i have a really bad case of it. i got vicodin and other drugs... anyone know of any good topical stuff?
:mad::mad::mad::cussing::cussing::cussing:
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i have a really bad case of it. i got vicodin and other drugs... anyone know of any good topical stuff?
:mad::mad::mad::cussing::cussing::cussing:
Shingles does suck. A lot. I got it a few summers ago- supposedly its even worse for the elderly. I didnt get any drugs or anything either. So basically Im of no help. Defintely use whatever topical stuff you can find- it will lead to scarring if you dont.
Benadryl is about the best thing for the itch. Cold packs help too. You got Valtrex from the doc right? The one week course of that cleared it up for me.
Vibes sent. My mom got the shingles and it was a big bummer.
Yes to the valtrex. I found some burn cream that is supposed to work well on shingles since it goes for the nerves. This is some of the worst pain I've had, probably worse than breaking my wrist.
Shingles is herpes. Congratulations on your new case of herpes.
My gramps has been battling a case of it for the last couple of months. He's had good luck with acupuncture.
Try Vitamin E. Anyone who has Chicken Pox is susceptible to Shingles. I think most get it from stress, cause of break-outs? Usually rash across belly and face, vitamin E will soothe.
Exactly. Anyone who has ever had Pox can get it and stress is the cause. Its kinda a rash along the major veins in the abdomen/torso (at least thats where I got it). The elderly get it on their heads and faces and is even more painful.Quote:
Originally Posted by montanagirl
No. Different etiology, different, although related, virusQuote:
Originally Posted by YourSupremeExcellency
Mmmm lets see, shingles official medical name is "HERPES zoster".Quote:
Originally Posted by Viva
Viva...might have to go w/ YSE on this one. After all, the man knows herpes.
No, it's called Varicella zoster virus.Quote:
Originally Posted by YourSupremeExcellency
And without ever getting laid.Quote:
Originally Posted by irul&ublo
It does suck.
I got it Freshman year of college during spring break in Utah. It was basically right above my heart and made a line around my chest, armpit, and my back on my left side.
Thought it was just a rash, waited to long to have it go looked at, and man did it suck.
I am now a senior in college, and to this day the parts where I had it on my back regularly burn pretty badly. I think that because I waited to so long to get any treatment, the nerves got pretty damaged in that area.
They wouldn't give me any good pain killers when I went to Urgent Care in Utah either. Said just take over the counter stuff, which I did (and which did jack shit for the pain).
That whole trip consisted of skiing a ton and drinking even more, so I think I noticed it less because I was generally drunk or skiing. But sometimes the pain is pretty severe.
Sorry I cannot offer any more help on how to make it feel better. I can only say to those who think they may have it, get it checked out. The Dr. told me if I had been put on the drugs to treat it early on, the chance that it would have spread so badly and lasted so long would have significantly decreased. I know I had cuts on my chest and back from it for at least 2-3 weeks.
Good luck
^ Whoa, someone else got it in college ... during spring break? I got it senior year in college on the start of my week-long trip to Mammoth. It was on my FACE. Except the nerves on the right side only, so I looked like Tommy Two Face from Batman.
Cold wind moved my hair, which hurt so much that I couldn't ski at all that week. A gust of wind was like someone lighting my scalp on fire with a torch.
Good news: after 2 years the skin settled down back to normal. There is very very minimal scarring from some places where it was bad but it's really not any more noticeable than aging effects or acne.
painkillers they gave me vicodin
steriods I think they gave me prednazone
antiviral meds they gave me the same shit they give people for herpes simplex - acyclovir.
For anti-itch I used the aveno anti itch cream.
Lots of sun-blocking and oatmeal moisturizer should help I think. Keep it moist with creams and force yourself not to touch. After the burning stops (1 week) it itched for 2 months.
GET LOTS OF SLEEP for the next few weeks. Your immune system is shot and your body needs all the energy it can to recover. Think healthy thoughts and be healthy and you'll be skiing in a few weeks!
Vibes mate, vibes.
That is an even more specific name and guess what it is? Yep you guessed it...Quote:
Originally Posted by Viva
"The Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is one of the eight herpes viruses known to affect humans (and other vertebrates)."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varicella-zoster_virus
I'm always right, you're always wrong. Deal with it.
Hey, you may be right but wikipedia as your source? Really?Quote:
Originally Posted by YourSupremeExcellency
You want a fucking testamonial from the Surgeon General or what? It's fucking herpes man not brain surgery. Wikipedia will suffice. Go to WebMD or something I don't care, but it's still herpes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Adolf Allerbush
You can go to WebMD homie. I'm not the one arguing about it, you are.Quote:
Originally Posted by YourSupremeExcellency
Dear Fruitpie, I realize that they're related and said so already.Quote:
Originally Posted by YourSupremeExcellency
Tell you what, when your doctor treats your blisters again, ask him and we'll go with that.
Fair?
Thanks for playing.
Not just elderly, I had it through my whole head.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brock Landers
I ruptured my left eardrum from it and still have facial scarring. Sucked bad.
Wow... thats my exact story. In the armpit is a real bitch! I started with pain last tuesday and rash on thursday. I just thought it was some allergy or something until this weekend whilst skiing the deepness that was Wolf Creek, which coincidentally requires shit tons of poling which aggravated the hell out of it. I got to where I could barely get around I skied so hard.Quote:
Originally Posted by iggyskier
Anyways, I'm an architecture grad student and this stuff crippled me enough to miss a major critic today. I hope my professor will understand. :(
And oddly enough my dad got it on his head a year ago.
Ummm no, nice try, it is officially listed as a herpes virus. It is officially a herpes virus. Don't like it take it up with the medical community not me. I won't debate fact with you. Fair? Thanks for playing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Viva
You are awfully pissy today. 'Roids flaring up again?Quote:
Originally Posted by YourSupremeExcellency
I hope so too. If you're on acyclovir, that stuff can have major (mood-altering and thought-processing) side effects in addition to the weakened energy levels you have as your immune system is repairing your body. PS- for me, the weakened energy didn't come until AFTER the pain had passed, so it was a surprise to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by brice618
Seriously, it sucks as a grad student to miss big stuff, but plan now for being out of action for a while so that it's no surprise missing things for the next few weeks. It can be a welcome surprise if you heal quickly, but I had to miss a lot of class for 2-3 weeks because I had no energy and the meds fucked with my quantum mechanics-learning ability :)
I'd recommend talking to the prof now and let them know what's going on and it might be 1 week or it might be 4. Most will understand and be accommodating. Shingles is the real deal, you've seen what iggy went through with initial neglect of the condition (sorry mate).
Good luck mate, super vibes your way. Rest now so you can ski (and study) later!!!
you could try zostrix ointment or lidocaine gel. both require a prescription
I'm getting over a case of shingles that started about a week and a half ago on the right side of my face and head. Luckily mine were relatively painless, but the virus got in my eye so I'm sentenced to glasses instead of contacts for like a month.
They said it's pretty rare for people in their early 20's and I wasn't really stressed (unless a 2 foot deep powder day is stressful), so I thought it was weird. I also went 3 days before seeing the doctor since I just thought it was some sort of skin rash so I don't think the drugs did much. I was on Valtrex for a week and Prednisone for 2 days plus a bunch of eye drop crap.
I think I ended up paying like $400 just in prescriptions and about $350 in doctor's visits. There went a new pair of skis :(
Quote:
Originally Posted by brice618
You're a real fucking dick, you know that? Cold Sores are Herpes too - you ever get one? Ever kissed a girl who CAN get one? Ever kiss a girl? Likely you've been exposed.Quote:
Originally Posted by YourSupremeExcellency
Heh. Still similar enough that Zovirax (acyclovir) works very well. I've never even heard of the side effects that Schralph described. It's not listed on the scrip bottle as a recognized side effect either. Maybe that's because I normally use the topical ointment, not the pills...?Quote:
Originally Posted by Viva
Brice: Ask your doctor for a scrip for Zovirax cream.
No one fucking cares what you think. Fuck off would ya?Quote:
Originally Posted by YourSupremeExcellency
Why didn't I ignore this one earlier....
Sorry to hear about your Shingles Brice. My Dad got it last year. Hope the pain dies down soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tippster
Please, Tipp, Snookums and I will resolve this little spat between ourselves.
It's likely he'll be fine. It didn't screw me up royally, but it has the potential to do so. I recall what the pharmacy documentation had to say about the meds, and a quick google search turned up the link below. Some people get big side effects with Acyclovir:Quote:
Originally Posted by Tippster
http://shingles.emedtv.com/acyclovir...e-effects.html
In my personal experience the drug prevented worsening of the rashes and gave me an empty headed feeling. Combined with vicodin, I wasn't really able to go to class for a while. Not that I had the energy to anyway ... :frown:Quote:
Common Acyclovir Side Effects
Acyclovir has been studied thoroughly in clinical trials, in which a group of people taking the drug have side effects documented and compared to another group not taking the medicine. This way, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group not taking the medicine.
In these studies, the most common side effects of acyclovir included:
* A general ill feeling -- in up to 11.5 percent of people
* Nausea or vomiting -- up to 4.8 percent
* Diarrhea -- up to 2.7 percent
* Headaches -- up to 2.2 percent.
Serious Acyclovir Side Effects
Some side effects with acyclovir, while occurring infrequently, are potentially serious and should be reported immediately to your healthcare provider. These include but are not limited to:
* Aggressiveness or agitation
* Hallucinations
* Unusual bruising or bleeding
* Seizures
* Unusual decrease in urine production
* Signs of an allergic reaction, including unexplained rash, hives, itching, and unexplained swelling.
At worst if your school has good med insurance you can try the drug for a while and if it sucks then don't take it. But if you have the insurance, milk what you can - you're paying for it already so get your benefit from it!
Schralph: sounds like that's for the pills, which I never took. Good info, tho.
Viva: Our sugarshnookie's coming across as a bit bitchy, isn't he? Maybe he ran out of Cheesypoofs.
I'm also really surprised by the amount of relatively young people who have had shingles on this board! Maybe we stress too much about icey greybird days or thin polleny mank days and it kills the immune system ... :eek:
My understanding (and Viva can hopefully clarify) is that just about all Herpes viruses live naturally and normally on our skin. Some people's immune systems are just more prone to "forgetting" about them and you get an occasional outbreak.
Stress is but one way to suppress your immune system temporarily. I seem to get a cold sore every time I get really sunburnt....
Actually, my stress was caused by not taking care of my body in my senior year of college. Lack of sleep and irregular sleep patterns, chilicheese burgers and taco truck at 3 am, beers every night of the week, irregular exercise, etc. Peeps take care of yourselves! You're not all invincible like Pechelman!
Same here- lack of sleep. Was working maintenance at a golf course over the summer and my girlfriend from college came to visit for 10 days- so I went from work at 530 am to entertaining her until the wee hours. This went on for about 2 weeks...combine with working in the heat...and it just wore me out. Beers dont help either, and shitty eating habits dont either.Quote:
Originally Posted by SchralphMacchio
vibes mang, never had it, but have never heard one good thing about it. An NPR story a while back stated it, and the pain, is now the #1 driver of elderly suicide :( . Hope ya fix up quick!
Thanks for all the well wishes guys! I didn't sleep well at all, but then I found my heating pad on my back where I have a giant knot from all the muscle stress helped me sleep some.
I've never said that I haven't had chickenpox. My sole statement was that shingles is in fact herpes and then Viva wanted to disagree. I never once said that chickenpox was not herpes. I never once said that cold sores was not herpes. I never once denied that virtually every single person in the world has had chickenpox and still has that virus in their bodies or that virtually every person in the world also has the cold sore virus in their bodies even though many people think they do not since over %50 of people's immune systems are capable of permenantly suppressing the virus. All I said is that shingles is herpes, that is it. And some misinformed, or we could probably just go out on a limb and say really fucking stupid, people like Viva wanted to argue that FACT.Quote:
Originally Posted by hubie