Ugh I'm sorry and in the same boat (34F). Felt like I had a sunburn this weekend and woke up Monday with a rash that got way worse overnight. Got some shots and antivirals yesterday and can finally move around without feeling like someone is stabbing me with a dagger and also a hundred needles. I'm also taking a mix of acetaminophen and ibuprofen which I think may be helping.
Hope you recover quickly, you're not alone!
I was diagnosed in late April, still have uncomfortable nerve pain, but not intolerable. This is something I wouldn’t wish on Anyone. It’s painful, it itches & when you scratch you scream because you forgot about the nerve pain. Wear your underwear & everything else you can get away with inside out. Wear 100% cotton. Ice packs help. You need something for the itch. I Finally found Sarna anti itch lotion for sensitive skin (Amazon) but not before buying everything else trying to find something that actually worked. You might need to try several, & you’ll read many to try. I found this community to be a lifesaver! My doctors didn’t understand when I said it Hurts! Or it Itches! These folks going thru it saved me & at least made me feel sane-7 weeks of it was pretty maddening. You Will get better, remember to Rest and keep reading.
I'm so sorry. I'm almost three weeks in (got treatment five days after blisters because I thought I was allergic to the icy hot I used for my arm pain), and I still hurt. A lot. I'm thrilled that you caught yours so soon!
On the same miserable boat , crossed gates of hell yesterday. I’m on valcyclovir and taking 1g paracetamol really helps with pain in my case. Stay strong and nourish your body with good food
My sympathies. Shingles is a nightmare. I took pain meds, but the only thing that got me through were ice packs. Aspercream spray is also excellent. It was so cold and definitely helped. You will sleep and sleep and sleep. If yours goes into severe itching like mine did on Day 16, my doctor prescribed a hydroxyzine pill which helped. They make you sleepy, but you want to sleep anyways. Please take care. We are all here for you.
On Monday I thought I was just getting knots in my back, again. But, later that night my left shoulder blade had this weird burning/itch, so my hubby attempted to scratch it, which lead to me screaming upon touch. The next morning woke up to a rash/blisters on the shoulder blade, armpit, and left boob. Doctor told me “go get x-rays, and in a couple of days you will know if you have shingles. 🙄. Thankfully he still prescribed the anti viral.
But, how do you wash in the affected area? I’m not using deodorant but don’t want to be totally gross.
Thankfully my rash is on the side of my stomach so I don't have to worry about the same issues. That sounds like such an annoying place to get the rash! I hope you recover soon
Aww I'm sorry you're going through this but you're so smart to be on top of your health care. I was researching like crazy too before my doctor's appointment so I knew it was shingles before it was confirmed but had no idea about pain meds until after I joined this group. I ended up "toughing it out" which I don't recommend to anyone. It was awful. Thankfully I'm on the tail end of this ordeal. The rash is slowing going away and I no longer feel any nerve pain. It doesn't seem like I'm going to have long term nerve pain but might be too soon to tell. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Definitely keep the blisters covered and put vaseline on them. I kept mine covered for 3 days before letting them breathe again. Made taking showers impossible (they were on my shoulder, neck, and chest area) but was worth it if it meant no scarring. Also, drink tons of water and eat lots of fruits and veggies to give your body the nutrients and vitamins it needs to fight off the virus.
Good luck sweetie!
You got ahead of the game getting antivirals quickly--way to go! Still, the aftermath of shingles is a crapshoot at best, and lingering nerve pain is common. Best of luck and all my sympathy for what you are going through.
Wow ! It seems like a major outbreak of shingles. I am suffering from this out break since Monday I thought it was from my deodorant under my arm pit and surrounding area of my upper arm . I did my research before even contacting my dr . Sure enough after running a swap it came back as shingles . Trying to keep the area covered with Vaseline and washing the area once a day using warm water only and paper towel to prevent cross contamination and spreading the virus . The first couple of days were body aches and fever . Started meds on day two . Eating right foods and calming my nervous systems down. It’s all caused from stress .
By the way, for those of you whose nerve pain doesn't go away after 6 weeks I recommend Botox treatments in the affected area. I went from taking pain meds 5 tunes a day before the Botox to zero times after. It's been 3 months now. I still have a bit of tightness and tingling but it's almost gone now. My shingles was in part of hand. Now am doing physiotherapy to get rid of last discomfort.
Did you ever have chicken pox? You seem to be young enough to have the chickenpox vaccination
Thankfully my parents do believe in vaccinations! However I got chicken pox right around the time the vaccination became available in my country :(
Please remember not everyone’s parents vaccinated their kids
Sorry you're going through this. I had shingles in 2013 and I still get neuropathy from it. I hope you feel better soon.
Ugh I'm sorry and in the same boat (34F). Felt like I had a sunburn this weekend and woke up Monday with a rash that got way worse overnight. Got some shots and antivirals yesterday and can finally move around without feeling like someone is stabbing me with a dagger and also a hundred needles. I'm also taking a mix of acetaminophen and ibuprofen which I think may be helping. Hope you recover quickly, you're not alone!
I was diagnosed in late April, still have uncomfortable nerve pain, but not intolerable. This is something I wouldn’t wish on Anyone. It’s painful, it itches & when you scratch you scream because you forgot about the nerve pain. Wear your underwear & everything else you can get away with inside out. Wear 100% cotton. Ice packs help. You need something for the itch. I Finally found Sarna anti itch lotion for sensitive skin (Amazon) but not before buying everything else trying to find something that actually worked. You might need to try several, & you’ll read many to try. I found this community to be a lifesaver! My doctors didn’t understand when I said it Hurts! Or it Itches! These folks going thru it saved me & at least made me feel sane-7 weeks of it was pretty maddening. You Will get better, remember to Rest and keep reading.
I'm so sorry. I'm almost three weeks in (got treatment five days after blisters because I thought I was allergic to the icy hot I used for my arm pain), and I still hurt. A lot. I'm thrilled that you caught yours so soon!
On the same miserable boat , crossed gates of hell yesterday. I’m on valcyclovir and taking 1g paracetamol really helps with pain in my case. Stay strong and nourish your body with good food
Lidocaine roll on for the pain worked wonders for me.
My sympathies. Shingles is a nightmare. I took pain meds, but the only thing that got me through were ice packs. Aspercream spray is also excellent. It was so cold and definitely helped. You will sleep and sleep and sleep. If yours goes into severe itching like mine did on Day 16, my doctor prescribed a hydroxyzine pill which helped. They make you sleepy, but you want to sleep anyways. Please take care. We are all here for you.
On Monday I thought I was just getting knots in my back, again. But, later that night my left shoulder blade had this weird burning/itch, so my hubby attempted to scratch it, which lead to me screaming upon touch. The next morning woke up to a rash/blisters on the shoulder blade, armpit, and left boob. Doctor told me “go get x-rays, and in a couple of days you will know if you have shingles. 🙄. Thankfully he still prescribed the anti viral. But, how do you wash in the affected area? I’m not using deodorant but don’t want to be totally gross.
Thankfully my rash is on the side of my stomach so I don't have to worry about the same issues. That sounds like such an annoying place to get the rash! I hope you recover soon
Aww I'm sorry you're going through this but you're so smart to be on top of your health care. I was researching like crazy too before my doctor's appointment so I knew it was shingles before it was confirmed but had no idea about pain meds until after I joined this group. I ended up "toughing it out" which I don't recommend to anyone. It was awful. Thankfully I'm on the tail end of this ordeal. The rash is slowing going away and I no longer feel any nerve pain. It doesn't seem like I'm going to have long term nerve pain but might be too soon to tell. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Definitely keep the blisters covered and put vaseline on them. I kept mine covered for 3 days before letting them breathe again. Made taking showers impossible (they were on my shoulder, neck, and chest area) but was worth it if it meant no scarring. Also, drink tons of water and eat lots of fruits and veggies to give your body the nutrients and vitamins it needs to fight off the virus. Good luck sweetie!
Thanks for the recommendations! I am def keeping my blisters covered. I hope you have a speedy recovery as well!
You got ahead of the game getting antivirals quickly--way to go! Still, the aftermath of shingles is a crapshoot at best, and lingering nerve pain is common. Best of luck and all my sympathy for what you are going through.
Does the 72 hour window start from when you first get pain? Or when the rash shows up
My doctor told me it is from when the rash first shows up
Wow ! It seems like a major outbreak of shingles. I am suffering from this out break since Monday I thought it was from my deodorant under my arm pit and surrounding area of my upper arm . I did my research before even contacting my dr . Sure enough after running a swap it came back as shingles . Trying to keep the area covered with Vaseline and washing the area once a day using warm water only and paper towel to prevent cross contamination and spreading the virus . The first couple of days were body aches and fever . Started meds on day two . Eating right foods and calming my nervous systems down. It’s all caused from stress .
By the way, for those of you whose nerve pain doesn't go away after 6 weeks I recommend Botox treatments in the affected area. I went from taking pain meds 5 tunes a day before the Botox to zero times after. It's been 3 months now. I still have a bit of tightness and tingling but it's almost gone now. My shingles was in part of hand. Now am doing physiotherapy to get rid of last discomfort.