Comments on: Shingles

By: Ycart

Ycart — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:12:44 +0000

I am pretty sure I have shingles. When I was 16 I was diagnosed w/herpes simplex 2. I was devastated. To my thankful surprise, from age 18 to current (Im now 35) Ive had only one “outbreak” from the herpes virus and that was about 7 yr ago. When I was 23 I started to suspect that something was wrong w/me. I would get this recurring nickel/quarter sized, raised, painful, crusty blister on the top left side of my butt crack. I had been bitten by a brown recluse a year before in the EXACT same spot and just assumes it was like that because of the spider bite.

It kept happening and happening so I got scared and went to the dr. I told my dr about my diagnosis of herpes as a teen, he prescribed me acyclovir (zovirax) and that is the only thing that seems to quickly get rid of it when it starts to come on. I take two of them immediately at the first sign of a “flare up” and within a couple hours I can already feel it started to dry up and shrink in size. Having this condition has caused me a great deal of stress, depression and humiliation. Its terrible but I had/have to learn to live w/it. If you have shingles definitely talk to your dr about acyclovir/zovirax. It does work. Ps I have a permanent mark/scar that gets darker w/ each outbreak. I hate it, especially in times of “intimacy”. Very embarrassing !!!

By: Kelsey A

Kelsey A — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:19:15 +0000

I am 19 years old I first got shingles when I was 11 on my right back side. Since then I have gotten them 4 more times and this last time they were on my face. Have any of you tried something to keep them from recurring? I can not have the shot because I am to young and my doctors just don’t know what else there is to do.

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:00:16 +0000

I’m going to the doctor tomorrow. Ive been having pain all around my right side for 3 weeks and even had a CAT scan that showed nothing. Now I’m breaking out in a painful rash so I figure it’s the shingles again. I had it when I was 27 and I’m 50 now. I was blessed by seeing an elderly doctor that gave me a series of vitamin injections every other day for bout 2 weeks and I soaked in a cool bath of Aveno oatmeal every day for 30 mins.

It worked wonders for me then unfortunately that doctor is no longer living and I’m hoping my current doctor will follow his plan when I see him tomorrow. I’m going to try mixing oatmeal with Vasolene using a blender or food processor since using Aveno can get expensive. Hope this helps, I know it sure worked for me.

By: Mc

Mc — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:33:14 +0000

I just got over shingles and blisters are now fresh scars. I’m trying to find out of its normal for those scars to hurt if scratched. They still itch but still seem sensitive (and hurt)to anything other than a light touch.

By: Cassy

Cassy — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:33:06 +0000

I got just a quarter size mark on my inner thigh it was itchy not very painful from what I can remember. The doctor said it looks like shingles and gave me nothing so i put polyspourin on it and it went away i still have a scar but i dunno if this was shingles i hope not? but i am scared! i just searched the net and 50% of people who get shingles HAVE H.I.V anyone is this true can you confirm this cause I have not slept in day I’m terrified to go get tested please help me out?

By: Brandy

Brandy — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:35:54 +0000

I have had shingles over a dozen times so far. They are very extremely painful. They are on the back of my leg just above my knee. They are in a circle. Yesterday I had a red spot and 3 tiny blisters. I woke up this morning with 37 large pus filled blisters that are so painful I don’t know what to do to alleviate the pain. I am putting on the Valtrex cream that the doctor gave me, but it has not helped the pain any. I feel for anyone that has this disorder. If anyone has any suggestions for pain management please let me know. Thanks.

By: charlotte

charlotte — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:06:36 +0000

Hi, I’m 29 and was diagnosed with shingles yesterday. Today is Tuesday, and the first bumps I saw was on Friday morning on my left back side. Saturday, they were much bigger, and Sunday were even bigger and spreading by the hour. A friend told me I had shingles, because he had had it before. I had no idea what it was. I went to the doc Monday, in extreme pain, feeling like my back was on fire, and my left side of my stomach area was like stabbing pain.

My doctor prescribed me anti viral three times a day, a soap to wash it twice a day, and a cream to put on it three times a day. I am taking extra strength Tylenol as well. I have to admit that the pain is unbearable sometimes, I have not been able to sleep in three days. Yesterday it was more the burning and bee sting feeling and today its more itchy and irritated.

I also have had awful pain in my left stomach area. Lower left, upper left near my rib cage, sometimes the pain feels like tangled wires poking the insides. Has any one else gotten a lot of pain in the inside too, is that normal? I don’t wish shingles even on my worst enemy. Any response would be great, thank you.!

By: Dawn

Dawn — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:57:04 +0000

I have had what I thought was shingles several times but milder than what I hear other describe. Currently I have the prickly, hypersensitive area on my scalp surrounding my left ear. it is always uni lateral on me. The pain is intense but pulsating so between pulses I have no pain, then with the pulse I feel a “shocky” sort of prickly intense pain. At times it makes my face wince and sometimes I’m barely aware of it.

I went to the doctor today and he does not think it is shingles because I don’t have a rash. I have had these same exact symptoms before but on my left hip, or another time on my right leg. Usually if I take acyclovir it goes away but the doc says it might just be a coincident. I’ve had it this time for about 2 weeks. It isn’t debilitating but is very inconvenient and annoying. If it isn’t shingles then what is it?

By: Debbie

Debbie — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 04:42:56 +0000

I had a tooth ache on Monday and went to the dentist. He told me I needed a root canal and sent me to a specialist which I went to two days later. He gave me Vicodin for the pain. When I went in to the specialist I told her I had broken out in blisters in my mouth and I thought I had an infection. She took one look at it and said it was shingles (imagine how I felt that my dentist wanted to do a root canal!). I started on 4 doses of valtrex a day but I was four days into it before it was diagnosed correctly.

I am in serious pain and can only manage applesauce and milk shakes I had the chicken pox when I was 32, I’m 50 now. I had an outbreak of shingles a few years ago, but get cold sores all the time. The more I think about it I have had outbreaks of shingles multiple times over the years. Mostly on my elbows and I put a cream on them and after a week or two the blisters go away. I thought it was just a gravel rash.

I am going to the doctor on Monday because I heard there is a pill you can take every day that stops the out breaks of cold sores and shingles. Has anyone else heard of it? Oh yea, I had the shingles shot about two months ago!

By: paul

paul — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:18:04 +0000

Does anyone else have shingle scars that itch? I had shingles in June of 2011, I went to the doctor he prescribed me Valtrex and it helped. Four weeks later I still had pain (i was hoping it would go away on its own) so i went to the doctors and he prescribed me pain meds. He said it wasn’t uncommon but my age was in my favor, I was 26 at the time. The pain is no longer there but my shingle scars itch. I don’t know if I am mistaken the itching sensation for nerve pain. I don’t wish the shingles virus on my worst enemy.