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Shingles on left side of face - 3 weeks and still in pain

Posted , 7 users are following.

victoria02778
victoria02778

Hi everyone

Im hoping you may be able to help as i feel like i am going slowly mad. At 35 years old i have had a shingles attack starting on my forehead and spreading up to my scalp and also down to my eye (although not into my eye thankfully).

I was signed off work for a week initially and given anti virals. The nerve pain was unreal so i was given lyrica (25mg) to take (2x tablets twice a day). I went back to work after 2 weeks because i had the pain and tiredness under control. Ive been back at work a week and each day at work i have felt worse (my job is mentally strenous) to the point i am now back to takinv ibuprofen and paracetemol every 4 hours and the lyrica twice a day too.

Its hard being in pain and trying to care for my 1 year old and 4 year old. My husband is getting fed up of having to help in the house and care for the kids.

How long is the pain likely to continue for? Is there anything else i should be asking the doctor for or that i can do myself? I feel so pathetic! Xx

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • melody_45491
    melody_45491 victoria02778

    Posted

    I have it my head also and it started to go down my face ..I’m on my 4 th week and the pain is much less but still there and do still need more sleep .. but I have to say every week is a little better .. I hope your gets better .. let me know how your doing but caring for 2 young children and trying to work is hard maybe take a week off and rest up good luck 
    • victoria02778
      victoria02778 melody_45491

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply.

      Im pleased to hear your pain is subsiding and you are recovering. I do wonder if i just tried to get back to normal too quickly. Im my own worst enemy sometimes i think and try to take on too much.

      I hope you continue to recover and feel better x

  • Jeannie74
    Jeannie74 victoria02778

    Posted

    Awww Victoria..... I’m sorry that you too are a victim of this very painful condition. Sounds like YOU are doing all the right things except rest when you can and get some help with your kids.

    I am 75 and my husband is 78 with his own health issues. I have had shingles and the aftermath since December 1,2017 and I am totally worn out with it!!  My husband has kept up with the laundry, minimal cleaning, some cooking and whatever I have needed. It has not been easy but we are making it. My adult children help also between their own lives. Our son has MS yet works everyday. Our daughter lost her firstborn of four at the age of 22 has devestated her and our entire family. The stress of all this has probably been the thing that triggered shingles in me. It is the absolute worst pain ever in my life!  I am totally worn out with it because I was an active 75 year old woman and that came to an abrupt end on December 1st after painting my front door getting ready to decorate for Christmas. So I guess I have said all this to tell you that you can make it!!! This too shall pass. You are young and your chances are better than mine for this to be short lived. I sympathize with your pain, your work schedule, taking care of your kids and a less than happy husband. I pray that things will soon improve and you can return to what is 

    “ normal” for you!

    • victoria02778
      victoria02778 Jeannie74

      Posted

      Jeannie thank you so much for your reply and your kind and thoughtful words. What an awful time you and your family have been through! I hope you are taking the time to be kind to yourself too.

      I agree re the pain of shingles - i would rather give birth again that have another shingles attack!

      Take care xx

  • lisa65143
    lisa65143 victoria02778

    Posted

    I am so sorry t hear this. I just want to tell you I had this on the right side of my scalp and forehead. I am still in miserable wretched pain for 6 years. It is post herpectic neuralgis.

    you must go to a neurologist ASAP and get pain killers, opioids, for the pain. Can you ask for a leave of absence. There is a federal law the Family Leave and Medical Act which entiltes you to 12 weeks of paid or unpaid leave. Look it up.

    i do hope YOu will not have to suffer as I am. And make sure you go to an ophthalmologist asap to make sure your eyes are ok.

    i am so sorry to hear that you have it in the worst place possible. I don’t want to pretty it up. But count on going mad with pain. My life has been ruined. I was a long distance swimmer and now I cannot go into a pool.

    i cannot put a cap over my head. My trigeminsl nerves connected to the optic nerves have been damaged. I cannot take the risk of one drop of chlorine irritating my eyes. Then it would be like a blowtorch there.

    Let us know how you do . Can you get medical marijuana. That could help too. Don’t be afraid of getting addicted to opioids. You won’t,.take the, the pain is PHN is second to the pain of cancer. I am sorry to go on and on, but after six years of medevial type torture i,would rather be dead.

    only us PHN people understand that.

    Lisa

  • barclay430
    barclay430 victoria02778

    Posted

    Victoria i'm sorry you got a case on your face and head-me too, left side too. unfortunately my case is heading into it's 4th month and have been Dx with PHN now. previous to going to a Pain Management Dr was told by the ER Dr and my GP that the pain would "just go away"....it hasn't and has in fact has increased. i blame the PHN on mismanagement of the shingles as the ER doc gave me too low a dose of antivirals to begin with and my GP would not prescribe me appropraite pain killers. tried gabapentin for a few weeks-nothing. was put on Lyrica for a few weeks-no pain relief but suffered terrible side effects. PM Dr treated me with narcotic pain meds and Tegratol which helped, tried the lidocaine pain patches but couldn't stand to have them touching my skin and i received 2 trigeminal nerve block injections-no help. he is now sending me to a nerological research facility/clinic that can do more than he is equipped to do. i know with this nerve damage we look normal but live in 24/7 constant pain. to make life bearable i use a couple OTC topical treatments-lidocaine 4% cream and a cream i found online that's menthol, eucalyptus and camphor-it's a counter irritant. a few applications get me thru the day along with thoughtful use of the pain meds. cannot wait to get into the new clininc! stop feeling pathetic!!! shingles attacks your immune system and we get tired and worn out much faster than we did before the attack. we're used to taking a pill from the Dr and feeling better in a few days or a week. not the case with shingles! can take months to get your energy back. i find that as the day wears on the worse my symptoms get so I know it's the damage to my system that's causing it. sounds like you've avoid PHN so just give yourself time to heal.

    • victoria02778
      victoria02778 barclay430

      Posted

      Thank you for taking the time to reply.

      I greatly sympathise you still suffering from this awful pain. I hope that the referral gives you the pain relief you need xx

  • Merry19451
    Merry19451 victoria02778

    Posted

    Dear Victoria,

    I am so sorry you are struggling with Herpes Zoster-Shingles.

    Unfortunately, it is difficult to predict when the pain and exhaustion will end as every case is different. I would suggest you return to your physician and request something stronger for pain, ie an Opioid, as your combination isn't working. I would only take it once you are at home, not before you drive.

    Is there any relative who can/would help with the children and housework?

    Herpes Zoster-Shingles is a serious disease that can take months to recover from. It attacks the spinal cord nerves, in your case the Trigeminal Nerve innervating your face and scalp. If you don't rest and sleep, the activity causes the severe lancinating pain to increase.

    If you do not have a relative, perhaps you and your husband can hire housekeeping services for a month or two until you are back on your feet. It is better than marital discord.

    My other suggestion is to take another week off from work to rest, not to do housework and childcare at home, however!

    I have had Herpes Zoster-Shingles in my right ear every three to five weeks for the past twenty one years and twice and my right eye. I know how severe and incapacitating the pain is!

    I am a Nurse Practitioner in the States.

    Best Wishes

    Merry Juliana

    • victoria02778
      victoria02778 Merry19451

      Posted

      Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.

      My goodness how awful to be suffering with this awful condition so frequently.

      I am planning on speaking to my doctor on tuesday so will make sure i ask about additional pain relief. I really wanted to avoid having more time off work but im not sure i have much other choice as it definitely made me feel worse last week.

      I really wish we could have some help with childcare from the family. Unfortunately the in laws are rubbish (the one sister in law hasnt even bothered to send me a message to see how i am and the other one sent me a message to say she was ill too as was suffering from a cold!). I am so overwhelmed and humbled to receive such lovely and thoughtful messages from people on this forum given my own family dont really care. The mother in law couldnt care less either depsite being retired - one offer of overnight help from her in the last 3 weeks from 7pm until 1pm the next day - not much of a break! My dad is able to help with my eldest but not confident with my youngest since my mum died 2 years ago.

      We are lucky to have household help once every 2 weeks so i may have a chat to her and see if we can increase this to once a week temporarily.

      I definitely find that the pain increases with tiredness which may explain why it got worse last week when i went back to work. I am definitely my own worst enemy though as when the pain is under control with medication, i do a load of jobs in the house and then when the medication wears off the pain is unbearable so i end up in tears.

      Thank you for the recommendation re cold compresses /lidocaine xx

  • Merry19451
    Merry19451 victoria02778

    Posted

    Victoria,

    An addendum,

    Cool compresses or ice if you can tolerate it touching your affected area can help soothe the area. Barclay's suggestion of Lidocaine cream, the highest percentage possible, is wonderful, as it soothes the raw nerve endings.

    Best regards

    Merry Juliana

    • lisa65143
      lisa65143 Merry19451

      Posted

      Hi Merry,

      i wrote a long post for Victoria and reco.

      Medical marijuana,. What is the big deal.

      it seems my posts are always monitored when I suggest legal pot which much safer than opioids.

  • lisa65143
    lisa65143 victoria02778

    Posted

    Are you in the States
    • lisa65143
      lisa65143 victoria02778

      Posted

      Asked because we have Federal Family Medical Act passed by Bill Clinton, depending on yr. job, you are entitled to 12 weeks paid or unpaid leave....in general your employer needs 50 or more employees. I am writing this for States people,,,people don’t know that exists and that Clinton signed it.
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