Will rest/inactivity help heal??

I should be in the acute phase, it started one month ago. We have it in the same locations, so yes we probably CAN feel each other's pain. But strangely I never had any itching. Today, I am again spending most of the day sitting, so I am doing quite well.  But I did try to move wash out of the machine into the dryer, bad move, literally. I'm still feeling that. I'm sorry to hear all you've been through.I'm very lucky to have very few other health iissues and a supportive spouse. I'm going to accept my forced inactivity, and hope my doctor is right. My advice to others is if at all possible, do the same.

Hi  Babs where are you from, as you can see Im in the united kingdom Cambridge, sorry for the message rushed to you.  Please read as much as you can on PHN  its a shorter version of the name  but doctors at the pain clinics  and hospitals know it called.. after a very large fight at meetings with the education system  special needs,  I had to get the school to not give me a new contract, I will admit  I have had to take a lot of times from school, and all fairness I had to stop fighting to give up my students, because all the time I was off with this pain, I had to admit that my students were the ones losing out. also by not having my contract issued, I could get my rent paid.

The only other thing I can suggest  If your doctor (mine is in the UK)

you are given liquid medication  called oxynorm or oxynorm which is fast acting and lidocane patchers, which you keep on for 12 hours and then take them off for 12 hours- I used them from 8 am till 8 pm, which enabled me to work at school, including a few hours off for a few hours socialising.  do keep in contact Babs . ButI hate to say after 9 years working at the senior school, I lost my job, which has hit me  to enable to pay me bills...  thats life I suppose but it does not help me live no work = no  money.

warm hug, been their...exact area, twice...silk is gentle...love gel ice packs....Perhaps you can find a balance between doing and resting...I prefer Lyrica-pregabalin to Neurotin-gabapentin. For shingles my physician prescribes 75 mg four times per day. Perhaps a smart cell phone so that you can surf the net and rest, you can speak to it. I am so sorry you lost Charles.

Hi Jocelyn,

I relate to your post. I got shingles about two months ago and am now left with post singles nerve pain. I live alone so feel very isolated. None of my friends understand the constant pain I am in or how it is to live my life now that I have constant pain. 

Your post helped me realize that others suffer as I do. I have a lot of the same triggers for pain that you do. I will try to be more aware of what makes my pain worse and avoid these things.

I want so much to live my life and not become an invalid. I can't take strong prescription drugs so I must find other ways to cope with the pain. I plan to try several alternative methods soon. Now, I practice relaxation techniques when I can. 

Thanks for your words. 

Hi Tiffany, I seem your post and I just wanted to tell you that I have been dealing with Shingles for 4 month. It took me 3 month to shake the pain pills and now I take Lyrica. I'm suppose to be taking 150 milg. 3 times a day but I'm down to 1 pill a day and that seems to take the edge off. This has been the worse thing I've ever had to deal with. There are a lot of people that are going through it and rest is the answer. They keep telling me it is a slow process so hank in there.

Tiffany, I replied to you also, but I want to second Joseph's response. It's taking much longer to heal than I expected also. I think for me a realistic time frame start to totally back to normal could also be 4 months. I don't know if it's good or bad that we don't know that at first.

It's like labor. If women know HOW bad it was going to be, maybe we wouldn't do it LOL!! Know what to stop. My doctor said, if something hurts, stop, take a break, don't keep trying to power through it. I've gotten much better at that. At times I feel really good and try to get caught up, then I hit the point right before "too much" and so nope, stop, sit, rest. You're NOT being a wimp, you have an illness and you have to allow the body to heal.

Thanks NoNick. I'm still can't find any info on my or my doctor's theory, but if sure fits for "first do no harm". I DO wish he had given my the anti-virals when two weeks later I had the classic rash on my chest. There's a chance they may have helped. Anyway, for me, the 3 drugs and pain cream (I still had too much pain when the patch was off and didn't want to wait 12 more hours) are helping. DEFINITELY more dopey, tired, trouble with focusing my eyes on the higher Gab dosage but I'm much more comfortable, so that's a blessing.

It's odd how so much if these symptoms are similar (pain, burning and location) and others such as itching, reaction to hot or cold (for me showers feel wonderful, relaxing and stop the pain) vary so much. Strange.

 

Hello Babs,

I'm no expert but I'm a great believer in listening to what your body is telling you.

I first came down with shingles back in the summer and I couldn't believe how absolutely crap I felt. I had a recurrence about 6 weeks ago, which has been much less severe. Both times, however, my GP was absolutely on the ball: and, fortunately, both times I realised early what I was suffering with, so I was on antivirals quickly.

Thankfully, the recurrence has been quite mild - just a rash on the right side of my abdomen and also, this time, one on my right calf, which I thought at first was an insect bite (midges in Scotland are a pain in late Summer/Autumn and I'm very susceptible) but I realised it was a second shingles rash. Each time I determined to follow my body's dictates: I did what I could but, as soon as I felt my energies go, I stopped.

I think I'm really fortunate. The rashes have been itchy and, occasionally, uncomfortable but not really painful. But they flare at any time - often in the middle of the night with no obvious reason - so I can't really put them down to anything in particular. 

My 'advice', for what it's worth, would be to do tentatively what you feel able to do but stop the moment you get any signals from your body: The very first sign of a drop in energy, stop; The very first twinge of discomfort, stop.

It seems to me that shingles is such a variable disease that there's no right or wrong - no simple answer to any question. But our bodies and our instincts are there for a reason: we need to listen to them.

By the way, after six weeks I think my rashes are definitely fading. And it was about six weeks the first time before they started to fade. It seems to me that shingles takes as long as it takes.

Hope you reach some real relief soon!

Hi  thanks for your message.  I have used gel packs,  I even get into my car to drive to town, and have placed a gel pack under my coat, it has helped me so many times.  and if I'm going to be late home/all day  I do pack 3 or 4 in my ice box, they are so useful  as I said I also take a liquid medication  oxynorm which takes the edge of my pain, you can only take it four hourly .  I am allowed to drive. I cant understand why it attacks you if you are feeling low, now I have had to admit that i am suffering from depression, I just cant seem to cope at the moment..  I wish you well take care Jocelyne from Cambridge UK

Thank you so much David, your words were very comforting. I was actually "helping" my husband make some Christmas cookie doughs (which meant explaining the recipes, unwrapping butter and not much more) and, yes, hit that wall. I then took a break, read your post and promptly took a 30 minute nap! Except when I'm sick, which used to be about once every 5 years, I never nap. So I took your advice and will continue to take it easy. I think I am finally seeing an upturn in my health. The rest and high levels of Gab seem to be helping.

Jocelyn, I understand those "low" feelings, it's been pretty difficult at times and I seem to struggle around 6:00 pm, when I'm tired and it's time for the meds.

Good that you were able to 'do' a bit Babs. I think even doing a little can be a real boost to our psyche. You were wise to go and have a nap though.

The first time my shingles hit, I could sleep at the drop of a hat! I normally need my 8 hours each night, and actually function better on 9, but I was sleeping 11/12 hours every night plus dozing during the day. This time, thankfully, I'm OK during the day but I'm sleeping 11/12 hours at night again.

People have mentioned depression: back in the summer I just couldn't believe it; it hit me like a brick wall. Even though my rational-self told me that shingles would pass, I felt that I would never be well again. I can well understand one or two friends who speak of 'the black dog'.

I think there's a great deal of misinformation out there about shingles: like how you get it and what you can catch from what; and links with HIV, which I think come from word associations like 'antivirals' and 'auto-immune'; but I would never discount people's *experience* of shingles. It is so varied.

I hope each day is an improvement for you on the previous one.

Gel pacjs rock.....if my freezer runs out of space something else gas to go! I love the cervical shaped one for wrapping around an ankle, foot, hand, wrist, elbow, an across the shoulder.

Doldrums are quite normal...be kind to yourself, you have been through a lot.

hugs

judith

Every few days I have to call in to my doctor as they increase the Gabapentin. Today's the first time that I said I think I'm on the up-swing. The intense pain is less, and the almost-pain-free times are increasing! I hope I've hit the correct dosage and the rest is working.

Personally, I don't see myself able to get back to work for a few weeks yet, but at least it's improving. She agreed this is more like a bell curve, no rapid improvement soon, but at least we think I bottomed out. Of course there are still all the discouraging issues to deal with (sure which my eyes would work better, and that confusion, and fatigue, well you all know).

Yes, David, how to balance the activity for our sanity and the rest for the body is a challlenge. That feeling of isolation and loss is so hard. That 'black dog' is hard to shake. If we somehow KNEW it would be gone, like normal recovery, it would be so much easier to take.

It's also really taking a toll on my hubby to be doing so much, physically and emotionally. He's got a bad knee, but not quite ready for a knee-replacement so I can easily take the stairs for doing the wash, but can only carry somuch up and down the stairs. Or type, time to stop.

I'll answer my own question. Yes I believe rest does help heal. Today I had a really good day, so what did I stupidly do? Pushed myself too much lifting a gallon of milk. Back to more pain than I've had in days! I learned my lesson.