Ok Folks=shingles Discussion

[foxxycat]

Well Looks like someone in my home has gotten the early stages of shingles. I convinced him to get to the clinic yesterday afternoon after visiting with family..and the script isn't cheap either.

But someone told me about a site called blink health-so if you need a script without the big price tag-check them out-just get the script from your doctor. The bad news is they don't do vet meds. Maybe some day they will.

Either way the price for the meds were well over $125 and this site got it for me for $21. They give $5 off for first time script. If you refer someone it's $15 off yours and theirs. If you want to try it PM me and I can give you my email addy to use for signing up.

Anyways so far the rash appeared Friday morning-I said it's shingles=go to doctor..he said no...so sun morning he said it's starting to sting==I said ok no more being tough guy..I heard all the nightmare stories about it..evidently he was scared and didn't want to mess around.

The doctor was really good and said he's got 2 to 3 people a day coming in with this rash. So the good news is the antiviral should lesson the severity of it. The bad news is they don't know why it lays dormant for so long then activate itself. So For now he's ok-but it's starting to tingle..I am surprised that they didn't give me any steroid cream...will keep you posted..

Hope you guys don't get this annoying rash!

What's been your experience? Anything I should know?

 

[denice]

So far I have been lucky. I keep saying I am going to get the shot that is supposed to help prevent it but I haven't yet. I do know someone that got it in her eye. I haven't seen her in quite some time so I don't know how things turned out. She also has MS, still able to get around well and work but one of her eyes is bad because of it and of course the shingles was in her good eye. I think getting into an eye is the main possible serious complication. Other than that it is very painful once it gets going good. Hopefully the antiviral does it's job.

 

[artiemom]

I came down with a case of shingles, about 3-4 years ago. I did keep it to myself, until it was bad enough. My doc, at the time, said there was really nothing you can really do about it once it has 'sprouted'.. She did give me a script for gabapentin, for the pain of it.

She did advise me that some people find some relief from Zostrix ointment. Zostrix is one of those OTC creams for arthritis. It is the capsaicin in it that seems to dull the nerve pain a bit.

The only place I could find it was on Amazon. I tried what they had in the local stores, and it just seemed too strong. It really burns when applied to the lesions.

I just covered them with a men's t-shirt under my regular clothes..kept them and clean as I could, and kept putting the zostrix and taking the gabapentin until it subsided a bit.

I had the remnants of the lesions for quite a while.. months, actually.
The shingles were on my trunk.

My cousin's son had them over his eye.. That is a very dangerous spot for them. They were afraid it would effect his eye/vision. Quite scary..

I got the shingles vaccination 2 years ago.

Shingles are very, very, painful. There is really not much that can be done. It kind of has to run it's course.

 

[verna davies]

My mother who is 94 had shingles 8 months ago. It was over the right side of her scalp and forehead and into her eye. Really painful . She still has a lot of redness and quite a bit of pain. Her age isn't helping but she found that after the scabbing cleared, applying calamine lotion on the redness helped take the heat out of the area

 

[artiemom]

Shingles is a form of the chicken pox virus... herpes zoster. Once you have chicken pox, the virus lies dormant in your system until something triggers it. It then turns and go wild, in the form of shingles.

It is very dangerous to pregnant women..

The lesions should be covered until they are all scabbed over. It is highly contagious.

 

[foxxycat]

for now they gave him a script for antiviral meds=we go to pick up after work. I wanted him to get checked out because he said it's poison ivy=meanwhile pumps hasn't wandered into the poison ivy patch in YEARS and it looked like it's starting to blister=which I know is same virus as cold sores etc. The good news is the doc thinks the antiviral will help since we didn't wait. He did say it COULD take 6 weeks to clear.

So far no fever or chills. I was just worried about him being tough about it then getting more symptoms. THe funny part is he was going to get the shot but it's only effective for 5 years then becomes less effective every time after= PLUS the cost..one place quoted $300. I told him to go to wal mart. But the doc said to wait another 6 weeks before getting the shot.

The antiviral I am looking up says it also treats cold sores..I am also looking to see if hydrocortisone cream may help. I asked about Aloe but he didn't seem receptive to it. I have used Aloe on cuts and scrapes. It works amazing well. My fear is he will put it off then it spreads-the blisters open and they get infected..that's why I made noise to get it looked at. He's lucky it's a small patch right now. Let's hope that's the end of it in a week.

 

[foxxycat]

it's only contagious to those who never had chicken pox, or a compromised immune system like HIV and chemotherapy=these were the words out of the MD last night.

 

[muffy]

Well Looks like someone in my home has gotten the early stages of shingles. I convinced him to get to the clinic yesterday afternoon after visiting with family..and the script isn't cheap either.

But someone told me about a site called blink health-so if you need a script without the big price tag-check them out-just get the script from your doctor. The bad news is they don't do vet meds. Maybe some day they will.

Either way the price for the meds were well over $125 and this site got it for me for $21. They give $5 off for first time script. If you refer someone it's $15 off yours and theirs. If you want to try it PM me and I can give you my email addy to use for signing up.

Anyways so far the rash appeared Friday morning-I said it's shingles=go to doctor..he said no...so sun morning he said it's starting to sting==I said ok no more being tough guy..I heard all the nightmare stories about it..evidently he was scared and didn't want to mess around.

The doctor was really good and said he's got 2 to 3 people a day coming in with this rash. So the good news is the antiviral should lesson the severity of it. The bad news is they don't know why it lays dormant for so long then activate itself. So For now he's ok-but it's starting to tingle..I am surprised that they didn't give me any steroid cream...will keep you posted..

Hope you guys don't get this annoying rash!

What's been your experience? Anything I should know?

 

[muffy]

I got my shot 3 years ago and have not pad any problems. I have two cousins and a niece that has had singles. They all said they were in a great deal of pain. They said the pain was worse than having a baby.

Ellen

 

[AbbysMom]

If you are eligible, I highly recommend people get the shingles vaccine. My mother had it 5-6 years ago and is one of the unlucky ones that has lingering nerve issues and still gets the pains. She really hasn't been right since having it. I have never had chicken pox so had to stay away for a long time. I've gotten the chicken pox vaccine since, but I still don't know if that helps me with shingles.

 

[foxxycat]

It should help. The vaccine is supposed to help your body build immunities to it BUT the shot is not 100% effective-I think the doctor said something about it only makes your outbreak less severe. That evidently the misconception of it curing it is a big iffy. I know for myself how I always understood vaccines is they help but they don't totally block in some viruses. but I am not a scientist so I am sure I am wrong. I do know I am glad that in my youth we didn't have measles/mumps and other ones.

I do sit and think about how come so many people have been coming down with shingles..one uneducated guess is maybe we are using bleach and antibacterial stuff too much? I just wonder about stuff like this. Like cats and IBS and other annoying health issues that I don't remember having as much back 25+ years ago.

So far today he said it was only tingly if he thinks about it or if I press it when rubbing his back with his shirt on. He won't take his shirt off despite the doctor telling him it's ok to. The directions say not to cover them up. I am going to get some oral gel for cold sores-that expensive mini tube and put some on it tonight. can't hurt..it's the same family as cold sores-and maybe it will help stop it from spreading?

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

If you are eligible, I highly recommend people get the shingles vaccine. My mother had it 5-6 years ago and is one of the unlucky ones that has lingering nerve issues and still gets the pains. She really hasn't been right since having it. I have never had chicken pox so had to stay away for a long time. I've gotten the chicken pox vaccine since, but I still don't know if that helps me with shingles.

Someone else besides me hasn't had chicken pox!

My dad had shingles 2 yrs ago, even with getting the vaccine -- but his was still a painful experience.

 

[Primula]

A few years ago husband had it all down one arm. A couple of years ago I had a wee patch on my tummy. Interestingly, one only ever gets shingles on one side of the body.

 

[artiemom]

A few years ago husband had it all down one arm. A couple of years ago I had a wee patch on my tummy. Interestingly, one only ever gets shingles on one side of the body.

Shingles follows the main branch of a nerve.. that is why it is localized to an area.. and along a nerve branch.

Mine was from near the belly button, along the side to the back; about the width of my hand..

 

[Primula]

Mine was from near the belly button, along the side to the back; about the width of my hand..

Mine too, but half the size of yours. Husband's was livid - from the shoulder to the wrist IIRC.

 

[neely]

Someone else besides me hasn't had chicken pox.

Nope, you're not alone! I haven't had it either and discussed whether or not I could get the shingles shot with my doctor. She checked with the pharmaceutical co. that makes the shot, (Merck), and the answer is No. They wrote back and said if you haven't had chicken pox they advise against getting the shingles shot. I saved the letter. However, my doctor followed up with a blood test to see if I still had immunity from my chicken pox vaccine and fortunately I still have immunity.

I'm now trying to decide whether or not to get the pneumonia shot which is given as two different shots a year apart. I haven't discussed it with my doctor yet, that's next on my to do list.

 

[Primula]

My pneumonia shot was a once-in-a-lifetime shot for senior citizens. Not sure why yours would be given a year apart.

 

[denice]

I had chicken pox when I was in first grade. I am now 61 so I should get the shot, I know it's not 100 percent protection but it can help.

I remember when I came down with chicken pox I told my parents I didn't feel good. The rule in our house was no fever I went to school. I started to break out at school so mom had to come get me.

 

[neely]

My pneumonia shot was a once-in-a-lifetime shot for senior citizens. Not sure why yours would be given a year apart.

They are 2 completely different shots, i.e. PCV13 and PPSV23 that are both recommended for seniors and have to be spaced out a year apart: here's a link for better explanation:
Are you 65 or older? Get two vaccinations against pneumonia - Harvard Health Blog

 

[Mother Dragon]

Everyone's comments are bang on. The shingles are often caused by stress or anything that weakens the immune system. It's pretty much an opportunistic virus.

I noticed that after I got the vaccine i didn't have fever blisters (cold sores) on my lips for several years. That was great in itself.

The shingles vaccine is only about 50% effective, but even those odds are better than the virus itself. When I had them about five or six years ago there was no antiviral medication. My (then) PCP didn't care that I had them and was in pain and offered me an appointment in about a month. I finally talked my way into my dermatologist's office but by then some of the sores (which were on the right side of my cheek all the way to my chin) were infected with MRSH, that nasty hard-to-cure infection. I was on antibiotics for a couple of months to make sure it was eradicated.

Horrible stress at work, doing the work of three people and responsible for a 10 thousand square mile area, along with a very bullying and conniving boss, gave the virus a perfect opportunity to attack my husband. He took three days off (plus the weekend) and still caught scratch for it. He was in a lot of pain, but as he said, he would hurt just as much at work as at home, and he wouldn't get a letter of warning for being off. He did keep away from anyone who was pregnant or had a compromised immune system.

The really bad thing is that you can get them multiple times and in different places on your body.

Most insurance pays for both shingles and pneumonia vaccines. They pay for annual flu shots, too.

One caveat about the cheap drug places. Make sure you know where the drug was produced and by what company. Many of the cheap meds are Chinese-made knock-offs that may be contaminated or not even the real thing. I had a doctor friend who died from kidney failure caused by a Chinese drug used during surgery. It was in a good hospital, but even they got bad meds.

If you want to buy locally, avoid such places as Walgreens and CVS. They're the highest around. Costco is the cheapest, with SAMs and Walmart next. Pharmacies are required to quote the Medicare price, but you can ask them if they can provide a lower price. Often they do. Who knew you could bargain for your medicine?

If your insurance plan offers a mail order service, you can call them and ask for expedited service. That will save you money, too, even if you have to pay an extra fee. Some plans offer an immediate need program at a local pharmacy at the same cost as mail order.

I believe I saw a hydrocortisone with benzocaine at Walmart recently. It might help. Aloe might help in healing. You might chill it for extra soothing.

Personally, I thought lots of chocolate was a big help!