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Oral shingles

Posted , 2 users are following.

andrea43257
andrea43257

I have been battling shingles for a little over 2 weeks now.  It was mostly in my mouth, but I did end up with a few skin lesions.  My question is this:  How long will this horrid taste in my mouth last?  I can’t stand to eat anything other than Jell-O.  Everything else just tastes awful.  I’ve lost 16 lbs.  I’m so sick of not being able to eat!

1 like, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Merry19451
    Merry19451 andrea43257

    Posted

    Dear Andrea,

    I am so sorry you have the lesions in your mouth. Are they terribly painful? Did the physician give you the Antivirals and any analgesics?

    I get mouth lesions on the right side when I get Herpes Zoster-Shingles in my right ear every three to five weeks for the past twenty-one years and twice in my right eye.. . I find it incredibly difficult to swallow.

    The episode usually lasts approximately one month, as far as the vesicle-blisters are concerned, but the pain, fatigue, exhaustion, malaise can last far longer.

    If you are immunocompromised or elderly, the episode can last far longer.

    Could you try milkshakes? Ice cream, sherbet?

    Best Wishes

    Merry Juliana

    • andrea43257
      andrea43257 Merry19451

      Posted

      Fortunately the lesions in my mouth are all pretty much gone now.  They were incredibly painful.  It took my doctor 3 visits to figure out it was shingles.  I guess the mouth is not a common site.  rolleyes. They gave me an antiviral but I couldn’t tolerate the side effects (vomiting).  No analgesics.

      I am going to try some other things today, including those protein drinks they recommend for elderly people who have difficulty eating.  I’m only 56... Had breast cancer 6 years ago with 6 rounds of chemo, which left me permanently immunocompromised.  Yay.  I hope I recover from this so I can get the vaccine.  I don’t ever want to be this sick again!

  • Merry19451
    Merry19451 andrea43257

    Posted

    Hi Andrea,

    Somehow, your reply message never showed in my Email. I went looking to see if you had responded. I also had breast cancer which messed up my immune system, as well.

    The protein drinks do not taste all that great, according to my patients, but go ahead.

    There is a new vaccine Shingrex by Glaxo-Smith-Kline that is

    more efficacious than the old Zostavax, which was only 53-37% efficacious. The efficacy rate of Shingrex is at least 90-93%.

    Best Wishes

    Merry Juliana

    • andrea43257
      andrea43257 Merry19451

      Posted

      I put the Ensure in a blender with ice and made a “milkshake”.  It tasted pretty good.  My tummy didn’t like it, though.  

      I plan to get the new vaccine as soon as they tell me I can.  I was told 6-12 months after I am fully recovered.  I never want this again!  This is a zillion times worse than my 6 rounds of chemo combined!

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