Shingles

[ztinman]

Older post but i was searching for shingles info and found this thread. I had it on my scalp and in my eye. I didnt know what was going on so i didnt go to the doctor until my eye swelled shut and i thought it was pink eye. Was sent to the ER and eye doctor. There was a good chance it would affect my vision but luckily it didnt. My face is still red and painful 13 weeks after it started. I have good and bad days. Let me tell you shingles on your eye ball is horrible. Hands down worst pain ive ever experienced. I dont know if gear had anything to do with the outbreak. 27 years old btw.

 

[JustWannaBeHuge]

Older post but i was searching for shingles info and found this thread. I had it on my scalp and in my eye. I didnt know what was going on so i didnt go to the doctor until my eye swelled shut and i thought it was pink eye. Was sent to the ER and eye doctor. There was a good chance it would affect my vision but luckily it didnt. My face is still red and painful 13 weeks after it started. I have good and bad days. Let me tell you shingles on your eye ball is horrible. Hands down worst pain ive ever experienced. I dont know if gear had anything to do with the outbreak. 27 years old btw.

as bad as it was for my back, side and front... I don't even want to think about how it would have been on my face. Hope it gets better soon man, 13 weeks is a long fucking time. The sores and shit is healed now, but the area where they were is completely numb on me. I spoke to my Dr about it and she told me to give it time as the nerves were "spiked" and still need time to heal.

I go back for another follow up after the christmas holidays. I never want to experience this shit again, holy hell.

 

[cm]

post contest yeas ago, I had meningitis which lowered my immune system and then had shingles pop up

I went to the emergency room when I was dizzy, splitting headache that is indescribable, and had a hard time getting through my day in general

they sent me away saying they couldnt find anything wrong

I proceeded with the next couple days with some serious ups and downs of pain and suffering

I continued to work, and even powered through some workouts

at the end of the week, I decided it was still bad, and getting worse, and my back had started to feel like the skin was raw and itchy.

I went to a minute clinic at a local pharmacy and they escorted me out and said I cannot stay there any longer and need to go to the ER immediately and if I coudnt get there, they would call an ambulance

I was literally there for 5 minutes until they threw me out, because they believed I could have spread it to the whole store

when I arrived at the er, they apologized for missing it, and then explained what happened in terms of the meningitis leading to shingles and explaining the back rash and typical shingle symptoms that followed

all around no fun

 

[aphextwin]

I'm dealing with Shingles right now for the first time, and it hurts like hell.

 

[maldorf]

I went to a minute clinic at a local pharmacy and they escorted me out and said I cannot stay there any longer and need to go to the ER immediately and if I coudnt get there, they would call an ambulance

I was literally there for 5 minutes until they threw me out, because they believed I could have spread it to the whole store

Sounds similar to what happened to me. When I went to the dermatologist for help the lady at the front desk whispered real quiet for me to go back out the front door and she would sneak me in the back. I went out and sure enough the back door was opened and someone was there to bring me in. Evidently it is really contagious. I felt and looked like a leper.

 

[MonkeyBoy]

Its Stress, people think only babies and old people get them, not the case as you can see. I have had them but got lucky, only down one arm and medicine cleared it up. From what I have heard, very painful and not fun.

Do your best to keep stress levels low.

I could be wrong but I also think, if you have shingles and you come in contact with someone who has never had chickenpox, they will get chickenpox.

 

[maldorf]

I could be wrong but I also think, if you have shingles and you come in contact with someone who has never had chickenpox, they will get chickenpox.

That's what happened to me. I was about 29 years old and a teacher, never had chicken pox. The vaccine either wasn't out or new enough that I didn't know about it. Wish I had gotten one!

Another older teacher had a case of shingles on his face. He taught computer classes and i had to use his lab one day. I must have picked it up that way. About a week or so later I came down with chicken pox bad. Worst fever I've ever had. It was up to 105 for days

 

[buck]

I had a case of shingles a few years back. If you realize it early enough the Dr . some anti-viral meds that help shorten and severity of the symptoms. While you can't spread shingles them selves, you are having an outbreak where some one can contract chicken pox from you if they haven't had it yet. The only way to get shingles is to have had chicken pox. I had shingles and never remember having had chicken pox. But my Dr. assured me I had them. You can have chicken pox with very little to no real symptoms. If you had 1 small red bump in the past that may have been the pox . Which is easy to miss. Then it lies dormant in the nerve till something like stress sets it off. They do have a shingles vaccine to help keep it from flaring up.

 

[MonkeyBoy]

I had a case of shingles a few years back. If you realize it early enough the Dr . some anti-viral meds that help shorten and severity of the symptoms. While you can't spread shingles them selves, you are having an outbreak where some one can contract chicken pox from you if they haven't had it yet. The only way to get shingles is to have had chicken pox. I had shingles and never remember having had chicken pox. But my Dr. assured me I had them. You can have chicken pox with very little to no real symptoms. If you had 1 small red bump in the past that may have been the pox . Which is easy to miss. Then it lies dormant in the nerve till something like stress sets it off. They do have a shingles vaccine to help keep it from flaring up.

Your Dr is correct. Once you have Chickenpox, the shingle virus is always in your system.

I feel sorry for people like Maldorf....minding your own business than getting chickenpox!!! My work wouldn't let me come in with shingles.

 

[maldorf]

Your Dr is correct. Once you have Chickenpox, the shingle virus is always in your system.

I feel sorry for people like Maldorf....minding your own business than getting chickenpox!!! My work wouldn't let me come in with shingles.

Yeah, I wish the high school principal would have asked the teacher with shingles to stay home. Once I was sick, I missed almost 2 full weeks of work. The chickenpox transformed into a full blown case of shingles. Oxycodone was enough to block some of the pain, but it was still bad.

 

[bigboy05]

Got shingles on my head and face. Virus got in my eye and literally etched a spot on my cornea causing permanent vision problems. I can see but things are blurry. I have to wear a hard contact (the tears in my eye fill in the etched area on the cornea behind the contact) to clear up the vision. Still have phantom nerve issues on half my head.

 

[Bio]

That's what happened to me. I was about 29 years old and a teacher, never had chicken pox. The vaccine either wasn't out or new enough that I didn't know about it. Wish I had gotten one!

Another older teacher had a case of shingles on his face. He taught computer classes and i had to use his lab one day. I must have picked it up that way. About a week or so later I came down with chicken pox bad. Worst fever I've ever had. It was up to 105 for days

I can't even imagine having chickenpox at 29 AND shingles. I had chickenpox at 16 and that was one of the worst times of my life. Head to toe, in my mouth and throat, it was awful!
I'm 50 now but I had to get the shingles vaccine at 49 with a prescription from my rheumatologist. I take Humira for AS and because it lowers the immune system I had to get the vaccine. I just had the flu and pneumonia shot too...I hope they work!!

 

[maldorf]

I can't even imagine having chickenpox at 29 AND shingles. I had chickenpox at 16 and that was one of the worst times of my life. Head to toe, in my mouth and throat, it was awful!
I'm 50 now but I had to get the shingles vaccine at 49 with a prescription from my rheumatologist. I take Humira for AS and because it lowers the immune system I had to get the vaccine. I just had the flu and pneumonia shot too...I hope they work!!

I cant remember if I ever got a shingles vaccine afterwards, but I don't think so. Is it needed once you get them? Im thinking that having them provides as much or more immunity?

Ive had the pneumonia vaccine as well because of my asthma and heart failure.

 

[STUMPY]

I had Shingles back in '04,was not fun. Was caused due to stress;I was in my 8th week of pre-contest dieting and dealing with an impossible timeline at work to finish a job as well as stress from daily life. Started off as a small blister on my trap,then within 24hrs I had a decent size blister-rash forming on the back of both traps.

Trip to the ER was required,Dr looked at me and quickly formulated his opinion that my particular case of "shingles was caused by using AAS,which in turn lowered my immune system,coupled with the persistent stress I was dealing with had caused the herpes zoster to flare up". Dr. never asked me if I was using AAS either,he simply drew his own opinion when he asked me to remove my shirt so he could examine my back. Whatever. Wrote me a script for Vicodan and told me to stay far away from my 3yr old daughter as I was "highly contagious" to anyone in my immediate surroundings. Lasted about 10days then disappeared as quickly as it came.

 

[Bio]

I cant remember if I ever got a shingles vaccine afterwards, but I don't think so. Is it needed once you get them? Im thinking that having them provides as much or more immunity?

Ive had the pneumonia vaccine as well because of my asthma and heart failure.

I'm not sure. I would imagine you need to keep your lungs in top shape. My wife is 53 and never had chickenpox but finally got the vaccine about a year ago and the booster in September. The doctor told her she doesn't need the shingles vaccine since she's never had chickenpox.

 

[zacharykane]

This is a solid reminder that I need to get my shingles vaccine... I've had it twice since I was 16.

First time it got misdiagnosed and my shingles ended up getting infected with impetigo; that was a rough couple of weeks of debridement and having to rub an iodine solution in the wounds...not fun

 

[aphextwin]

Don't you have to be 50 to get the vaccine? If you have had chicken pox and haven't come down with shingles, you are lucky bc you have the virus and it's dormant in your body.

These fucker do hurt......,I still have them all over my back and arms and right arm pit area. It's pretty close to experiencing hell on earth

 

[buck]

I'm not sure. I would imagine you need to keep your lungs in top shape. My wife is 53 and never had chickenpox but finally got the vaccine about a year ago and the booster in September. The doctor told her she doesn't need the shingles vaccine since she's never had chickenpox.

I never thought I had chickenpox till I had a case of the shingles. So it seems that your can have it with very little to no symptoms.

 

[MR. BMJ]

Don't you have to be 50 to get the vaccine? If you have had chicken pox and haven't come down with shingles, you are lucky bc you have the virus and it's dormant in your body.

These fucker do hurt......,I still have them all over my back and arms and right arm pit area. It's pretty close to experiencing hell on earth

I'm pretty sure this is the case, that you have to be around 50 years old to get the vaccine. I tried getting one of the doctor's in the clinic at my last job to write a prescription for it, and she said that it wouldn't be covered under insurance unless I was of age. I had the option to cover the pay on my own, but she mentioned it may be a waste of money at this point until I get older. Maybe GG, Jeff, or stewie can add to this....?

Outside of something like pancreatic cancer (or any C for that matter), shingles is what I fear the most I've seen grown men cry and want to commit suicide from it...and guys going blind if it travels to the eye, just nasty shit.

The sickest I've ever been in my life was from chicken pox, food poisoning, and Mononucleosis. In 2000/01, I got food poisoning, then within a month later that summer, I got mono from a cheating dirty horror

I usually have a bottle of anti-virals and pain meds on hand for stuff like this, so I can start them at first signs...ugh i'm out right now though

 

[Beat2Death]

My wife recently had shingles 2 weeks prior to the birth of my son.
Luckley the NP caught it ordered a course of Valtrex and first site and it never progressed beyond a light rash.
She did have a persistent headache for few week tho...
B2D