Sharing my experience - recurring shingles

It's nice to know that I'm not the only one. Two and a half years ago I decided to get the shingles vaccine (because I was afraid of getting shingles)...... Look where that got me. Within six months of getting the vaccine I came down with shingles. It occurred on my right eye lid and proceeded up and down my face on the right side. It was devastating. It lasted for almost 3 weeks. I was prescribed Acyclovir 800 mg tablets and Zovirax 5% ointment. Six months after my initial outbreak of shingles, I had another outbreak in the same place. Six months after that it came back again. In the last two years I've had four outbreaks, always in the same place. The only way I can cope with it is to have the medicine on hand and start taking it as soon as I feel it beginning again. My doctors believe the recurrence is brought on by stress. Has anyone else been told this? I am otherwise healthy, eat well, exercise, and take care of myself. However, I do live with an alcoholic and that is very stressful. I am wondering if my doctors may be right. Please give me some feedback. Thanks

Hi everyone. Please Excuse All The Caps. Something IsWrong WitH My Phone.

I Just Turned 40, And In The Middle Of My Third "Known" BOut With Shingles. This Is Extremely Frustrating, Especially When Your Dr Insists iT Does Not Reoccur. This Time Around I Went To A Different Doctor, And She Was Able To DiAgnos It Immediately. (Thank Goodness I Caught It Earlier This Time). ShePrescribed An Aggressive Treatment Plan Of 800Mg Of Acyclovir 5 Times Per Day For One Week..., And suggested I Keep Extra On-Hand In Case I Feel It Returning. She Also Prescribed Gabapentin (Neurontin) At 300Mg Twice Per Day For Nerve Pain. It Can Cause Drowsiness, But Does Help Alleviate Some Of The Pain.

My Primary Physician Is Now Saying She Will Give Me The Vaccination Once THis Bout Of Shingles Completely Clears Up. HaS Anyone Else Had The Vaccination Yet? I'm Afraid To Take It Because When I Got A Flu Shot, I Became Very Ill. As horrible As Shingles Are, I Can't Imagine Exacerbating The Problem If Fellow Sufferers Find The Vaccination Will Make it Worse .

Eyesteph, please see post on 6 Feb 2013. I had the shot and it was NOT fun, but, outbreaks have been milder. The challenge is living with the PHN.

I have also been using Bactine spray.

Hi Ronna. Thank You For The Response. I Think I Will Take My Chances And Try The Vaccine. Although I Was Only Diagnosed Three Years Ago, I BelieveI've Had Them Longer. Every Year For The Past Five Or Six Years Its Been The Same, And Usually Around The Holidays. I End Up Missing Work, And Functions With Family And Friends. Right Now I'm On Day 7, And While The Blisters Are Healing, The Pain, Flu Symptoms And Fatigue Aren'tGoing Away. I Believe You Mentioned Blueberries Help? What Is In Blueberries ThatHelps? Right Now, I Don't Have Much Of An Appetite, So I Was Wondering If Any Dietary supplements Might Help?

In response to your question about getting the shingles vaccine or not............. all I can tell you was that I never had shingles until after I got the vaccine. Since then I've had an outbreak every 6 months. I requested the vaccine as I had heard how bad shingles was, and I didn't want to get it. So I though I'd be proactive and get the vaccine. Exactly six months after I received the vaccine, I came down with shingles. I didn't know what was happening to me. It started on my right eyelid, and proceeded up and down the right side of my face. The pain was unbelievable...... I wasn't sure what was happening. I immediately went to the Doctors and was told it was shingles. I told him that was impossible because I had received the vaccine six months ago. I was told that it was still possible to get shingles. The only hope I had was that it would be not as severe. Well that wasn't true. After that I thought I was in the clear..... however, exactly six months later I had another outbreak in the same area. This outbreak was a little less severe. Every six months after that I get another outbreak. Now I keep the medicine on hand and start taking it with the very first sign. This has been going on for 2 years, with four outbreaks. Did the vaccine start this cycle, I'll never know. But, being that you already have had outbreaks, possibly getting the vaccine will lessen the severity of any additional outbreaks. I would say just keep your medicine on hand and use it as soon as you can.

About 5 years ago I had shingles on the back of my neck that went down my left shoulder. It's just like the commercial I've seen for the shingles vaccine, no words can describe the pain and how bad you feel all over. Now for 2 weeks I've been having the nerve pain on the back of my neck and down to my left shoulder, but no blisters have showed up yet. Even my hair touching my neck and shoulder on the left side burns and hurts just like it did when I had the shingles. Does the nerve pain sometimes come back without the outbreak of blisters? And how long is it going to last? I would appreciate any advice. I'm 67 and have other health issues but this is really painful. Thank you.

The Nerve Pain Can Be Present Without The Blisters. As Soon As I Got The Pain And Flu.Symptoms (Very Predominate For Me) I Started Taking The Acyclovir. I Thought I Might Be Paranoid, But Sure Enough, A Small Cluster Of Blisters Formed The Following Day. You May Want To Check With Your Doctor About Having A Reoccurring Prescription On Hand So You Can Take The Medication When You Feel The Onset Of Pain. To Claudia USA, thank You For Your Response. I Think I'm Going To Take My Chances And Try The Vaccine.I Figure If It Is Reoccurring Already, It Hopefully Won't Make It Worse.

I had my first bout of shingles at 23 years. I have since had a reoccurrence about every 3 to 5 years. I am generally an otherwise healthy female. I am now 55 and having another bout - it always takes me by surprise! Maybe this is the tenth time I have had it. I used to think I was very sore and sick when affected, but after reading others' cases and seeing photos on the internet, I am surprised to find my symptoms rated as mild - that's sort of reassuring. I usually get one to three clusters of blisters in clumps the size of a coin on exactly the same spot on the side of my neck. I may or may not recall feeling tired or ill days prior to noticing the rash. This seems a bit random, so I am not convinced that it is linked to stress or illness, and have certainly been much more stressed and much more seriously sick without getting shingles. I think perhaps tiredness is not causal but an earlier symptom that the disease is starting to become active. It appears random and unavoidable. When the rash appears I am quite sick with flue like symptoms, headache, fever, chills, giddy, sick in the stomach, I usually take a few days off work by necessity, and avoid making contact with children and pregnant women. The worst of it lasts about three to five days. Being on my neck, the sore does not compromise my functioning too much, but it aches, itches and swells up like a volcano about to erupt. touching it is unbearable, so I leave it alone.

Doctors have doubted it was shingle because of it's many reoccurrences, but testing confirmed it as shingles. In my younger days I did not bother to report bouts to the doctor as there was nil they could do to help. The afflicted Not needing to report may be why doctors are generally less aware that shingles can reoccur frequently in otherwise healthy young individuals . As there is now an antiviral available, I have reported the last three episodes - more reliable reporting may improve the accuracy of data scientist have to understand this strange disease. This time I was prescribed an anti viral Famciclovir, but I haven't noticed reduced symptoms as yet.

Hello

Am also relieved to have found you all. Im 38 and had first case of shingles in 2005 and since then have had 4 more ourbursts. It always gets me across left eyelid and surrounding area. Just on 5 th bout now and recently started new job and feel a bit fraudulent though not well enough to work. Aciclover prescribed Friday as had slight swelling then and then the 4 days of huge swelling just starting to crust though pregnant colleague at work and lady who had shingles twice before so they need me to stay off till deffo all clear.

Whenever I go docs never seem to have much advice and I feel I will have this forever. I have quite a health lifestyle, occasional binges on booze, some stress though eat well and mostly from scratch. A lot of shingle articles, as you prob know, always seem to refer to HIV and low immune system though as a lot of you feel there has to be something else.

Good luck to us all as wherever it is it isn't pleasant and even when the scabs start to form it does knock you for 6 - don't think it wll be my last time at all though will try some of the tips on here.

Take care everyonex

I have had recurring shingles for perhaps a decade. I have outbreaks about 6-7 times a year. It's always on the back of my right thigh. It used to come out in the same exact spot, until last year, when I had 4-5out breaks in a row.

My shingles seem to be in response to eating nuts or even coconut. I've been avoiding these for years

but occasionally I'll eat something with traces of these ingredients in it. And then wham I get an outbreak. I think the pumpkin pie I had at a potluck a couple days ago had coconut milk in it. Acyclover (sp?)never worked for me. It always took as long to go away as it did when I took nothing and I didn't like the headache & other side affects.The steroid cream is no longer working. What worked for a while was putting ice on the area as soon as I felt the first tingling. But I had to do it for hours and sometimes that's just too much effort. Now I'm hunting for something natural or from eastern medicine to try. Does anyone know of something natural to relieve or prevent shingles that works?? I live in the US. Thanks.

I am 39 years old and had my first shingles outbreak at 14. it was quite severe across my ribs. Over the past 5 years i believe i have been getting more outbreaks this could be due to my age or some stress. i did goto the doctors who told me it wasnt shingles. i have tingling feels like bugs crawling, shooting pains like pins and electric shock type pain. then i get intensly itchy blister type spots. they are across the bottom of my back on my head, under my arm and on my breast. pretty much everywhere : ( i really wish it would go away and i need someone to believe me but my doctor didnt so whats the point. very depressed right now.

Hi Kelly,

I recommend that you get a new doctor. Or have your old doc Google a picture of shingles!

There are a number of things you can try for pain relief and to prevent further out breaks of shingles.Google pain relief for shingles and some creams will come up. They might be cheaper at a local natural foods outlet. I got a steroid cream from my doctor here in the USA. It's Triamicinolone Acetonide .1%. It's not very potent but it works. Perhaps stress causes shingles, maybe not. I know when I eat foods high inarginine I break out. Things like nuts & coconut give me shingles, every time I eat them! Which is usually be accident, while eating out. Do a little research about what foods contain lysine. these will help prevent and clear up a shingles outbreak. Foods with arginine tend to causean outbreak. This is something you can do to keep from getting more outbreaks! What also helped me was putting ice on the spot when I feel an outbreak coming on. It's best to leave it on for about an hour. this virus needs a warm moist area to form. So keeping it cold will discourage it before it starts!

Good luck! Don't be depressed, be active!

sue

Thanks Sue : ) Your words have helped me a lot.