heal more each day and sometime my pain will lessen to the point it will be just a minor inconvenience rather than all consuming. 

Your success at achieving a normal, fulfulling life gives me motivation and hope! 

We are good for each other!  Ha!  Hearing that people are finding ways to improve makes me feel really good. 

Charlie,

You must have been young when you got shingles/PHN. When you first got shingles and then PHN did you react as positively as you are reacting now? Were there any mistakes you made in the beginning when you first got shingles/PHN that you think might have made your PHN worse? 

What stresses in your life 26 years ago may have contributed to you getting shingles? Do you live in the U.S. or Europe?

I know I am asking personal questions and don't feel you have to answer if you don't feel comfortable doing so. 

You seem like a person is very self-aware and I was just wondering about your backstory in relation to shingles/PHN. 

I was 40 when I contracted shingles.  No, I was not positive at all at first.  I was scratching my face til it bled just about every night, and often in the day as well.  The scratching made the PHN worse, because it irritated the nerves.  I was severely depressed.  I saw a psychiatrist and got on antidepressants, which helped.  I began aggressively using CBT, which I used with patients before that ["practice what you preach"].  Those two things really helped the most. 

The original stressor that brought on shingles was my psychologist licensing exams.  I was so anxious I could not sleep, and the anxiety decreased my immune system functioning.  I passed the exams just fine, then got shingles a few months later. 

I live in the US.  Have worked in mental health, mostly medical settings, for 40 years.  When I got shingles and then PHN, I was specializing in chronic pain management, and that helped eventually.  I retired one year ago. 

Do you live in the US or Europe? 

Hi Charlie! Thanks so much for answering my questions. We seem to have a lot in common in terms of what brought on shingles/PHN and then how we coped with the illness. Like you, stress was directly the trigger that brought on my shingles. I had just started a new job as a college professor and the week I was being observed, rated and reviewed by my Dean and all my students was the week I broke out in shingles. I had already been stressed by my new job and admittedly had not been eating a healthy diet or sleeping enough that also contributed to my stress. I don't know about you, but I have been a very healthy person up to moment when I got shingles and PHN barely three months ago. I only got shingles Nov 4.

I had the actual rash for about 4 weeks. So, I have officially only had PHN for about 8 weeks. That is why I am not giving up hope that the PHN might eventually go away for me or at least the pain might lessen so that I can live a more normal life again. Also, since I don't have any other health issues that might make my chances that the PHN pain might lessen a bit better. Incidently, my evalutions for college teaching were very positive so I shouldn't have worried myself sick over them. I had to get a leave of absence from my job for this current term, however--Spring semester-- because my pain is just too severe and my anxiety is high. I hope I can go back to my teaching job for Fall 2017. Like you, I did not handle my shingles/PHN well in the beginning. It really hasn't been until the last two weeks that I am getting a more steady handle on how to cope better and live a healthy lifestyle while dealing with PHN. Everyday is a struggle for me to remind myself that the road to recovery is through management of my stress and anxiety and practicing all the positive skills I know will help me regain a more normal life. This site and you are helping me, as well. 

I live in California. 

Hi Tiffany,  Just wanted to chime in and add that shingles also can erupt due to trauma.  I am retired and really have no stress in life.  However, I had a spinal surgery last June.  Going into this I was a healthy, active senior.  I feel it was the trauma to my body that allowed the virus to erupt.  Two weeks after that I got shingles.  The surgery went great but I am convinced it was the body trauma.  If it is any consolation to you, after about 4 months, the deep shooting pains subsided and now I am left with the skin surface pain which is considerable but I think I am managing this and still hoping it will improve over time.  In the meantime I feel I can cope with what you all are calling the "new norm". Again I appreciate all the feedback on this forum mostly because I don't know anyone here who has or has had this!

 

I never really had the awful rash you see on TV.  I just had a red painful rash.  I still have the rough patchy skin where the first rash was.  When I was first diagnosed, the doctor though it would be a mild case cause I did have the shingles shot 5 years ago.  Little did he know!  Anyway, I did try pain pills, anti depression, etc.  They did not work and after reading in this forum I gave up on pills.  They all have nasty side effects.  As I said before and also you did, healthy living and a good outlook works for me,

Hi Ruth,

Thanks for your posts. You seem to be handling PHN well now. I'm no expert, but for me it just makes sense that trying to improve my lifestyle and diet as well as focussing on relaxation, meditation,counseling and stress reduction can only help me. Strong drugs always make me feel worse and seem to cause more harm than good to my body so I'm trying to avoid pills. Many of the over-the-counter medications mentioned on this site and that I have discovered seem to work as well or better than prescription meds. Also, avoiding sugar and getting a lot of sleep helps too. All I know, is I love life and living and will struggle through this pain

in order to try to live a somewhat normal life. It is a struggle for me, I admit, at least right now. But, you and Charlie are good examples of PHN sufferers who are finding ways to cope and still live your lives. 

Ruth,

I'm curious about what antidepressant, or antidepressants, you were on that you did not feel worked well.  Also, if you can recall, what dosages? 

Good questions about when it is that shingles pain evolves into PHN pain, and where physicians draw the line.  I've never seen any particular guidelines on this, I've only seen attempted definitions of how long shingles lasts.  Those definitions are fuzzy, as people have different experiences with how long shingles lasts. 

In my case, I know exactly when shingles stopped and PHN started.  It was my 7th day in the hospital [I was hospitalized because of head pain, and it was later discovered a few days later to be shingles when I developed skin outbreak].  My experience was that over the space of just a few minutes my pain changed, from pain to itching.  I thought, and my doc thought, that this was a good sign, meaning that tissue was starting to heal.  It wasn't.  The itching was quite severe, and never stopped.  Eventually, after years' time, it became intermittent rather than continuous. 

I don't think most people have this clear of an experience of shingles turning into PHN.  It's usually more gradual. 

I didn't know your shingles episode was so recent.  Given that, you may have a better chance that it will diminish quicker.