Fibromyalgia Community

Not Dr P. BUT...Genital herpes is a different thing then Shingles.

This comes from Chicken pox as a child and hearing the nerve root you have effected I so agree to take the ZOSTAVAX vaccine to lessen the chance of another outbreak.

I am so sorry for you, it is painful and the nerve can besides having pain can give numbness as well. Keep the area clean and dry and let the blisters heal to a crust. Be watchful for a yellowish ozzing scab in the area as a secondary infection can occur in that area.

My Dad had shingles to the buttocks and groin area and it is so sad.. Like you needed any more on your plate!

I took and gave the Zostavax vaccine at the office to patients and I am so glad I took it too. You really don't know what nerve it will settle on and if it will be transient or chronic. I hope you heal well.

Listen to Dr P's advice and eat well.....If you do have a change to the blisters YOU MUST get to the doc for him to see all of them as a secondary antibiotic or topical cream may be needed...if infected. Geez, good luck, Nancy B

I am still suffering with Shingles. Dr will be giving me vaccine once shingles have cleared but they haven't cleared yet.

I have never been in this much pain in my whole life. Even giving birth didn't hurt this much (and I went natural).

Most of the time all I can do is lay in bed (only on my right side or frontal right side. As soon as I go to roll over the pain wakes me up so I usually only get 2-3 hrs at a time. At one point yesterday felt like I would be better off crawling to the bathroom than walking and being in that much pain, however, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get back up. Lyrica and gabapentin have not even touched the pain.

Can you please help? I am seeing my doctor and just had some MRIs that were scheduled before the shingles started but don't go to see the pain specialist until next week and I see my dr the following day, With this much pain I can't even drive up to see my daughter because I can't sit up for long enough.

Hope to hear from you soon since this is now over a month that I have had the shingles. The pain is mostly in the left side of my abdomen and I have to hold myself in order to walk or stand for a long period of time. Thank you

I again am not Dr P, but I am here in the mornings to check in. I am so sorry you have a BAD case and in the worst well almost worst...(face being tough too) spot.

You cannot wait to see them next week. This needs to be seen and tended to. As I mentioned before the area where you have this can get infected and it may be in that condition at this time. The neuralgia pain that follows the infection can be short lived or stay for a long tme. This needs proper medicating. We are also a notch or two down the line on tolerance of added pain, so it is a double whammy for you.

I am so sorry. When my father had shingles of the buttocks we used alot of iced gel paks to comfort his pain. Yours is an area hard to get at and it may not help. But maybe try something to "freeze down the nerves".

I am more concerned that this has become infected and he needs to see the whole nerve involvement. If you are embarrassed maybe your Mom or Sis could examine the crevices and look for a change in color (discharge) weeping, or an odor. You can get a cellulitits from just from plain skin bacteria getting in under the dermis........let alone other bacteria in the area.

This is a tough situation and I hurt so for you. .

If it were me, I also would sleep in a recliner....get ice paks in the area and stay like that. The chair will stop you from turning and the cool should give a little break in there. I can't imagine the toilet time you are experiencing. Use baby wipes to clean the area after using the toilet. But allow the area to dry before covering.

I hope you get to the doctor. Don't wait......this should be followed closely. That is if I am following your hint of the area involved. Let us know how it goes from here. Please call the doc for an appointment today.....you don't want to play with infection.

(((gentle hugs))) Nancy B

okay, so what gives. I still have some sores that are not fully healed and plenty of pain and numbness. Now the doctor has put me on cymbalta. Hopefully that will start kicking in and take some of the pain away. I still cannot even do my housework. Enough is enough. How much longer is this going to go on. I first started with the numbness on July 9th with the blisters showing up on July 12th. Is this ever going to stop or am I going to have this pain for life?

My uncle had them for nearly five years, but that was an unusual case.

Be aware that they are contagious as long as you have open blisters that have not crusted over. Keep them covered if you are around small kid, infants, pregnant women, anyone who has not been immunized for Chickenpox.

Many people have had good relief with Lidoderm patches, but only put it on intact skin, not over blisters.

This is a horrible illness, I wish you the best of luck. Just know that you are probably, slowly, getting better now. At least you should see the horizon.

Take care, Annette

I too wish to add that the "neuralgia" from this, the nerve pain you feel can be a long time in leaving. I think this is why he is trying the cymbalta, maybe he has had success with it.

In the area you have it will be hard to blister out and crust over as moist is around in the folds. My heart breaks for you.

Annette had a great idea for the lido patchas it helps locally with nerve end pain. Or just get him to order a TUBE of lidocaine...so you can place it in the right spots. Gabapentin is added very often too as well as standard percocet.

Remember HAVING the shingles active has given you some immunity for the future but getting the vaccine increases your help for not having it again......

I would wait months before taking the vaccine for yourself, there is no hurry at this point.

So...I guess they were not infected and all is just running the course. I am so hoping that you will not have chronic nerve pain there. OUCH. Keeping trying for the right fit of med to help ease the problem. Keep the area dry and yes, away from children and pregnant people while moist.....but if covered with chlothes I think yu are OK.

All my best, Nancy B

Thank you both. I believe the doctor wants to give me the vaccine asap as this is the 2nd time I have had shingles. The first time I was only 5 yrs old and it was a very mild case. I also believe that it is because he had never seen a case as bad as mine. Luckily all of the sores in the groin area are healed. Just a hint for anybody else that gets them there, I would lay on my bed and have a fan blowing on that area in order to try and keep it as dry as possible. It must have worked because that area did heal in a lot less time. Some were indeed infected but the Fucidin creme helped clear the infections up. I will have to ask the doctor for pain patches (which I have been meaning to do for quite a while but keep forgetting). I'll put it on my list, and hopefully I won't forget.

I have heard that the vaccine is not free. But whether I have to pay for it or not, it will be worth it if I can avoid another case of the horrible disease. As 2 doctors have now told me that I should not return to work, due to the fibromyalgia, I would really like to be healthy enough to travel so that I can see all of my daughters and grandchildren. So far I have been mostly bedridden for the last 5 weeks. I have even started to worry about getting bed sores on my right hip from laying on it so much. I'm sure the pain will go away, but it will happen sooner rather than later hopefully.

Who knows maybe the cymbalta will help control the fibro pain better that the carbamaz, and I pray without weight gain. Only time will tell. Take care all. Connie

Cymbalta works well for many folks with post herpetic pain, FMS pain as well as other types of chronic pain.

Get up out of bed as soon as you are able to, that will help your FMS more than anything.

A PT lady that I worked with and respected very much used to tell her patients to make two round trip walks to the bathroom every time they went as a start to getting back on their feet. I know it sounds silly, but it really worked. As you get more active, you can begin walking more, you will be traveling sooner than you think.

The problem with early retirement due to disability is you end up with far less money to spend, but way more time on your hands. Learn to use the time more wisely.

If you turn at least every two hours from your right side on your hip to your right front off of your hip, you should be able to avoid bedsores. That gives the area the chance to get good circulation again. Any pain, or redness that does not go away with position change, over the right hip and you tell your doctor IMMEDIATELY!!!

Best of luck to you.

Take care, Annette