Posted , 6 users are following.
Last 5 days had large swelling around my left torse from near my back to belly.itchy.feeling fku like and massive pains.G.P said go ER,tgey did scans.said not hernia but shingles.got painkillers but still dont have a rash but still have so much pain and swelling,is that shibgles and does anything help for pain and swelling
1 like, 17 replies
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sheila24138 memphis68
Posted
Hi. Memphis i had severe back spasms and went to ER and they said it was pinch nerve and gave me a needle and pain pills. Pain was excruciating . One week later I had a rash come on my leg and still pain and said it was contact dermatitis . I couldn't handle clothing to touch my skin. Two days later rash got really bad and back to doctor who said it was shingles. Remedy: pain pills and lots of rest which your body will tell you as it is exhausting . Wishing you all the best and if it is shingles you need to ask your doctor for an antiviral drug that has to be taken in the first 72 hours and it will help to shorten the duration and lessen the pain. Good luck
beth97678 memphis68
Posted
Hiya-one way to diagnose shingles is to get you some nerve pain meds.If they help,and opiate-based meds don't,then it's likely you have shingles,as your ER suggested.You need an antiviral quickly-they're most effective if taken in the first 72 hours,but take them anyway.Ten days worth of Famciclovir seems to be the best option.Insist on it from your GP .You also need Pregabalin and Carbamazepine nerve pain meds.You will need to sleep A LOT and maybe get lidocaine patches and I found that L -Lysine from the Health Food shop helpful,although it doesn't work for everybody.Take your medicines at regular intervals and be kind to yourself.I would not have been able to work through this bout of shingles-it was from my spine to my middle front,like yours,and debilitated me.Good luck and best wishes.Read some more of this forum-there are far more knowledgeable people on here than me,and it helps to know you're not alone ,when you're still awake at three in the morning,just waiting for the time when you can take your medicines....and cursing like a navvy because of the pain.
X Beth
julie05902 beth97678
Posted
julie05902 memphis68
Posted
I've had shingles for over 3 months with no rash! The burning pain is awful. I've taken anti virals 2 times already. They help for awhile but symptoms come back. So frustrating! Can the rash come after all these months without it?
beth97678 memphis68
Posted
I've had shingles for 6 months with debilitating pain and have never had any rash.It's not compulsory you know,even though doctors expect it.My pain is just going and I'm at the intense itching stage .I've had shingles since mid-april.It's now nearly end october.And just a bit of raised redness where rash should be.Bears no relation to how much pain I was in.It's easy to overdose accidentally to try and ease the pain.
julie05902 beth97678
Posted
Thanks for replying, it's nice to know I'm not alone. I'm doing this w minimal pain killers. I can't tolerate the side affects. What anti virals have you taken and what kind of pain meds? What seems to work for you? I also use lidocaine cream and St. John's wort oil.
beth97678 julie05902
Posted
Hi julie05902. I was given Acyclovir for 2 weeks from April 25th ,which is when the shingles was diagnosed.No rash,just a pink raised area and I felt like I'd been hit by a bus.Pain meds were Gabapentin (changed to the more modern Pregabalin recently) and Tegretol-both effective as nerve pain medicine.And a 5mcg Morphine slow-release patch + Tramadol 50mg.I must stress that I',m taking the regular opiate-based pain meds because I have some fractures in my back caused by osteosporosis..Recently,I went online and bought some L-Lysine,which has helped noticeably with the lingering end-pains and the intense itching of the shingles.I'm glad it's not hurting like it was .It's been a long six months.
X Beth
julie05902 beth97678
Posted
Wow! That's a lot of pain meds. I'm so sorry to hear it's been six months. I'm going on 4 months now, no rash, not even a pimple. The intense burning drives me crazy! I have no itching. I also was given gabapentin and ant virals. I couldn't stomach the pain meds. I eat a vegan diet, take several vitamins. I've heard the L-lysine helps, what's more vitamin. Thanks for the suggestion. Also did you get the vaccine?
beth97678 julie05902
Posted
Hiya julie05902.=I'm a wimp.I can't stand pain.Well,not like that ,anyway.I can also get to see my GP within a couple of days.And I don't have to pay for any medicines,as I live in Wales,UK and our prescriptions are free.I haven't had the vaccine.My Auntie has,as she's 77 -and that age group is offered it as a matter of course(saves the GP practice a lot of cash in the long run if fewer people get this 'orrible shingles.)The itching is just out of reach-I'm like a brown bear scratching on a tree .Maybe a propelling pencil with the rubber on top.?.......
X Beth
beth97678
Posted
Ps: The L-Lysine really helped me.Also,if you can get some calcichew D or Adcal D3-it's just a good dose of vit D taken morning and night will help your body to heal quicker-it makes your hair and nails grow stronger and thicker too,so make hairdressing appointments more often.(it keeps the osteoporosis at bay after the menopause too.)Vitamin E in moderate doses is good,and vitamin C always helps with anything infectious.Up to you .Good luck.
X Beth
julie05902 beth97678
Posted
Thanks so much for the vitamin suggestions! I do take a medical quality multivitamin, Dha epa purity, immune a etc all species of mushrooms also extra zinc. But I will try the L-lysine. I saw it helps with herpes simplex cold sores. I'll give it a try. My husband got the shingles vaccine. If this ever lets up I might get it too. If I can just get rid of this intense burning!! I haven't worn a bra in weeks!! I haven't worn anything but loose baggy clothes!
julie05902 beth97678
Posted
I feel for you, that's a long time. I'm working on 4 months now. I'm having an awful night. So sick to my stomach with vomiting! I'm exchausted, feeling so weak. Round 3 of anti virals, maybe they will work this time. Who knows!! These shingles are really kicking my butt!! And still no rash!
beth97678 julie05902
Posted
Hiya -i hope you're not expecting the anti-virals to work a miracle and clear up your shingles immediately.They don't work like that.They DO help shorten the length of time one has this ,I believe and the intensity, but not clear it .I haven't worn a bra for 6 months .I recently went online and got some rather functional cotton sporty front fastening ones-and they're a bit tight so I can wear them for a while,Still got some residual burning and itching.Feel for you being sick all night.Sounds like you picked up a tummy bug,or an "iffy" mushroom.Do be careful.Shingles does indeed kick your butt.Don't despair.But I don't know what I would have done without the pregabalin.I'm still taking it but lowering (Tapering off) the dose from the original 150 mg three times a day to 50 mg twice a day.Thee higher dose at the start got rid of the pain,but I had the shakes,and involuntary leg jumps,and I was so woozy between that and the tramadol that I had to start reducing the dose gradually as soon as i could.The doc prescribed Tramadol -I think it might have been a mistake and he meant to have put Tegretol on the prescription.The combination of Pregabalin and Tegretol is what my daughter takes daily for Tri-geminal neuralgia in her face.Works well for her.Lots of docs think ordinary opiate -based painkillers are ok for nerve pain but it's simply not true.You need the anti-epilepsy nerve drugs .The consultants in pain relief know this.Lots of docs have no clue about shingles-the last info : they read about it was compiled in the 1950's.Also,each patient reacts differently to drugs.It's better to begin at a low dose and titrate upwards till it controls the pain but you have few (or no) side-effects.I don't like taking drugs.I can count the times I took any prior to this on one hand.But there comes a time when ,if you simply cannot function (you're writhing in pain in bed all day) then these drugs are wonderful .
X Beth
julie05902 beth97678
Posted
Thanks Beth. I was prescribed gabapentin, I tried taking it but the side effects were brutal. The intense burning never lets up. I know there is no cure for shingles. The virals sometimes help with pain and maybe the burning won't migrate any further. Also have you had any swelling ? I just noticed a little by my waist and I've been bloated on my torso. Can I ask your age? I just turned 61. I've noticed the age of shingles is getting younger. You are so right the doctors know nothing. I can't find one that has any compassion. Ive seen 3 different doctors. I have better luck going to an urgent care center. Thanks for listening, I so appreciate your kindness!
beth97678 julie05902
Posted
hiya
the GP prescribed gabapentin,and changed it to Pregabalin because it has fewer side -effects.That and Tegrettol together are the medicines of choice for any doctor to prescribe when dealing with nerve pain.Sometimes that's how shingles is diagnosed quickly-even before a rash emerges,or there is no rash.They give the patient morphine=no relief from the pain.They give the patient pregabalin +tegretol and it's like magic= in 20 minutes the pain has all but disappeared.Well,that's the experiences of my daughter and myself anyway.
I turned 63 in June .I think it's a myth that only old wrinklies get shingles.Anyone who's ever had chicken pox can get shingles if their immune system is not great.Maybe the age that shingles affects IS younger because there are more youthful grandparents who are kid-sitting, as more mums have to go for that double income.So grandma gets the shingles where mum probably wouldn't. They're getting the bugs that are going round the nursery/school .
Must say,I've not noticed any swelling anywhere else.The area that hurt is still a bit raised and I'm down to a bit of burning and intense itching now.I 'm burping like a navvy,but that might be the medicines.I'm very tired and I'm giving in to it .The pain was more tolerable when I wasn't tired.The good effects of L-Lysine is more noticeable now I'm on a lower dose of medicines.The only doctors who understand the excruciating pain of shingles are those who have had it themselves.But even then,pain levels vary so much between people.
Hey-any time you want a listening ear,I'm here .Your posts show up in my e-mails.
Take care of yourself .
X Beth
sheila24138 julie05902
Posted
julie05902 sheila24138
Posted
Thank you Sheila, my shingles come with no rash at all. All around my waist, back and sometimes my thigh comes an intense burning pain! This is going on for 4 months now. I also walk everyday and a live a vegan lifestyle. I don't like drugs much too many side effects. I do take a lot of supplements. One in particular now is L-lysine it seems to be helping. I'm just so tired most of the time, I find it hard to get out of bed. I've now given in to naps and resting more these days. Hoping soon for good health! Wishing you the same!