Well here I am 5 weeks into my shingles experience. I am posting this in hopes that it may help someone else with their experience or convince them to get the shingles shot, and also, if someone can give me some insight through their experience what I am still facing and is there an end to the tunnel.
It started with severe pain in my muscles on the left thigh going down my leg. I thought I had pulled every muscle in my upper left leg for sure.
The pain. I have not gone to a doctor for pain medication since I was 18 and had a abscessed tooth (I am 70 now). I had been using a heating pad on my hip and thought I had burned the skin on my hip with it. When I showed the doctor... he said shingles.
So I got the prescription for acyclovir and a strong pain pill. Started taking both immediately.
The acyclovir helps you to fight the virus, the pain pills help you feel like you want to live.
While I was taking the medication, I had stomach upset and did not feel like eating because it hurt or made me nauseous . I found out after the meds stopped I still felt the same way. I finally read that the shingles itself makes you feel that way. I now take acetaminophen about 30 minutes before eating and it helps.
Anyway after about a week and a half the pain subsided and I thought Good, now I just have to get rid of the skin sores and get over this crap. Unfortunately, It didn't work that way. I started getting little twinges down my leg and across the left side of my groin every so often. Over the course of the next few weeks they moved toward my left leg and have gotten stronger and stronger and increased in frequency. Sometimes its as often as once per minute. The twinges are now almost entirely down the side of my leg. However, Just today I noticed the twinges are moving to the upper thigh toward the spine where the infection ends. I hope they don't get as strong as the twinges down the leg.
Also, something you notice after the initial pain subsides is the front of my groin, right down the middle over to my left hip and down the front of my leg is numb. Numb on the inside, the skin is still sensitive to the touch and burns when touched (not as bad as in the beginning but it still burns)
After trying pain pills for the twinges, last night I tried something I have been holding off trying... alcohol. I have to report that it did have some effect on the twinges, fewer and weaker with the booze. However, if you over do it you will have a hangover.... Just a couple of drinks seemed to reduce the twinges. So far its the only thing that has worked on them.
I must add that I have not participated in the mongering experience since this stated, I do not want to take any chance of giving this to anyone.
I have read everything I could find to see what the future may hold for the course of this illness and If I will ever get over it. Any insight you can offer is appreciated.
Originally Posted by HMFICDICK
I am sorry to hear of your plight with shingles as I to have suffered with shingles in the past, was on famclover and prednosone to put the virus back into remission, pain medications (and like you had not taken anything for decades, I do believe in the more alternative modalities) when the pain continued Dr wanted me go gabapentin, (no way jose for me what with all the side effects, memory loss, weight gain, suicidal thoughts and don't go off till our Dr says you can, (I have a client that has been on it for 18 years) ok, I want this NOT.
So I go back to my roots of alternative medicine had my acupuncture and ozone treatments. The first day of acupuncture and a shot of ozone in the affected area left me feeling 70% better, went back following day acupuncture sat in ozone sauna, actually slept that night. After doing this for less than a week with intravenous ozone, I was back to normal with affected areas feeling just numb and within 2 weeks totally wore off without having all the side effects. Ozone is now part of my anti-aging ritual.
I wish you luck on your unfortunate journey, oh BTW, check out this gentleman he is right in your area, I don't think he does acupuncture though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GoYGby1A7Q