[kitty]

A couple of days ago i felt what i thought was a pimple on my lower back. i thought "how strange?" The next day there were two more right next to the first. Again i thought, "how strange?" I barely thought twice about them or the discomfort they caused me.

I was getting out of my car and my low rise jeans rubbed against them and cause me a lot of pain. That's when it dawned on me.... FUCK, it shingles! I made an appointment with the doctor right away and he confirmed it. He said it appears to be a mild case and we seem to have caught it early on so i should not have too much discomfort. But $170 worth of drugs and 5 weeks of recovery and i should be good as new.

My real problem is that i have to stay away from my sister who is going through chemo. i have been her "partner" for every doctors appointment, every test and every treatment for over a year now. We give each other strenght to get through it with a positive attitude. Now i have been effectively stopped in my tracks. i feel horrible because i feel like i am letting her down.


Stress... exhaustion...trauma.... they are killers.

[Banff]

everytime I think about shingles it scares me and really stresses me out because sooner or later I'm going to get them , I don't know when but I know over time its going to happen . I don't think childhood diseases has anything to do with my reasons but as a child I had chicken pox and then hives several times too .
My neighbour commented that it cost almost $1000.00 to deal with her shingles problem and when I pointed out why I was going to get them she felt sorry for me because I have a very steep roof and it is the tallest house on the block .



























...but on a serious note I never knew how serious of a problem the illness is I hope I never get them .

[kitty]

Banff Banff:

everytime I think about shingles it scares me and really stresses me out because sooner or later I'm going to get them ...

My neighbour commented that it cost almost $1000.00 to deal with her shingles problem and when I pointed out why I was going to get them she felt sorry for me because I have a very steep roof and it is the tallest house on the block .

so who didn't see this tired old joke coming?

[kitty]

lily lily:

How come you never hear women complain about the pain of shingles?

oh my i hate to be the only woman complaining but omg..... this hurts so much

[Zoraja]

Awww, try and think about somethign else, I know its hard, but watch a comedy or soemthing, might help you get your mind off it.

[kitty]

Aveeno has cooled my burning but i am finding it difficult to get dressed this morning... everything that touches it hurts.

[MissT]

Ow, Kitty and Mr E, am sorry to hear of your troubles. Can I make some herbal suggestions?

A tincture or infusion of marigold, plantain and st John's wort should help to cool the areas that hurt.

Applying essential oils of lavender, tea tree, geranium, eucalyptus, chamomile or melissa in a compress can help too.

Oats and st john's wort can also be drunk as an infusion - but don't take St John's Wort if you are on the pill- it can stop the pill being effective.

Eat foods with lots of B vitamins (brewer's yeast, yeast extract, pulses, seeds, nuts, eggs, liver and fish)

Good luck and get well soon.

[danikyvor]

My Great Aunt, who is 85 had a bout of shingles last year, but I didn't know what it was...is that like the adult version of chicken pox?

I've never had chicken pox in my life. My mom even tried putting me in a room witha kid who DID have it and I still didn't get it. Apparently it's quite dangerous if you get it when you're an adult. :S

[MissT]

The virus is related to chicken pox, but it can manifest slightly differently. I suppose sometimes it looks like chicken pox, but I think it can also look, literally, like there are shingles drawn on your body, little red lines of pain...

[danikyvor]

:S