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Minor attack but can't seem to shake the virus

Posted , 9 users are following.

f41112
f41112

Had a full blown attack of shingles 2 years ago having unwittingly being getting minor shingles attacks for several years previous. For me the tell tale signs are strange cold sensation in my chest (which I now know is the virus effecting my nerves) which I'd always previously mistaken for a chest cold. Other symptoms include feeling cold, very slightly feverish, sometimes tiredness.

On this occasion i.e. since October 16th I've been getting the above symptoms and after a few weeks started getting prickliness in different parts of my body and not just on one side, though I've not had the rash or pain TG.

After a delay of a week or so of the first of the symptoms I went on to complete a course of Acyclovir and have been taking lysine and B12 1000mg daily since. But I seem to be no nearer to feeling better 7 weeks later and it's driving me nuts. I'm generally quite a healthy person and have not been under any undue stress. I'm hoping the Acyclovir and supplements I've been taking have stopped the worst of it but it seems to be taking as long to get over as the time I had it full on, I don't understand. My only full blown shingles attack took me a good 10 weeks to get over from start to finish. And even for a month after that attack when I would go out for a jog I would get the shingles nerve sensations firing off after my jogging session.

Anyone know if the supplements (lysine & B12 help to ward off Shingles at all or am I just peeing money down the toilet with this quackery. There are quite a few sites on the internet saying it works but guess what they have a vested interest in saying so as they so happen to sell the stuff as well.

As you can probably tell from the tone of this message I'm really fed up of not being able to get out and exercise smile

 

1 like, 29 replies

29 Replies

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  • Merry19451
    Merry19451 f41112

    Posted

    Hi F!

    Sorry for your suffering. While I do not take Lysine supplements as they can affect kidney, liver, and cardiac function, I do believe in the Lysine-Arginine connection in relation to Herpes Zoster-Shingles. I would suggest that you Google Lysine Arginine Herpes Zoster-Shingles diet to obtain a list of foods high in Arginine to avoid and high in Lysine to eat. It has made a huge difference in my life.

    I am a Nurse Practitioner in the US.

    Merry Juliana

    • f41112
      f41112 Merry19451

      Posted

      Arginine seems to be in the food groups I do like...typical.

      Would you say avoiding Arginine has stopped you from getting shingles or just lessened the severity? 

    • Merry19451
      Merry19451 f41112

      Posted

      I noticed very recently that I have not had Herpes Zoster-Shingles in three months, which for me is a miracle, as I have them every three weeks. Yes, carefully maintaining a low Arginine diet has more than helped.

      Best wishes

      Merry Juliana

    • Shoe_Lady
      Shoe_Lady Merry19451

      Posted

      3 months Merry!!! 

      I am sooo happy for you. The diet that I mentioned to you before, is just that, but way more extensive. I'm starting it after Christmas. However, i wanted to let you know it includes a glass of whole milk every morning and night. Supposedly the milk helps your gut with the absorption of the lysine. Also, Salmon and Chicken are the meats they highly reccomend twice a day. I hope your shingles free life continues. Keep us posted!!

    • f41112
      f41112 Merry19451

      Posted

      That's brilliant, glad for you. You said you would normally have an attack every 3 weeks. So was it the case you would get over it quickly and it would come back or you never fully recovered in between bouts. Any time I get shingles it lasts for at least 2 months.

      One thing I was curious about about when should you take Acyclovir, is it?

      When you notice the shingles sensations in your nervous system

      When you start feeling the prickly sensations on your skin

      When you see the rash starting to appear

      When you start feeling the pain

      Hope you stay shingles free smile

    • Azbella
      Azbella Shoe_Lady

      Posted

      Seems like I hurt everywhere , headaches , shoulder blade n neck pain now fingers joints are warm n tender I'm so tired ..?i know I gave birthday approaching but sheese .., ENUF Help ...

    • Merry19451
      Merry19451 f41112

      Posted

      I take Famcyclovir or Famvir as soon as I feel a headache or ataxia starting. My shingles is in my right inner ear, and if I were never to take the antivirals, the rash extends to my outer ear. The process with antivirals is a recurrent cycle of one week precyclic symptoms including headache fever chills and sweating aches and pains, fatigue and exhaustion, malaise, one week of severe pain, one more week of the continued fatigue, add wash, rinse, and repeat cycle....

      Dear F...

      Take your Acyclovir as soon as you feel the symptoms start as the Acyclovir stops the virus from replicating and therefore stops the disease from becoming more severe. The earlier, the better!

      Best wishes

      Merry Juliana

    • f41112
      f41112 Merry19451

      Posted

      Getting Famcyclovir or Famvir here in the UK is not so easy and it's very expensive. So I guess for the time being it will have to be Acyclovir for me. Your cycle of shingles sounds horrendous so all the more pleased you've found a resolution through diet smile  Mine atm seems to be recurring probably about every 2 years and the onset of winter seems to be a time when it is likely to occur. All the very best to you.

  • joseph34465
    joseph34465 f41112

    Posted

    I've had shingles for 3 months on the left side of my face. I take 150 milligrams of Lyrica 3 times a day iPic 10 milligrPercocet 3 times a dayAnd I take 1 30 milligram of Cymbalta once a day. The pain has subsided a lot but at first the pain was unbearable. This is the worst thing I have ever had and I'm 66. I hope I'm on the downside but I haven't been able to do nothing for 3 month.They say it could last for a long time so be patient.

    • f41112
      f41112 joseph34465

      Posted

      Feel like I'm whinging about very little when I listen to other people's stories. Guess I'm not a very patient patient!! Hoping you make that recovery quickly. I'm going to be waiting on the new drug but in the meantime will be looking at B12, Vit C and Lysine for supporting the nervous system and during outbreaks.

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