General Chat

Some years ago, we were going to a family wedding.
My youngest daughter was unwell and we took her home early.
Next day, it became apparent that she had been uncubating chicken pox.

2 weeks later, almost everyone who had been at our table had either chicken pox or shingles.
My MIL and SIL both had shingles
My oldest daughter developed chicken pox too, but later that year she got Bells Palsy, which is another form of shingles!
Rather than the nerve endings swelling and becoming extremely painful, the WHOLE nerve swells and gets trapped between 2 tightly packed bones .
One side of her face was frozen/paralysed which lasted for about 6 months.

She was 12years old at the time, and now aged 26yrs, a small area above her eye still doesn't move!

I shall have to wait a bit for mine!! :-( :-(

Anyone aged 70 on September 1 2013 (born between 2/9/42 and 1/9/43) is eligible for the new shingles vaccine on the NHS.
If you were aged 79 on September 1 2013 (born between 2/9/33 and 1/9/34), you will also be able to have the shingles vaccine on the NHS as part of a catch-up programme.
If you were aged 71 to 78 on September 1 2013, your next opportunity to have the shingles vaccine will be when you reach the age of 79. The reason the shingles vaccination programme is being staggered this way, is that it would be impractical to vaccinate everyone in their 70s in a single year.
Anyone aged 80 and over on September 1 2013 will not be able to have the shingles vaccination on the NHS because it seems to be less effective as you get older. However, there may be some people aged 79 on September 1 2013 who will have turned 80 by the time they attend for vaccination, and they remain entitled to receive the vaccine.

Not had it myself,but my mother suffered a lot with this...said it was like knives stabbing her,and it was along old peritonitis scars.
I got her some cream from the Body Shop which she said helped more than the prescribed cream...can't remember what it was,but must have been a cooling one.
Do hope you soon find some relief ..and rest. X x <3

I - aged 79! - have been offered the shingles vac - I gather it is going to be offered routinely to everyone on their 70th birthday, but that it is not very effective for the 0ver-eighties - those of us who are still 79 are getting it as well on this first round. I'm certainly going to have it - I remember years ago my MIL getting it and getting no sympathy from her doctor, no painkillers but a jolly "ha ha! we doctors call it hellfire" which made it rather worse!

Kuros,

This has caused a lot of confusion to people, including myself that the vaccination programme only includes people aged 70 Or 79 :-S

For those that would like to get the jab outside these ages, this is on NHS Choices site :

'If you wish to have the shingles vaccine and you are not eligible for the NHS vaccination programme, you will usually need to visit a private clinic. Private vaccination is likely to cost £150-200.'



:-| :-|

Jo

You can only have the jab if you are aged seventy or seventy-nine. No, I don't understand it either.

Annie

Carol I hope you will be feeling better soon, however it can take time, just take care and look after yourself. My Mother had it she was so poorly she had to come and stay with.me for thirteen weeks.

That sounds a realy horrible thing to have, Carol. Hope you're feeling better this week.

At least lots of things were proven to work on Tuesday. Not too bad. My car and my cat are both 13 and they are not doing quite as well as you. And I bet you are even older than them, Carol :-) ;-)

Poor you Carol, hope the meds work soon and you start to feel lots better. Might be worth asking about the Vit b.

My late Mum had shingles and was very poorly for ages and the pain recurred every so often. You have to stay isolated while the blisters are there but once they dry off you can mix with others again apparently.

Take care of yourself

Lizxx

Hope you start to feel better soon Carol.

Lesley x

I've had it, wasn't prescribed anything but at my next RA appointment the nurse flipped and said I should have stopped my meds. Hey. I said, I'm still here, alive and kicking and suffered no ill effects :-S

Pain killers of choice, cool packs to reduce heat and DO NO SCRATCH!

Steer clear of pregnant ladies and people with a lowered immune system.

I hope you feel better soon.

I had shingles many years ago. i had a line of spots going across my midriff in a straight line. They started off itchy but soon became extremely sore.
Went to my Gp, he diagnosed shingles and asked if i was under any stress at work or home. At the time, my job in a bank was really stressing me due to staff shortage and i wasnt sleeping.

he said this was the cause and signed me off for 2 weeks and gave me painkillers. i felt tired and sore all the time.

Shingles is a dormant virus caused from having chickenpox poss when you were a child. It lies dormant in the bodys nervous system until someonething triggers it, can be stress. the spots follow the line of the nerve either across or down the trunk of the body.

there is a more nasy version and that is in the eye, really horrid.

Really sorry to hear you have this carol but heres hoping you will get over it fairly soon.
Take care and rest up with regular pain relief.

Not being nosey, but are you under any stress at the minute?

Take care
Florence
in the hebrides :-)

OH had it last year, round his waist. VERY painful, but told to live a normal life as far as possible and no medication except painkillers. It lasted about 3 months and he still has the scars!!

My father had it on his scalp and it was so painful he was on morphine for months.

As Ann said, it seems to affect everyone differently, so I hope yours is fairly mild and you feel better soon.

Aw Carol, poor you!

My Mother had shingles, she said it felt like something inside was chewing!

Rest, rest & more rest, and take the meds.

<3

I had it and it was diagnosed too late for anti viral but I didn't suffer from neurological pain afterwards and had no problems since. Daughter had it and suffered pain afterwards for a while but not any longer.everyone is different. I hope yours will go and not return.

Get well soon, Carol. I had shingles many years ago and my doctor gave me Vitamin B12 injections and I had no problems. Just an occasional twinge in the spot that comes and goes.

PLENTY OF REST REST REST,AS YOU KEEP TELLING ME..


GET BETTER SOON
LOVE DIZZ

My husband had shingles about 5 years ago. Here they give you what you had in UK plus vitamin B complex to help with the damaged nerve endings which is what causes the pain. He was out of pain very quickly, reduced almost straight away and all gone in a couple of weeks.

Hope this helps. Get well soon Carol :-)

Thank you all.
At least I now know that my gallbladder, pancreas, liver & kidneys are all healthy. (From scan done on Tuesday)

Hope your feeling better soon Carol,its not nice at all <3 <3