I just can't shake off this tiredness and now have muzzy head!!

Posted , 6 users are following.

After reading some the symptoms people have with shingles - I feel my experience has been mild but it's just knocked me for 6 . I was she signed off off work for 3 weeks - when I met with my gp to discuss taking longer due to post viral fatigue - she said I should be over it and would only sign me off for stress - I refused and returned to work - although stressed as a result of the constant uncertainty of shingles and the prospect it had gone into my eye - stress was not the major factor - the unbearable fatigue was and still is - I am struggling , I don't feel like me anymore - I feel this virus has taken a grip and I need to know when normality comes back - I can't think straight - I have little motivation and I don't feel my doctor understands how awful this is .

1 like, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Posted

    Give yourself some time but stay on top of it. If you don't think your doctor has got it under control go to another doctor. I've had the post nerve pain for just over a year and I still am have issues. matter of fact i'm looking for a Neurologist now because I just don't know where else to go. It seems that they ether don't know to much about Shingles or they don't think that the nerve pain is that bad.

  • Posted

    Alison,

    Your Physician sounds as if she doesn't get it that Shingles can be devastating to the patient as far as fatigue, exhaustion, and brain fog. Many doctors are abysmally ignorant regarding the disease, and do not keep up with the literature. Of course, barely any recent research has been done on the myriad of symptoms that affect individuals in modern society, the dearth of Opioids being prescribed due to the Opioid epidemic and politicians getting into the act of managing health care. I would see another Physician, as fatigue and depression are known accompanying symptoms of Herpes Zoster-Shingles.

    I am so sorry you are going through this, and not having the support of your doctor.

    Best Wishes

    Merry Juliana

  • Posted

    Hi alison,

    You are not alone in your confused and anxious state. I got shingles almost one year ago and still am not back to my normal self. Most doctors know almost nothing about shingles so don't rely on them to give you advice. This forum is a good place to find helpful suggestions and comfort so you don't feel alone in your suffering. Also, you can do some research online that may help you. First, know that your symptoms may last a year or more like the fatigue, achy feeling, foggy head and anxiety. I am very slowly recovering but I have no where near the energy I had before getting shingles. I took six months off work and only went back to work around the first of September. I find I have to rest a lot throughout the day. Stress can cause my nerve pain to get much worse so I try to avoid stress when possible. I am careful about what I eat, too. Avoid sugar. It's a long process trying to regain a normal life. I have had to accept that my nerve pain will be with me for a long time, maybe forever. But, I do know that my PHN has gotten a lot better over time. When I sleep a lot and avoid all stress, I feel much better, but it is almost impossible to avoid all stress. Good luck to you. 

  • Posted

    I believe the tentacles from shingles reach many different areas. I am past 9 weeks from onset. I am a runner/power walker for more the 50 years. I now easily fatigue, cannot run and only walk at moderate pace and sometimes nap during the day, something I've never done in the past. From all the information on line I feel that many Doctors are in the dark on shingles and have no good answers. Good Luck, it supposed to end at some point. 

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