Shingles…

[HaricotVert]

 

poo on a shingle

[Pejorative Miscreant]

My sister got it so I ran out and got the series. Never felt sick from another vaccine but both of these shots put me down. It’s a fake sick but it was not a good couple days.  Still a very much better alternative than shingles so if it could get u I recommend the vaccine 

[Lame Duck]

I’m still suffering effects of shingles.  Itching was worse than pain… I’m still wearing patches and taking meds but feeling way better. Brutal disease. 
 

It felt like severe sunburn… crazy itchy but when you touch the skin it burns like hell. I went with shitty sleep for over a month now.

[pamlicopanther]

Man, sorry to hear you are dealing with that.

 

I have always heard shingles sucked big time.

 

[Gapanthersfan]

I hope this helps anyone who may yet to encounter it. 
 

Shingles is awful. Can be anywhere from mild to devastating. I’ve seen eye involvement but it’s rare. I personally had a small eruption on my lower abdomen about 10 years ago. It’s very important to seek treatment at onset, even if it means going to urgent care or the ER if you can’t get in with your primary doc right away. Although rare, there is a chance of chronic pain if treated late/never. Improvement in pain usually takes several weeks to months. 

It is contagious to those who are unvaccinated (or had the old Zostavax. It sucked and didn’t work) or have never had chicken pox, but transmission is through direct contact of the fluid inside the blisters. Once they crust over, you’re deemed to no longer be contagious but don’t press your luck. 

before outbreak is visible, you may notice an isolated area of skin that is very hypersensitive/itchy to light touch. It will be a band-like distribution and does not cross the midline of the body unless it’s in the from-unda (yikes). Over the next few days comes the rash and then blisters. I have seen one case that never rashed out but that’s otherwise unheard of.

The Shingrix is a very effective vaccine and I have yet to see a patient who had it but got shingles anyway. Yes, the vaccine CAN make you feel like absolute poo but I have a lot of peeps who do fine. I have seen a correlation with my overly dramatic types and their reported severity of symptoms, but not always, so take that for what it’s worth.

Gabapentin/Lyrica can help some but pain will still be awful. Some more compassionate docs will often write a few hydrocodone or percocet. Topicals don’t help. 

Hope you feel better soon.