SHINGLES Pictures of the Shingles Rash (it's that time of the year)

SHINGLESINFO.COM ^ | N/A | N/A

[GailA]

It seems it is the time of year for this dread menace to appear. 3 older people in my church, me included have had a run in with it this month. Mine was minor, some of theirs were not.

This is a repeating issue, especially in times of physical or mental stress.

ANY ONE WHO HAS HAD CHICKEN POX, CAN AND WILL PROBABLY GET SHINGLES SOME TIME IN THEIR LIFE SPAN. IT IS A DORMANT SECONDARY INFECTION OF CHICKEN POX.

If you have NOT had a SHINGLES VACCINE please consider getting one. As this is NOT a pleasant experience to under go. And as I said repeats itself, over and over again, some times years apart.

You cannot give Shingles to any one else, BUT you can give some one Chicken Pox if one of the sores are oozing, and that person has not been vaccinated against Chicken Pox, is what the Minor Med doc told me.

[GailA]

You will need an antiviral to treat it. Takes a couple of weeks with the antiviral, just topically treating it can take a lot longer.

To treat the topical symptoms, and this is just from experience with both bouts of them. Benadryl to dry them up, and AVEENO Active Naturals (Calamine & Pramoxine HCI anti-itch cream) which was developed to treat Chicken Pox, will give you several hours of itch relief and pain relief. The pain is the hard part, because it is not a minor bout of pain, but constant. Itching wasn't quite as bad as when I had the Chicken Pox as a child LOL, but each individual reacts differently.

It is not limited to the ribs or legs, but can get on the face too.

[ozark hilljilly]

My doc told me that if you got the chicken pox vaccine you stood a greater chance of getting shingles sometime further down the road than if you had just gone thru chicken pox naturally.
But that was just his opinion.

[GailA]

ping

[GailA]

[buffyt]

I had a horrible case of C pox in 2nd grade. Then every time I got near anyone with even scabbed over pox for years, in the 1980s, I broke out again. On my wrists mostly. When our kids had C pox I broke out with them each time. I didn’t get full case of Shingles, yet.

[Peter from Rutland]

Get the shot. My dad recently went through this and was never informed about the availability of the vaccine. I’m not near 50 yet but when I get there I plan on getting vaccinated too.

[television is just wrong]

the chicken pox and shingles are part of the same herpes virus. Once in your system it can break out due to stress and weakened immune system.

I got shingles due to a black widow spider bite on my leg. Went to the doc for the bite, then one week later broke out in shingles. I treated it with nutritional supplements the break out was 1” x1” It dried up and went away. No topical treatment. I was amazed the nutritional supplements cleared it up within one week.

[AlexW]

I had chickenpox around age 9 or 10.
It was the only childhood disease for me.
In my early 30s I did develop a mild case of shingles,
the only effect of which was to make my skin feel creepy
for a few weeks.

Now 67...no problems.

[television is just wrong]

find things to strengthen your immune system.

[finnsheep]

My husband, a very active 72 year old, had it this spring.
We did not realize what it was in time for him to get the anti-virals. Any rash that is only on one side of your body should be suspected as shingles.

He had it around his waist and it affected the nerves for digestion, as well as all the stomach and back muscles that those nerves serve. His pain was internal as well as external.

Terrible to have to watch without being able to do anything.
It lasted about 6 weeks and he was incapacitated for about three of those.

[CaptainK]

I had the shingles and fortunately it played out to be a mild case. I have no scars or nerve pain aftermath. I believe several factors helped to weaken the strength of the virus.

I just happened to be on a high vitamin C regimen at the time (5000mg a day) for a separate problem. But I continued to take that amount for the duration of the outbreak.

I was also lucky enough to recognize what was going on within 72 hours. Thank goodness for the internet because what I originally thought was just a an ugly mass of bug bites was clarified for me using Google images. I went to the ER and was put on Valtrex. I think going on an anti viral in a timely fashion is crucial to controlling the outbreak.

I also used extra virgin coconut oil internally and externally. I consumed 2 tablespoons a day, having read on an internet site that EV coconut oil is beneficially to nerve endings. I also used to to wash the infected area . I kept any kind of soap or shampoo away from shingles area.

My brother in law came down with shingles 3 years later and followed the same protocol and had the same success with his outbreak.

[lonestar]

About 50 years ago my mother went to our family doc with shingles, he looked at it and said, "We're going to treat this the old fashioned way." He took blood out of her arm and gave her a shot in the hip with her own blood...and the shingles went away.

Go figure! LOL!

It worked but there would be a law against it today.

[Last Dakotan]

"We're going to treat this the old fashioned way."

Next he pulled out the leaches...

[GailA]

That might explain the cramp like symptoms I am having on my left rib cage, never thought about that, as the ‘rash’ was several inches more toward the back.

And you are right for some, especially us older people it can be very incapacitating. One woman near 80 in my church has it so bad that she can’t even get out of the bed.

[Georgia Girl 2]

I had Shingles about 12 years ago. All down one side of my back. I have bad back problems with terrible pain so I just thought my back was acting up at first. After a few days and I had run through my left over pain pills I went to the doctor. He took one look and told me its shingles. he said he didn’t know how I stood the pain. I was lucky, in about 2 weeks it was gone and no lasting effects. My 89 year old mother still has one finger that is numb from shingles.

[DLfromthedesert]

I had a bad case of shingles in 1998; since then I have been taking L-Lysine daily and have had no problems.

[rcrngroup]

Ping for later read

[bearsgirl90]

The shingles are a complete nightmare! I have had the chicken pox several times eariler in my life, once as a young child and then again during my teens as well as in my twenties. Dr. said some people (very small fraction) never build up a natural immunity to this virus. Hence, I get the shingles from time to time. I'm 48, and can't get the vaccine 'til I turn 50.
My "breakouts" are typically centered on my back. Like I said, they are a nightmare. I feel for anyone that has to deal with it. :-(

[GailA]

My bouts were 10 years apart, first was very mild and small, just more pain than itch. This one was a big patch on the ribs, and spreading. Each bout gets worse. Stress and other physical illnesses, compromised immune systems, seems to trigger it to repeat itself. Which is why I suggested the Shingles vaccine. Remember the Chicken Pox vaccine is only about 10 years old. Not sure how old the Shingles one is, the first I heard of it was at the Minor Med Center when I was getting my antiviral med and the Doc suggested once the infestation cleared to get the vaccine, IF I did not want a repeat session of them down the road. That is the problem with Shingles, it stays dormant until you get a compromised immune system or are under a lot of mental or physical stress. Then they pop up to add to it. And at 67 you are more prone to another bout somewhere down the road. At least ask your doc when you go for your next check up. It never hurts to ask questions and get answers.

[GailA]

My bouts were 10 years apart, first was very mild and small, just more pain than itch. This one was a big patch on the ribs, and spreading. Each bout gets worse. Stress and other physical illnesses, compromised immune systems, seems to trigger it to repeat itself. Which is why I suggested the Shingles vaccine. Remember the Chicken Pox vaccine is only about 10 years old. Not sure how old the Shingles one is, the first I heard of it was at the Minor Med Center when I was getting my antiviral med and the Doc suggested once the infestation cleared to get the vaccine, IF I did not want a repeat session of them down the road. That is the problem with Shingles, it stays dormant until you get a compromised immune system or are under a lot of mental or physical stress. Then they pop up to add to it. And at 67 you are more prone to another bout somewhere down the road. At least ask your doc when you go for your next check up. It never hurts to ask questions and get answers.