Shingles for the 3rd time.

[yourout]

I must be some kind of freak of nature.
Shingles for the 3rd time and after having both Vacs for it last year.

So one more time....
(sung to the Sound of Silence)
Hello shingles you old pain
You've come to bother me again.
I thought you had left now I am..weeping
This nasty rash was only...sleeping
The Zoster virus that was planted in my brain
Still..remains
Now returns the pain...of shingles

[flying_wahini]

1. I used Lavender oil on my husband and he said it helped with the pain quite a bit.

You can use it full strength on open sores. I recommend repeating it 2 or 3 times (every 10 min or so). It seemed to work better when applied this way. It’s oily so don’t lie down on your good sheets for a few mins.
He had a string of sores from his low back that went down his hip and to his scrotum. It was pretty bad.

Whatever brand you use is fine. Available at several grocery stores that carry herbal products. Try the drugstores, too. Hope this helps.

[Tetrachloride]

2. very sorry and thank you for your post

[surfered]

3. Yikes!! My doctor prescribed and anti-viral medication

And my case was mild. But everyone is different. Good luck

[True Dough]

4. Wow. Terrible luck indeed!

I remember the pharmacist, upon giving me my first or second Shingrix shot, saying that the vaccine is about 90% effective. You've hit that 10% exception really HARD!

Does it tend to recur on the same part(s) of your body?

How long did the last two bouts last?

Hoping this time proves to be shorter and less painful, at least.

[yourout]

12. 1st one was on right side of nose near the eye which..

Really got my docs attention and I had daily visits to the eye doc for a few days.
Second was on the right side forehead.
This one is several smallish spots on my right shoulder.
All three times it was caught fairly early and treated with valcyclovir so I did not get hit as hard as my dad did on his 2 boughts with it
Seems to run in my family. Sister has had it 3 times as well.

[True Dough]

13. So it seems to consistently

strike you on the right side. I guess you do a lot of sleeping on your left (or your back).

Hope you're free and clear of that pain soon!

[debm55]

5. Shinges is the worst pain I experienced, I had it on one side of my face, including my eye, Was on a AAA Christmas trip

to NYC, AAA bus wouldn;t let me on. I feel so sorry for you, It is horrible to have,:

[Laffy Kat]

20. Tell me about it!

I had it 16 weeks post-partum in 1993. Mine was on the left side of my face. When the vaccine came out, I tried it and could only tolerate the first shot, so I'm somewhat unprotected, I guess. It was awful.

[SamKnause]

6. I am sorry you are suffering.

It is an indescribable pain.

I hope you can get some relief.

Sending good vibes your way.

[catbyte]

7. Welcome to the worst club in the world.

I've had shingles 13 times since 1994, all but one down my right sciatic nerve which has led to permanent nerve damage. I hope you've gotten on an antiviral -- they really do help. I've taken 500 mg of Valtrex daily as a preventative for about four years and haven't had an outbreak for over 3 years. Multiple bouts of shingles run in my family. My grandma had several, so did my dad, aunt, and two of my three first cousins. Novocaine patches help with the skin pain but they don't do anything for deeper nerve pain, They do provide relief for the skin aspect, though.

I'm so sorry you're going through it. It's awful.

[birdographer]

8. I also got it for a second time

Had the two shots between times, did no good.

[Easterncedar]

9. Did you all have chickenpox as kids, or not?

I know shingles is about the worst pain. My mother and my partner had it. He got the antiviral and it wasn’t maybe as bad as it could have been, but he was so stoic it is hard to be sure.

[wnylib]

18. AFAIK, the only way to get shingles is if you have had chicken pox.

[Easterncedar]

19. I am told I had it asymptomatically as a kid

I wonder if that matters. I had the shingles vaccinations.

[wnylib]

21. I don't know what it means in your case regarding shingles.

Last edited Tue Oct 1, 2024, 05:17 PM - Edit history (1)

An infection, even asymptomatic, means that the virus invaded your body. My understanding is that shingles is caused by the latent virus remaining in people's bodies and then reactivating in the form of shingles. So you might be at risk. Good that you have been vaccinated.

[Easterncedar]

22. Thanks. It's such a miserable thing!

[womanofthehills]

36. it's rare, but because the vaccine is a live virus - you can get shingles from the chickenpox vaccine

from Mount Sinai:

"Some people who are vaccinated against chickenpox get shingles (herpes zoster) years later. This is much less common after vaccination than after chickenpox disease."

https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/special-topic/chickenpox-varicella-vaccine-what-you-need-to-know
"

[milestogo]

10. That should be illegal.

When I got it I was too young for the vaccine. Go figure.

I am fully vaccinated and I don't ever want to go through that again. It's awful.

[Phentex]

11. so sorry!

I've heard it's very painful.

[Luciferous]

14. I'm sorry you have it again, I know

how awful it is. But your song made me laugh 😃

[LudwigPastorius]

15. I feel ya.

I had shingles of the trigeminal nerve 5 years ago. Like you, the docs were very concerned that I was going to lose an eye. It was easily the worst pain I've ever experienced in my life.

The good news for you, is that you know when it's coming on now and can get help immediately. I waited too long (thinking it was just a sinus infection), and now I have what appears to be permanent nerve damage.

I'm currently on a SSNRI, which helps...sometimes. I joke that they put you on anti-depressants when you have post-shingles pain, not to ease the pain, but just to keep you from offing yourself from the never-ending aches, shocks, burning, stinging, etc.

Good luck.

[HeartsCanHope]

16. Sorry!

I've had it and don't want it ever again. Hope you feel better very soon.

[Niagara]

17. I'm so sorry, yourout!

I couldn't imagine dealing with a health related condition that makes a person uncomfortable, miserable and physically in pain.


Sending an abundance of well wishes and positive healing vibes your way!

[Niagara]

23. How are you feeling now?

[yourout]

24. All better. Was very mild case.

[Niagara]

25. That's wonderful news!

[ultralite001]

26. I feel for you...

I am another that has had recurrent episodes of shingles... Even vaxed + using the antiviral meds...

Shingles sux... Hope you'll feel better soon...

[surfered]

27. Hope you get better soon. Also, you should not go to Vegas or buy a lottery ticket.

[ms liberty]

28. I'm sorry. I've heard it's really painful

My cousin's husband had it on his penis; this was over 25 years ago now. Not having that equipment myself, I can only imagine how painful it must have been.

[a kennedy]

31. I only remember my grandma having them, and they looked horrible.....ugh.

I only just got my shingles shots last year......but so happy haven’t had it so far. I felt just horrible for her, made me get mine.

[ms liberty]

33. I never had chicken pox but I went ahead and got it because

They said I could have had it and been asymptomatic, and mainly because having so many older relatives who had shingles. My cousin's husband was the most memorable because if the location if course!

I hope you are better soon!

[a kennedy]

29. Oh yourout.......so sorry for you......

[MLAA]

30. The pain has inspired you to write an excellent verse!

Sending virtual hugs

[sdfernando]

32. Ugh!!! I'm so sorry you are gong through this again!

I, myself, as a child, had the Chicken Pox twice. I spoke with my primary and he said it would not guarantee I wouldn’t get Shingles…. So I got the vaccine. So far so good.

I have a friend that had it twice….once on his face and in his eye. Probably the worst place to get it!

Can’t imagine how it must be for you.

Thanks for the song lyrics…at least you have some humor about it. Hope it helps enduring this a bit easier.

[morillon]

35. Wow. :-( I am so sorry.

To break through the vaccine once is terrible, but three times... Yikes. I hope you have the lightest case possible.