Blog | Shingles Support Site - Part 65Shingles Support Site | Shingles Support: How To Deal With Shingles Effectively

Your Questions About Shingles

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Joe Homps

David asks…

I have Shingles (aka Herpes Zoster)….?

At first I thought it was a bug bite…I went to the doctor and, nope, it Shingles…wow. Can I still go to school without starting an epidemic?

admin answers:

Your doctor should have told you about this. As far as I know it is suppose to be contagious

Sandra asks…

info on shingles or herpes zoster, ?

how did i get them, how long will i have them, and can i spread them? i was diagnosed at the er and the doc didnt tell me crap!

admin answers:

You probably caught chicken pox as a child. Once you have chicken pox, your body gets the virus under control and your symptoms vanish, but the virus stays dormant in your body for the rest of your life.

When it reactivates, it is known as shingles. It is a lot less infectious than chicken pox, and you cannot spread it to anyone who has ever had chicken pox, but you CAN actually give someone who has never had chicken pox chicken pox from your shingles if they come into skin contact with your sores.

It is a common misconception that shingles is not infectious.

The following is advice from the CDC website on shingles:

….”Shingles cannot be passed from one person to another. However, the virus that causes shingles, VZV, can be spread from a person with active shingles to a person who has never had chickenpox through direct contact with the rash. The person exposed would develop chickenpox, not shingles. The virus is not spread through sneezing, coughing or casual contact. A person with shingles can spread the disease when the rash is in the blister-phase. Once the rash has developed crusts, the person is no longer contagious. A person is not infectious before blisters appear or with post-herpetic neuralgia (pain after the rash is gone).”

Jenny asks…

Shingles…?

Is shingles (herpes zoster) contagious? My friend has it and hasn’t been in school for a couple of days now, but I give her a ride home everyday. I was wondering if I give her a ride when she comes back, will I get it?

admin answers:

It is usually not contagious but they recommend that people who are pregnant stay away from people who have shingles. You will not get it from her.

Mark asks…

herpes zoster question?

i had herpes zoster, shingles when i was younger, now and then my eyes would flare up and the dr put me on elidol creme, now for my question this year i became very ill with my intestines causing severe side pain when i had a colonoscopy those pains went away and i developed what looked like hives on my hands but after mega doses of steroids they keep flaring could this be shingles back again and could they have been in my intestinal tract?

admin answers:

Shingles is a reactivation of varicella zoster virus (the chicken pox virus). You can get it many, many times over and especially if you are immuno-suppressed (on steroids). The steroids may actually be causing a zoster flare.

Zoster virus can appear anywhere on your skin (arms and hands included) but usually has a characteristic linear appearance. It would be unusual to have zoster virus inside your body, but not impossible – this condition is called “disseminated zoster” and typically only happens to people who have a very weak immune system from drugs or chemotherapy.

Al that being said, it could be zoster on your arm, it could be flaring up because by the steroids – but the only way to be sure is to see your doctor and have the test done.

Good luck!

Dr. P.

Daniel asks…

Can a mother with shingles care for a new born.?

I have herpes zoster(shingles) can I take care of my 6 week old child or is his health at great risk. Also I breastfeed, did it harm him in any way?

admin answers:

Shingles are not contagious through skin contact. I have had shingles before. They itch like a mother but there is nothing that will prevent a person from doing day to day activities. Put some vaseline on a bandage and stick on there to help with the itching. You can go to the doctor and get medicine to help treat it if you want or just let them go away on their own. Good luck to you.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Your Questions About Shingles

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Joe Homps

Ken asks…

The doctor diagnosed me with having shingles!Aren’t shingles supposed to hurt?

Alright I have had type 1 herpes for 6 months plus!I was just diagnosed with type 2 herpes on jan 16th of this year. Now my doctor diagnosed me with having shingles. Is it possible that the herpes virus of type 1 & 2 & sense i have this its sorta helping the shingles virus?I mean by helping is by cutting the shingles symptoms & not causing pain.

I have heard that shingles is supposed to be painful. Headaches, chills without a temperature ect….I don’t get it. I am not in pain. It don’t itch that bad. I just dint get it. Is it possible she could of misdiagnosed me?Has any one had shingles without any symptoms before?Or has any one been diagnosed with type 1 & 2 herpes & then later get tested for shingles & dint have symptoms for that either. When i have outbreaks for herpes type 1 or 2 i dint get no temperature or headaches or nothing like that either. Just one bump & that’s it.

admin answers:

Hey, I’ve heard shingles are extremely painful and can last for months. It’s possible that the Valtrex you’re on (right?) could be helping the shingles symptoms, since both shingles and herpes are from the same medical family.

Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. I’m always open to second opinions from doctors. Hope you feel better soon. You’ve been through a really rough 6 months.

Lizzie asks…

Does genital herpes cause nerve pain?

I have had herpes for 20 years. The outbreaks over the last few years have been few and far between. The only problem I really experience is nerve pain. Sometimes it starts at the site of the first outbreak and travels down my leg. Mostly it occurs on other parts of my body intermittently, like on my arm, on my side, maybe even just one spot on my leg. I can’t find any answers anywhere on the internet. I have never had shingles but I did have chickenpox as a kid. I do take neurontin daily, sometimes it helps but if its severe pain then it doesn’t help at all. Does anyone else have this problem?

admin answers:

Its called a prodrome this is what a lot of people experience when the virus is becoming active!i have a very painful nerve feeling which runs down the top right of my leg and at time in the small of my back i know this means in a few days i will have an attack good as i know as soon as i get those symptoms i dont have sex with my partner as you can spread the virus at that time without sores though the longer you have had the virus the chnce of spreading it this way becomes less likely much more common in the first few years!
Great site below look through it all and look out for the prodrome bit

edit just found this on the net do have a look!
Http://www.doctorslounge.com/infections/forums/backup/topic-5528.html

Donna asks…

A Question about shingles?

I got the shingles last year and I know that it has to do with the chicken pox virus and your immune system. But my question is what causes the itchy red bumps to come to the surface of the skin and why is the outbreak in the position its in

admin answers:

Shingles will appear only on one side of the body, It is a varicella zoster virus. It occurs in people who have had chickenpox, the chickenpox blisters go away from the skin but the virus will stay in the nerves. They can manifest at any time and will return as shingles. Shingles will often start out as itching and then red spots. The pain can range from mild to very severe. If caught early enough, some of the antivirals such as acyclovir can help with the pain. The shingles are usually self-limiting and can stay as long as 3-5 weeks. The pain from the shingles can stay longer. The position of the shingles are along the dermatome regions in the body, but again, will appear only on one side. See your doc, he can at least give you something for the itching and pain.

Donald asks…

Reocurring Shingles on both sides of the body?

I’ve had major stress/anxiety issues for a long time now, along with physical pain that doctors could not explain, most of it was in my legs, shoulder and side.

Last year I had intense pain in my left side, accompanied by a rash. My doctor immediately dx’d it as shingles, and did lab work to confirm. I was put on valtrex and it went away soon after.
After that I had a few minor outbreaks but nothing too bad, but still a lot of pain in my legs, and lots of anxiety problems.
Then last month I got it again, intense pain in my left side with a rash, doctor told me it was another outbreak. He again put me on antivirals and steroids to stop the inflammation. Only a couple days after the medication they came back in full force, this time I have a rash on both sides (esp on my back) on my buttocks, my groin area and chest and possibly my face.
My doc said it’s not possible to have shingles on more than one area, but what else could this be?? It’s causing me tons of pain, and I’ve already used up all the vicoden he gave me and I’m afraid of asking for more. And more importantly I just want all this to go away.

admin answers:

Shingles follow nerve pathways and ARE EXTREMELY PAINFUL it could be you are having an allergic reaction to the medicine you are taking and shingles are like opportunistic they come when under stress look on the CDC website for a lot of info about shingles here is a link to the mayo clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/shingles/DS00098/DSECTION=symptoms

Mandy asks…

Is there a way to get social serivces involved with a severely anorexic co-worker?

I work with a 56-57 year old woman who is severely anorexic. She is aproximately 5’2 and I am being completely serious when I say she cannot way more than 75 lbs–and most likely ways slightly less. I am younger and started with this company 3 years ago (she has been there over 20) and during this time she has pretty much lost contact with her entire family because of this disease. Other long time employees say she has been anorexic (though never this bad) as long as they can remember. When I started, she was obviously very underweight, and probably weighed 85 lbs. Though she is usually covered up, I’ve caught glimpses of her arms and collar bone and what you see is like looking at a picture of a holocaust victim. She lives about a mile from work and walks everywhere. Every single day since I’ve worked there she walks for about 50 minutes during lunch. Pretty much the only thing I’ve ever seen her eat in 3 years is a yougert after her lunch walks and a diet soda at 10 am sharp. Other than that– quite literally I’ve seen her eat 1 single scrambled egg on one occasion and a few bites of toast on another–both were during special office meetings hosted at restraunts. What has really been signifigant and causes great alarm as of late is that her husband of close to 20 years left her last year and moved across the country because of her refusal to try to get better, and now she lives all by herself. Her daughter (who lives in another state) has in the past few months finally come to a breaking point with the situation and has had to stop speaking with her and won’t allow her contact with her grandaughter (entirely because of her disease)–and she still refuses to seek treatment. She will acknowledge she has a problem, but in the same breath talk about how healthy she is. Slowly she is getting worse and worse–It is truly the most horrific and disturbing thing I’ve ever had to experience in the work place. I am convinced I will never meet someone like this ever again in my life. Recently she had to get taken the the ER because of a shingles outbreak and the doctors released her! It truly seems that she is to the point now that she cannot make sound mental decisions for herself and I would think that the state should be able to step in and force her into treatment. She is committing a slow suicide and no one seems to be doing anything about it! I’ve spoken with my supervisor- and she has escalated it to the higher ups, and apparently there is nothing the company can do unless she has a medical emergency on work property. Everyone in our office is at their witts end with the situation. She looks like a corpse walking– I mean she honestly makes Karen Carpenter look of normal weight!! Any suggestions on who I can contact or what would be some appropiate steps to take?

admin answers:

Its damn near impossible to have someone committed unless its under the recommendation of multiple doctors (the actual number varies depending on locale). If she is not an immediate threat to herself or others, there’s nothing that can be done. The appropriate step to take is to mind your own business and forget about it like you do with all the atrocities and sob stories that plague society.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Your Questions About Shingles

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Joe Homps

Susan asks…

Is shingles contagious?

Need to know as a friend wants to come over tommorrow but im reluctant as he was just dianosed with it the other day.

admin answers:

Not really; the virus that causes it is around us everywhere. For whatever reason, we get weak and it goes active.

I had it about 25 years ago and it put me down for like six weeks or so; very painfull. Thank God is has never reoccurred.

Helen asks…

Is shingles contagious?

admin answers:

YES AND NO! Shingles is caused by the chicken pox the same virus that causes shingles..Once a person has the pox this hangs on near the surface and close to the nerves and it never leaves.A reactive response will be shingles..In certain circumstances this can be contagious with children and adults who have NEVER had the pox.These people wont get shingles but the 1st stage they can come down with and then later on in life the shingles could appear on them. If a person has new or open blisters this will be contagious till they heal up after that they are Not contagious…

Sharon asks…

Is shingles contagious?

admin answers:

Shingles is caused be a reactivation of the chickenpox virus. First you get chickenpox (probably years ago) and your body fights it off. However your body doesn’t eliminate it completely. The chickenpox virus lies dormant in your spinal column. When your immune system is suppressed, the chickenpox virus can reactivate, but instead of reappearing as chickenpox, it reappears as shingles. So, the shingles lesions actually have chickenpox virus in the blisters. So, the chickenpox virus can be transmitted to someone else. If that person has had chickenpox, then nothing happens because they’re immune already. If that person hasn’t had chickenpox, then they get chickenpox. The chickenpox lies dormant in their spinal column and at some future date, may also reappear as shingles. But, shingles does not give someone else shingles immediately and so it’s not “contagious” in the way you’re asking the question but it is contagious in that it can give a susceptible person chickenpox.

Jenny asks…

Is shingles contagious?

admin answers:

Yes, its just a recurrance of adult chicken pox (chicken pox is a virus, that hides in your system after you catch it as a child, and can come back out when you are an adult as shingles)

yes you can pass shingles to a person who’s never had chickenpox before, and they will develop chickenpox (not shingles). But essentially, both are caused by the same virus, shingles for those that had chickenpox, chickenpox for those first time exposed to the virus

Paul asks…

Are shingles contagious?

admin answers:

No. Fortunately.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Your Questions About Shingles

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Joe Homps

Sandra asks…

what are the chances of me getting shingles?

i had chicken pox when i was a little guy and now that i found out it can be reactivated and give me shingles i got scared shiitless i herd it hurts soooo much

fuuuuckk school i got chicken pox from some kid at school when i was younger and i also got a cold sore from letting some kid share my juice box at school i mean really do we have to go to large public places for a education where disease can be spread it i hate the way are world works i wish i was a fuckkin hermit

admin answers:

Although it is possible to get shingles at any age, it is far more common in the elderly (>60). If you are concerned, when you turn 60 you can get a vaccine to help minimize this risk (called Zostavax). But since you sound like your a young person, I simply would not worry about it. Between the ages of 20 – 50, the chance of you getting this is 2 to 3 in 1000. The painful post-herpetic neuralgia that you reference generally does not occur under the age of 50. So relax, for now.

Michael asks…

Diseases of the skin that affect the elderly?

I am doing a report for my class and its on the skin. I need to have a disease that affects the elderly and is associated with the skin. I have shingles and Pressure sores but would like something not as COMMON. Thanks ahead for the help.

admin answers:

Here are a few that may help

Charles asks…

My ana test came back posirive with a homogenous pattern and a 1:320 titer number, could this mean lupus?

Im currently taking Lupus meds, but have been told before this test that I have an undefined autoimmune disease. Ive also had the shingles 3 times since Jan and 9 times total.

admin answers:

The ANA test isn’t specific, so it’ll come back elevated if there’s an autoimmune disease, but it can come back elevated in healthy people too. It gives doctors an indication that something is going on.

Your doctor obviously believes there’s something going on as they’ve diagnosed you with (I assume you mean) Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease. This means that you’ve got a lot of the symptoms of connective tissue diseases (like Lupus, Sjogren’s, RA) but you don’t have the blood work or enough of the symptoms to fit into one.

A positive ANA is 1 of the 11 criteria to be diagnosed with Lupus, you must meet 4. Have you had an ENA panel done? This will tell your doctor if you have the specific antibodies found in these conditions.

At the end of the day, all these conditions are treated the same way. So it doesn’t really matter what you call it, something is going on and they’re treating it.

Are you seeing a rheumatologist?

….

Maria asks…

Is it true that when you have certain diseases like Chicken pox, you get herpes?

I was taking a test on myspace for fun that told you what disease you are. when I left a comment i began reading others and one girl’s results were herpes and in her comment she said something about getting herpes simplex 1 by having diseases such as Chicken pox, measles, shingles, etc. so is it true?
I’m not asking about shingles, I’m asking if chicken pox is a sign of herpes.

admin answers:

Not at all. Herpes is either just a cold sore or sexual disease. Chicken pox has nothing to do with either

Linda asks…

How do you tell someone you’re dating that you have herpes 1?

How do you bring that subject up when you really like this person and realize this information could be a deal breaker. Can you tell them it’s shingles? Isn’t it the same but sounds less “std”? I know honesty is the best policy. But if you have this uncurable disease you understand the dilema. Thanks for your input!

admin answers:

You tell him the truth, if not, you may end up hurting him worse. What will happen if he gets it? Tell him now instead of later when it might be to late.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Your Questions About Shingles

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Joe Homps

Mary asks…

What is the origin and meaning behind the term “hanging up a shingle”?

My organization will be using the term “shingle” to define the action of starting one’s own company. This is a correct use of the term, mostly used as “so-and-so will be hanging up their shingle”; however I cannot find why the term “shingle” was originally used. Whenever someone refers to a shingle they envision the tile that is placed on a roof to protect it from general weather. I would assume another term like “sign” or “display” may be a more suitable term to use, but unfortunately that is not the case.
Does anyone know the origin of the saying ” to hang up a shingle” and why the term “shingle” is used? Is a “shingle” just another term for a sign that would be displayed outside of their building or office?
Thank you for your assistance.
Update: So, I have three very useful answers; two of them are similar and one is very descriptive, but does not answer my question completely. Can anyone else confirm one of these two theories?

admin answers:

Years ago, from what I have seen of westerns, a name was written on a roof tile (shingle) and nailed beside the door.
What about ‘hanging up a shingle’ in Yahoo search or a dictionary of American usage.

Jenny asks…

Natural Raccoon Deterrent?

Anybody have any suggestions for a raccoon deterrent? We had a new roof put on our house not quite 5 years ago, we are now in the process of trying to sell our house. We went up onto the roof to make sure everything was good before we officially signed the for sale papers and found a hole, through the shingles, paper, and underlying wood, about the size of a volleyball next to one of the attic vents. Two other vents had the beginnings of holes too. The holes were definitely chewed and or clawed through.
I know that peppermint oil works to keep mice away and cheyanne pepper has been said to work to keep raccoons away from plants but what about a roof? Any suggestions?

admin answers:

Here’s some thoughts.Pesky little buggers they are.

Good Luck

Steven asks…

Why does my roof leak sometimes and not other times?

After moving into a new, fixer upper house, I had a roof leak on my asphalt shingled roof before we even go there. I went up there and looked for signs of leakage and saw where someone in the past had used regular nails to nail down some of the shingles around a vent. I patched it with roof caulking. The roof then only leaked during heavier rains. I then went really crazy with some Henry 505 flashing cement in probably a 10 sq. foot area. The leaks stopped…for awhile. Suddenly, it leaked again but not much. Fortunately, I had still not repaired the ceiling until I knew for sure if it would leak. Now, after about 2 leaks after heavy rains, the other night it rained and stormed almost all night long and I am perplexed because this time it did not leak a drop. It picks and chooses when it wants to leak. Does anyone have a clue as to what is going on? Thanks.

admin answers:

With out looking at it, it will be difficult, but water will follow the path of least resistance, so on light rains it will only travel so far, before it dries out, with a heavy rain it will travel farther, and bring more rain to drip.

Ok, so you may need to check higher up on the roof to see if there is a deteriorated shingles. If you have done this much you may as well as check this. Now in the attic or crawl space can you see in there, if so water will leave trace of dirt it brings with it as it makes it way to your ceiling! This may help you determine where the source is but even then it may only give you what you can see, as the leak may be running on top of rafters, for a distance before running down the sides.
Valleys are notorious for leaks, peaks are also, poor condition of shingles may mean replacing the whole roof. Or at least the entire area affected, if the other area is fine.

Richard asks…

Is it OK to vaccinate a 10 month old for chicken pox?

I am 37 and have been diagnosed with shingles. My 10 month old son has not been vaccinated for chicken pox yet. My pediatrician said to bring him in and if he wasn’t showing any signs of having contracted chicken pox yet, they would give him the vaccine for it. She said that normally they would not do it until 15 months. So that got me worried. I looked it up and the vaccine appears to be approved for kids aged 12 months to 12 years. So my question is, is it OK to vaccinate at 10 months?

admin answers:

It should be ok. My son got the first vaccine at 12 months. However, he still caught the chicken pox. But he only ended up with 30-40 spots total, small fever, a little diarrhea, and some pretty awful diaper rash. The diaper rash was the worst part. Do some research online, definitely. But in my opinion, I think it should be ok to get the vaccine. HOwever, being that you have had shingles (probably had them for a few days), your child has already been exposed to the virus and might already have caught it. You can have the virus for several days before the spots even show up, and chicken pox (shingles) are extremely contagious.

Lizzie asks…

Unexplained Skin Pain?

I have a small patch on my shoulder blade that hurts to the touch. It feels almost like pins and needles and a sunburn mixed together.
I have no redness, or any other sign that there is anything wrong with the area.
I have had it since December of last year, and feels to be getting worse. Just turning in bed, or putting a shirt on causing it to hurt a lot.
It is not shingles, nor is it a muscle problem. No one can figure it out!
I was hoping for an answer from someone who has had this similar problem and had it diagnosed by a physician, so I can give my doctor some ideas.
After researching my own symptoms, I was thinking it might be Neuropathic Pain?

admin answers:

If the pain is burning or tingling, “pins and needles”, it’s related to a nerve. Can you point out to the doctor just where it is? If you can’t, it’s another indication of nerve pain. A neurologist would be the one to know more about it and find a cause. I believe an injection a saline (salt) solution will deaden the nerve and stop the pain, if they can’t fix it otherwise.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Your Questions About Shingles

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Joe Homps

William asks…

T or F? As long as someone can profit from religion, it will always exist in a capitalistic economy.?

Profit includes, economic, political, social, psychological, etc. Ancient history shows that the religious leaders profitted via prestige. Their prestige garnered them stability when they were sorely ignorant of science, etc. Religion provided them with easy answers to unanswerable questions in their era… unanswerable questions that ordinarily would have left them looking impotent as a powerful leader/ruler. The followers gained a feeling of security and structure to some degree, some would suggest that it was a blind security, supported by the blind faith of their religious leader.

The same game is played today, except that some nations have chosen to reward religious leaders by labeling them as non-profit business owners, so they can receive tax exemptions, etc. The followers are able to tithe, which is tax free money that goes directly back to the people of the church in which they invest.

In short, if one were looking for a tax shelter, they’d become religious, and place all of their tithe into a church fund, that is willing to give them material benefits in return, i.e., the use of a church car, buildings to host parties, etc., for special occassions, socials where refreshments are served and the members who attend are hand-picked/selected.

I know this sounds anti-intuitive, but… if someone really wanted to derail religion, they’d push every tom, dick, and harry to throw a shingle out of their door, and claim church status, and increase the tax burden of the nation. If everyone is getting away with stuffing money into tax shelters, etc., then the country would no longer be capable of offering such a benefit.

As long as there are Atheists, etc., who aren’t profiting from such economic tactics, there will always be a pool of citizens that a nation can count on to make up the tax losses – the Atheists etc.

admin answers:

Enthusiastic T! It would be nearly impossible to divorce capitalism from religion.

Sandra asks…

Random Variables?

control of the heat in a chemical blending process at University Products company, Inc., is absolutely essential. too much or too little heat during the process produces polyvinyl isulation material that is either too brittle or flimsy that it can not support the weight of the roofing shingles which are normally laid on top of the insulation. past processes have produced an output with mean compression strenth of 150 psi and a standard deviation of 25 psi. Insulations with compression above 220 psi or below 105 psi is not usable. what portion of a days run of 50 tons of insulation will be usable if the heat control of the proces stays at the same level of effectiveness?

admin answers:

How about 96.1515% of 50 tons or 48.07575 tons?

Assuming that the described distribution is normal, then 220 psi is 2.8 standard deviations above the mean and 105 psi is 1.8 standard deviations below the mean. Referring to a normal curve table, the area under the curve between -1.8 SD and 2.8 SD equals 0.961515 or 96.1515%

Nancy asks…

Need steel beam for cieling?

I have a 1 story home, composition shingles, 1/2″ plywood over original horizontal battons. 6″ concrete foundation floor. existing room is 14.5 wide, new room would be 17.5 wide.

I want to remove a load bearing wall. Existing joists are 2x6x15 24″ on center and join over the load bearing wall to be removed (the wall is about 1 ft to the “left ” of center join). The next wall that I can use for support is the other side of the hallway 3 1/2 ft to the “right” of existing wall.

There are only two 2×4’s used as support for the ridge beam in the attic over this area of the house (i think this is inadequate, but its been there for 40 years). Can I use/create a wider beam rather than taller, span tables only show in the order of 2x, not 4x or 6x. and I do not know how this will work. In addition where can I locate different beam manufacutreres (LVL, steel ) what size beam?

I would like to stay under 6″ in height of the new beam so it will still fit in the existing spac

admin answers:

Get an engineer to tell you exactly what the loading on the beam will be. Roof load, snow load, live load and ceiling load and how it is distributed. Also have the load path from the beam support to the dirt determined. Then tell the most important data when designing a beam, the span. Then it is a simple calculation. If you want to stay under 6″ you will most probably have to use steel if the span is over 6′. If the span is approaching 12′, you will propbably have to go to a deeper section, assuming roof loading is present.

Mary asks…

Why does BO claim he wants to boost jobs for us while supporting millions of non-citizens displacing Americans?

The reality of this Administration’s policies is simply that illegal outsiders continue to be valued ahead of citizens of the United States at every opportunity. Decision-making has been designed first and foremost to garner votes from the massive Hispanic bloc, which supports liberal candidates at rates rivaling the African-American voters’ blind support of Democrats for half a century.

In a Labor Day speech intended to show Americans he’s willing to throw additional billions at creating a new round of government jobs to employ a select few of our staggering numbers of Americans without work, the reality of who gets the “shovel-ready” jobs should not be overlooked. In our State, labor-intensive positions have been going to illegals in percentages approaching the eye-opening ratio of minority votes the Democratic Party counts on from a constituency base seeking handouts from left-leaning, socialist believing candidates every election. Since many of the positions are cash paid jobs which will never be taxed, the illegal Mexicans are hardly contributors to the Federal tax base, while they routinely collect food stamps (EBT), housing assistance, and welfare support thanks in large measure to Federal policies for the more than 400,000 anchor babies born annually here in the U.S. in disturbingly disproportionate numbers to our own citizens birthrates.

What too few Americans recognize is the influence the illegals wield at election time. Estimates of their numbers are sketchy, since they are skilled at securing alternate identities and documents based on deception, but they’re routinely recruited and registered to vote through local Human Services Offices and through local Hispanic organizations intent on extending their collective influence in the community and across the country. For those who understand the problem, illegal Mexicans are believed to vote in numbers reaching eight figures nationally. Here in Colorado, a shift over the past decade toward electing Democrats has corresponded with the increase in Hispanic votes attributable to successful registration drives specifically designed and executed to include Colorado’s illegal Mexican population now considered to exceed a half million. A link to flickr photos shows the ongoing voter registration drive taking place at the Richard T. Castro Human Services Building, whose visitors and Social Services clients appear to exceed 70 percent non-English speaking Latinos. The man the building was named for has been credited with paving the way for Hispanic newcomers to the Denver metro area by way of developing social support networks with exponentially improved funding, jobs availability, and dramatically increasing Latino voter registrations.

Other links will accompany the photo essay support showing evidence of the invasion and liberal shift under way in the Rocky Mountain region’s largest metro area. In the Labor Day set of images, non-English speaking Hispanics were photographed in various labor intensive jobs in a smallish townhome complex. For the roofing project, more than twenty likely illegals replaced shingles three or four buildings at a time during late summer, and the project was necessary because of failed roofing replacement work from MJM Roofing’s illegal crew less than four years ago. The current roofing crew employed by Steve Harmon’s Leak Arrestors was originally supposed to be limited to legal American citizens when he was first brought on to evaluate and assist with repairs from the failed work more than three years ago. Originally, Harmon claimed his crews were entirely made up of legal American citizen workers, and the Leak Arrestors’ laborers I communicated as a member of the Board, at the time, were local Anglos, so the current 20-plus disheveled non-English speaking Hispanics are hardly on roofs because they are the only workers who will do the job.

The pattern of tasks being executed by Hispanic only crews in was evident with more than two dozen non-English speaking Latinos on the property on September 1, 2010 for landscaping and roofing work. During the prior ten days, separate grounds crews were likewise employing illegals who were photographed laying sod. And Latino non-citizen painters incapable of communicating in our language were assigned repair work for hail storm damage which exposed wood siding and splintered window trim to the elements for an extended period. Their less than satisfactory work ultimately provided no repair whatsoever while simply dripping paint over splintered and badly damaged wood, but once again repeated painting windows shut just as the last all Hispanic crew had done in advance of the damage currently being attended to from 2009. Between the various work crews there have been around 40 suspected illegal workers on the complex over little more than a months time.
Because of my feelings about the importance of hiring American citizen workers, several calls have been made to ICE to report the Latino non-citizen crews over the summer. Their response has been underwhelming with only the paint project appearing to be interrupted. My latest call over the 20-plus Hispanic roofers was handled by an ICE representative who could barely speak English herself, and whose heavy Spanish accent and broken words were difficult to understand. She made her personal position clear, all the same, challenging me over making the call where my expressed concern was over the numbers and presence of non-English speaking laborers working on the roofs without a legal basis for being here. The Obama Administration’s transition with regard to immigration policy appears to be nearing completion, where callers in to ICE may be the individuals under suspicion or attack from liberal leadership desperate for whatever marginal support they can find to avoid the embarrassing…
November election losses anticipated nationwide.

The photos and accompanying links are available for support to show what’s taking place around Denver, as well as across the country as the invasion continues unabated under liberal leadership with New World Order aspirations.

How many of you believe removing a substantial number of the 20 to 24 million illegals currently in the country would have a more beneficial effect than one more multi-billion dollar attempt at government stimulus to add jobs to the economy? Or for anyone willing to attempt a cogent argument favoring an additional 50 billion dollar stimulus, take your best shot at explaining how you believe ignoring laws and supporting a group of people in ways our own citizens are not supported is unrelated and potentially ineffective in comparison with turning again to new stimulus dollars in spite of 814 billion having had little effect over the past year.

http://www.cairco.org/articles/art2006sep05a.html
http://www.immigrationcounters.com/
http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=iic_immigrationissuecenters861a
http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/fyi—what-we-dont-know-about-mexico/blog-321785/
http://www.stopthenorthamericanunion.com/Dots.html

admin answers:

In Texas speak, that might be referred to as the ten gallon question, while for New Yorkers or the old Colonial territory New Englanders it might be termed the million dollar question. The rest of us just want to know what the hell he’s doing and why the President and liberal progressives have sold us out so badly.

The flickr photos, especially the images of the voter registration drive, were an outstanding link to support the point. No one can really believe it’s in our Country’s interest to have millions of illegals voting and determining elections, which will perpetuate social program support and billions of dollars awarded to illegals. Their plans and determination to take over the Southwest is frightening and should be a wake-up call for all of America. ICE and Border Patrol are not supported or manned with enough in the way of numbers to do what’s called for to clean-up the disaster currently, but the bottom line is that this Administration, and liberal progressives in general, have no intention of reducing the voting bloc they see as the only way their candidates stand a chance at gaining elective office.

The President and his policies are outrageous and a disgrace! At least the days of rampant, unchecked Anti-Americanism are drawing to a close and sure to be addressed come November.

Mandy asks…

Pre-calc question. Please help!?

Asphalt shingles do not meet code specifications on a roof that has less than a 4-12 pitch. A 4-12 pitch means there are 4 feet of vertical change in 12 feet of horizontal change. A certain roof has a slope m = 3/8. Could asphalt shingles be used on that roof? Explain or show work to support your answer.

I’m terribly stuck. If you could use an example or just explain what to do, I might be able to get it. Thank you!

admin answers:

Note that pitch is the same as slope, that is, vertical change “y” over horizontal change “x”. So, a 4-12 pitch is 4/12 slope, or 1/3. The code says the slope has to be at least 1/3 (I’m guessing otherwise rain water does not run off quickly enough and the roof will leak).

1/3 = 8/24 minimum slope allowed by code
3/8 = 9/24 actual slope

You can use asphalt shingles since the actual slope is greater than code requires.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Your Questions About Shingles

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Joe Homps

William asks…

Need Dire Help bad the doc’s cant even help.?

last night my brother was admitted to the Er, his whole body broke out in a rash and blisters on his chest, his skin turning blue and so is his eyes he was severely dehydrated and was running a fever of 105 and rising the doc’s at the Er, do not know what this is they ran several spinal taps and other tests.
the doctor said he was going to have to call in several different specialists that work with sever different things to try to find out what this is, what ever it is our sister is starting to show symptoms as well her eyes are starting to turn blue.
has anyone ever heard of this? or seen anything like this before?
everyone is stumped we thought it might have been the shingles but it is not the shingles.
he can hardly talk his voice is almost gone from what ever this may be as well, please if anyone knows anything about this or has seen anything about this please help us we are desperate on this. thank you all who respond…
THANKS SYLVIA im sure that would help!….
please no smart remarks i have no time for games here.
sorry not blue skin his skin has sever rashes and blisters his finger and toe nails are blue and greenish.
forgive me i been up for last 48 hours..
sorry starfall he is 32 she is 28 and no they havent and no they dont live together she was at his house last night when he was running a fever of 104 when it hit 105 she called 911.
and i just found out from my aunt that when he was at work he would call her and bytch about the birds droping off the building and they would lay there dead beside the door to his office.
and he would go out and have a smoke, and he would see the birds laying there but this was like two weeks ago, so why would it happen now. if it came from the birds which i doubt it though but we are telling the er nurse in charge about it..
hes very weak and tired right now i just got off the phone he is scared and can hardly talk right now. his voice is real weak and we are white/Caucasian
well thanks to me and Norm’s research we have found what the prob is its http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/histoplasmosis_gi.html
thank you so much Norm. =D

admin answers:

The blue green nails sounds like lack of oxygen, maybe his airway is swollen, maybe he’s having some kind of allergic reaction to something. Stay on those doctors!

Lisa asks…

Do I have a thyroid or autoimmune condition?

I’ve been having some seemingly minor health-related issues recently and I was wondering if these are indications of some kind of thyroid disease. I’m a 19 year old ethnically Chinese male born and raised in the USA.

I think I might have developed a mild case of Hives. It started around 1/3/11 and I get occasionally itchy around my legs arms back or chest which is followed by minor, small red bumps. It persists off and on daily usually in the morning/afternoon, but it isn’t too disruptive to everyday life. When I was maybe around 13, I also developed a case of shingles that went away after going to the doctor and taking meds.
I might also have some kind of Angioedema. It usually is just a raised bump under my eye about an inch and a half long when it occurs and goes away usually overnight. These started happening fairly infrequently maybe 6 months and might have happened on three or so occasions.
I’ve also developed a minor left eye twitch in the past 6 weeks or so. I’m not sure if this is at all related to the other issues.
My dad developed thyroid disease (I think hypothyroidism) sometime in his early-mid 20s which obviously raises my chances of having it.

Other than these symptoms, I don’t particularly identify with any of the common hypo or hyperthyroidism symptoms.

Finally, I should also note I took the quarter off from college to do some independent travelling in the Middle East and do some volunteer microfinance work in Uganda, so finding adequate healthcare might be an issue for me if there is indeed an imminent problem.
I’m still in Israel and have yet to travel to Uganda.

admin answers:

Sounds like you have a significant Allergic history but not thyroid related. Know what you are allergic to and monitor your thyroid (TSH) levels with your doc every year. High TSH = hypothyroid. Low TSH = hyperthyroid. Good luck.

Mandy asks…

33 weeks pregnant with skin rash…..?

This just started this morning, after i got out of the shower i noticed on my left arm and right arm was covered in a rash. I thought maybe it could be from getting out of the warm shower, so i just told myself i would keep an eye on it. About an 1 1/2 later, it was still there and it started to get itchy and burn. I dont know what to do? I called my dr and he said to put some itch cream on it, but i really want to know what it is and what it is from. could it be an allergic reaction to something, or shingles, i dont know, just very worried about it. Has any one had these symptoms before?

admin answers:

Are you using a new soap, lotion, laundry soap, perfume? Pregnany women have highly sensitive skin. Try putting topical hydracorosone cream on it. If it goes away you likely rubbed up against something.

Susan asks…

What the heck is wrong with me?

Symptoms:
1. Chronic fatigue
2. Yearly case of shingles
3. Chronic sinus congestion
4. Dark circles under eyes
5. Cloudy thinking/mental fog
6. Depression
7. Lack of self confidence
8. Rectal itching
9. Post nasal drip
10. Sinus pressure (especially after consumption of alcohol)
11. Low sex drive
12. Cold feet and hands
13, Sleep apnea

I eath very healthy and I exercise weekly but I am plauged by these conditions to the point where I feel like I can’t go on like this for much longer. Some of my symptoms align with candidas or low thyroid but I’m not sure.

admin answers:

You exercise weekly? Try at least 5 times a week.

Lizzie asks…

Mold question regarding lease termination in Virginia?

We suspect mold and/or mildew in our apartment causing everyone in our household to be ill. Our children (3 month old and 20 month old) have been ill for over 5 weeks, ironically since we moved in. Our pediatrician presents mold as a possibility. Some persistant symptoms have been our youngest starting with thrush, congestion, coughing, eczema, and recently diagnosed middle ear infection. Our 20 month old has had coughing, itchy eyes, runny nose and congestion since we moved in 5 wks ago. And I didn’t mention my wife went to the ER about 2 weeks ago for a rash on her forearm and was diagnosed with stress-induced shingles. Is this grounds for asking to terminate a lease in Virginia?

admin answers:

The problem is that you SUSPECT mold, but have not made a determination that mold is actually present in your apartment. Your suspicions are not sufficient cause to terminate the lease. You will need to validate that mold is actually present in the premises, and that the molds are causing your assorted ailments.

Contact your local health department with your concerns for further guidance.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Your Questions About Shingles

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Joe Homps

Ruth asks…

How to cure pain from shingles outbreak?

The shingles rash have dried up but the pain is terrible.

admin answers:

You need to see your doctor. Low dose tricyclics, some anticonvulsants and other med can help ease the pain

Ken asks…

how do you relieve the pain from shingles?

I’m in so much pain from shingles there are blisters on my eyes and my head. I’ve been to the doctor but I’m sufffering from horrible pain is there anything I can do to get relief?
Thank you!

admin answers:

If you have shingles, you can do little except apply calamine lotion to soothe the rash and take aspirin to ease the pain. You should see your physician, however, particulary if your face is affected. The physician may prescribe a more effective analgesic. In addition, you will need professional advice on how to protect your eyes.

Susan asks…

What are the best ways to allieviate pain from Shingles?

Our 90 year old mom is in extreme pain after her
shingles outbreak and the doctor did not know
of anything but pain pills and those make her dizzy
and she falls. We are looking for any solution

admin answers:

My Mom got shingles a few months ago and she used a combination of the pain pills (which also made her dizzy/sleepy) and Capsacin cream. Sorry, if that’s spelled wrong…but it’s the cream that’s available over the counter that’s made from hot peppers. It can be irritating too though, so go slowly, but it did help my Mom’s pain quite a bit. Good Luck to you!

Sandy asks…

How often is shingles mild with little pain?

Rash but little or no pain?

I have a relative in their 90s who seems to have had shingles with little pain and I am surprised as I thought the elderly suffered worse with it?

admin answers:

As with all infections in all age groups the severity may vary.

Carol asks…

What are some methods for dealing with shingles’ pain?

i have recently been diagnosed with suffering from shingles. I am on medication to treat them, but I need some ways of dealing with the pain until the medication kicks in. Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

admin answers:

Health care practitioners report that Camu-Camu has provided very effective nutritional support for Herpes virus sufferers, putting shingles into remission and actually cutting the expected flare-up time in half! In addition, common ‘cold sores’ are said to be less common, not as ‘full blown’ and resolve in one day. Shingles, is a remanifestation of the chicken pox virus in adulthood in a new form and cold sores are the result of the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1). The herpes virus takes a number of different forms and is widespread today as a public health problem. The Epstein-Barr virus is another common form of the herpes virus which may linger in the body for years, often causing fatigue and raising the total viral load which the body must combat. Yet another form of the herpes virus is genital herpes which is caused by the herpes simplex virus 2. The principal anti-viral pharmaceutical medicine is Acyclovir® which like most pharmaceutical drugs, causes unpleasant side effects in some people.

In his Clinician’s Handbook of Natural Healing, Dr. Gary Null states that Camu-Camu has extraordinary medicinal properties and is the most potent of herbs that contain phytochemicals with antiherpes properties. He says that Camu-Camu helps to strengthen the immune system, and maintain healthy gums, eyes and skin and offers support for people who have the hepatitis virus. All forms of the herpes virus lay dormant at the base of the spine and become active when the immune system is stressed beyond its ability to respond effectively. Common stressors include insufficient rest, prescription drugs, emotional upsets, poor diet, menstrual periods, vaginal yeast infections, and too much sunlight on the skin. Genital herpes is usually transmitted sexually. In addition, Null lists disease conditions and the herbs that have been found effective for their health promoting properties in reference to specific system weaknesses and problems. In discussing the holistic treatment of depression, he lists 19 plants containing chemical compounds with antidepressant properties, in order of potency Camu-Camu is no. Two on his list. Some health care practitioners have reported that Camu Camu works the same day to help relieve depression and anxiety, and they have weaned some of their patients off pharmaceutical anti-depressants. There are no side effects, such as photo-sensitivity or gastrointestinal problems, and it can be used safely in combination with pharmaceutical antidepressants. There have been no reports of its interference with the effectiveness of any pharmaceutical drugs.

Nutraceuticals/Glyconutritionals/Saccharides – It’s Role in People and Animals’ Health and Wellness
In test after test conducted at leading institutes around the world, glyconutritionals (nutraceuticals, saccharides) have been shown to lower cholesterol, increase lean muscle mass, decrease body fat, accelerate wound healing, ease allergy symptoms, and allay autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, psoriasis, and diabetes. Bacterial infections, including the recurrent ear infections that plague toddlers, often respond remarkably to saccharides, as do many viruses–from the common cold to the flu, from herpes to HIV. The debilitating symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and Gulf War syndrome frequently abate after adding saccharides. Go-ji juice from the Himalayan mountains are one of the richest source of saccharides. More

David L. Hoffman writes about the shingles: “The nervous system needs as much help as it can get!” “Nervine Tonics will ‘feed’ the traumatized nerve tissue. Nervine Relaxants may ease the associated pain, but will definitely lessen associated anxiety or tension.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Your Questions About Shingles

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Joe Homps

Thomas asks…

can anybody rewrite this article please..?

Shingles is an infection caused by the varicella zoster virus, a member of the herpes family and the same virus that causes chickenpox. The characteristic symptom is a rash of painful blisters. Shingles can appear anywhere on the body. If it occurs on the forehead near the eyes or on the tip of the nose, the eyes are likely to become involved, and damage to the cornea can occur. Taking the proper supplements when blisters first appear can make the blisters dry up quickly, and the discomfort may be alleviated.

Another important and powerful shingles treatment that was forgotten is the self- administration of oxygen therapy as offered by the “The Cure Within One Minute”. The cure within one minute was research by a person named Madison Cavanaugh. He discovered that oxygen therapy was one of the best alternative therapy that could treat and cure cold shingles including all forms of cancer, STD’s and eventually all diseases. Madison discovered the potency of this therapy.

People right now are well informed about the dynamic effects of oxygen therapy, especially the widely known hyperbaric oxygen therapy. They are informed that and oxygen-rich body cannot be inhabited by diseases, then they believe that the solution to destroy the disease seems simple enough. Just give the body and abundant supply of oxygen, right? The answer is, plain wrong! It’s not as simple as that. Here’s the reason behind it: “Oxygen Cannot Treat and Cure Shingles Unless It’s Delivered to the Cells and Tissues of the Body”. Many people are not able to get enough amounts of oxygen in the cells and tissues of their bodies due mainly to poor air quality, poor breathing habits and oxygen-depriving activities. One important thing to remember is that the body is not always able to deliver oxygen to the cells and tissues.

For oxygen to destroy the disease, it must be delivered not just to the lungs — and not just to the bloodstream – the most important is, it must be supplied to the cells and tissues. That’s the reason why other oxygen therapies, such as oxygenated water, oxygen-rich foods or supplements and treatments that release oxygen into the bloodstream — are not always potent and efficient in treating all diseases. While they may supply to the body with oxygen, they don’t always have an effective mechanism for breaking the oxygen free from the hemoglobin molecule, which means the oxygen is not supplied to the cells and tissues of our bodies. Such oxygen-based therapies, therefore, are not always effective in shingles treatment.

The shingles treatment – oxygen therapy you’re about to know, that can heal not only shingles but eventually all diseases, which hundreds if not by the thousands of people all over the world are calling “the world’s greatest healing miracle of all time,” is the ONLY ONE that uses a Natural Oxygenating substance which activates and stimulates the movement of oxygen atoms from the bloodstream to the cells to a radical degree than is usually reached by other ways.

Further in- depth study of Shingles Treatment – Oxygen Therapy and for more information about how this therapy will cure all types of diseases. Go and get your copy now:

John Daniel Rivera is an advocate for holistic health and healing, and has been in the field of health for quite a few years. He is interested in illuminating individuals and helping others return to a better quality of health

please some one help me.. rewrite this article.

thanku…

admin answers:

No. Anyone with attitude must be prepared to do his own work.

Michael asks…

Synkinesis after severe Bell’s Palsy?

I had shingles in Aug 2007 which resulted in bells palsy down the left side of my face. I was told that I would recover within 6 weeks, however the nerve damage was quite significant and I was put on a high dose of steroids to aid my recovery. This helped but even now I suffer with synkinesis which I am very conscious of because movement of my mouth affects my eye. Has anyone received treatment which was effective at relieving these symptoms? Its been nearly 2 years so im getting fed up with it now.

admin answers:

I haven’t but have read a bit about it…
Botulinum Toxin (Botox) Injection for Reducing Synkinesis
Botulinum toxin injections have been found to reduce aberrant contractions of the facial muscles by blocking the acetylcholine receptor sites at the synapse. Botox temporarily paralyzes targeted areas of synkinesis, (usually orbicularis oculi inferioris, platysma and mentalis) with effects lasting 4 to 6 months. When combined with neuromuscular retraining, Botox provides a “window of opportunity” during which the patient can practice more normal movement patterns without synkinetic interference. In some cases, patients experience decreased synkinesis after the injection effects have worn off.

John asks…

I am so scare for syphilis?

Is the accuracy of the RPR test still accurate 6 years after suspected contraction of syphilis? Had what I thought was an ingrown hair on my inside upper thigh. It went away in a week or two. Then later had a rash on the palms of both hands that I thought was a reaction to a floor cleaner. Don’t think I had that too long either, maybe less than a week. No other symptoms that I know of. 6 years later had an RPR card test in the hospital. Do not know the results but I was in for depression for 18 days and the records do not show any treatment with penicillin so I assume it was negative.

Fast forward to today, 6 years after the RPR test. (35-40 years after suspected incident). Have had a rash on my right torso which my doctor visually called herpes. Could be shingles. No blisters just a rash. (P.S.-Have been married and monogamous for 27 years.) The rash itches and lasts for about four weeks at a time. Over the past three years the rash has gotten to be less. So an RPR test is 100% accurate for the life of the individual? I thought I read somewhere that it is only 100% accurate in the middle stages. That was my main concern. Would prefer to get the test done anonymously for now

admin answers:

Hmmm…don’t know what to tell you. Your symptoms sounded like primary and secondary syphillis to me (painless chancre and rash on palms). Syphillis is then latent for years and tests may not be able to detect it. I don’t know how sensitive this RPR is. Good news is that if you have it, it is likely to be in end stage right now and you would be extremely sick from it, not able to post on Yahoo! Answers like this. But I don’t know if syphillis can be latent for this long, and further delay can be fatal if you let it advance to end stage. Best course of action is to come see a doctor and explain the situation, he/she will know what tests to order. I’m sure there are more tools to diagnose this than the RPR. A doctor can reason out your diagnosis, an anonymous test can’t tell much more than the last one that you had in the hospital. Plus, you want someone to be there and explain things to you. Doctor’s visits are all completely confidential anyway, so just as good as an anonymous test. They’re not allowed to tell anyone besides you about the results or even that you had the test done at all. For STDs, even more confidentiality is assured.

Lisa asks…

I think I have contracted HIV…seriously?

I had unprotected sex with a person one time and two weeks later was diagnosed with shingles in aug of this year. . i recieved med’s and it cleared up. months later i developed a yeast infection around oct of this year, which again i recieved treatment for and it went away. but it returned about a week later. i have not had any sexual contact with the before mentioned man after th one time and have since begun a reltionship with my now boyfriend
. almost immediately after my now boyfriends first sexual encounter was when i developed the yeast infection. at the time i did not know what it was i just felt extreme itching in my vaginal area.
I am female under thirty and have been told that normaly older people get shingles. the fact that i have contracted shingles at such a young age and the recurrent yeast infection has me convinced that i have HIV being that those two symptoms are common symptoms of hiv and coupled with my reckless unprotected sex is there any other explanation. i am getting tested through this home testing kit i bought at a drug store and will get the results back in a day but i am so convinced that is wht it is i don’t even think i will be shocked..i am totally screwed
i am not having sex with my boyfriend now at first because of the yeast infection the first time i got it we had sex the same night i took the pill at first i thought that was why i got the yeast infection AGAIN unitl i went to the doctor and he was so dead set on it being hiv
looking back i have had other symptoms too that i just attibuted to my not eating but i also read that lose of appetite is also a symptom and i think i had a sore on my belly a while back that i wrote off as a scratch because i always scratch my stretch marks ( i know gross) i know i won’t know for sure unitl i get my results but it can’t be a coincidnece that all of these things are happening. can not eating because of something like i don’t know depression cause your immune system to be weak enougth to mimic hiv symptoms( i stopped eating unless i was faintesh for about three to four months and lost about 40 pounds) or am i in denial
what are the odds of getting shingles and yeast infection in six months and also i am very tired lately and my face is breaking out..i know i know i have freaking HIV
the guy i had unprotected sex with i don’t necessarily thinik he has its just the time frame i had been involved with him for months we finally had sex at first with condums and one time without it lasted for about 45 seconds and he did not ejaculate in me he pulled out
is it possible i have had hiv for along time and jsut did not know it and finally it caught up with me and havig unprotected sex introduce foreign bodies( pre-cum sweat all that nasty stuff) into my vagina and that my immune sytemwas weak from finally sucumming to hiv and thats why i got shingles and then with my new boyfriends same thing new foreign dna get yeast infection what if its is just a coincident that i got shingles right after i had unprotected sex and i already had hiv i talked witht hee guy and he said he would get tested too asap but he swear he was tested a year ago and since then only has had two partners his ex girfriend and mother of child and me and they both request to get tested along with the child who is one year old but if i didn’t get it from him then why now?
i had a pamp smear done right after the first yeast infection and i tested negative for ghonrea and clamediya i also wanted request to be tested for diabetes which came back negative too but the doctor said it looked like i had a low thyroid the doctor who is an internal medicine specialist is the one who say its probably hiv he made it seem like there was no other reason he even went as far as going over possible treatments and meds for hiv i also realised alter on that his wife died of hiv or aids he said that ” when my wife was still alive” and also ” everytime we had sex when we were away for a while she would keep getting bladder infections because we had sex” i put two and two together
I received the test result today. I appreciate all that responded to my dilemma and I ask that you pray for me through this difficult time. My test result were
Negative and although hat eases my mind for the time being I will re-test in 6 months to know for sure thanks for all the feed back.
p.s. I viewed before the lord that if I tested negative and he forgave me for my wicked ways I would stop smoking cigarettes marijuana and stop drinking and never have unprotected sex again until I know for sure both myself and my partners status. I ask that you keep me in your prayers as added strength to fulfill my vow.

admin answers:

From your long and confusing post, I assume that you really have fear of HIV. Relax!!!!! You have very little to be worried about. Let me tell you why:

1) You do not know if your partner was infected or not, most people are not specially in north america

2) Even if he was infected, the chance of contracting HIV from a single episode of unprotected vaginal sex is estimated around 1 in 1000.

3) Symptoms are NEVER indicators of HIV infection. The reason is that they are not HIV speicifc and could be very well related to other medical conditions or anxiety.

So the bottom line is that your chance is very slim. You mentioned that you have already tested for HIV and waiting for result. I know it is difficult situation for you but you can expect a negative result.

Mary asks…

accuracy of RPR test?

Is the accuracy of the RPR test still accurate 10-14 years after suspected contraction of syphilis? Had what I thought was an ingrown hair on my inside upper thigh. It went away in a week or two. Then later had a rash on the palms of both hands that I thought was a reaction to a floor cleaner. Don’t think I had that too long either, maybe less than a week. No other symptoms that I know of. 10-14 years later had an RPR card test in the hospital. Do not know the results but I was in for depression for 18 days and the records do not show any treatment with penicillin so I assume it was negative.

Fast forward to today, 24 years after the RPR test. (35-40 years after suspected incident). Have had a rash on my right torso which my doctor visually called herpes. Could be shingles. No blisters just a rash. (P.S.-Have been married and monogamous for 27 years.) The rash itches and lasts for about four weeks at a time. Over the past three years the rash has gotten to be less. Also,starting ten years ago I have had spastic colin for a couple of years, hives for two years, tinnitus, hemorhoids, aching knees (probably all old age). Anyway—should I be concerned and get another RPR test? Would it actually be correct after all these years if it was negative?

Sure would like an answer since this is worrying me some. Boy–sometimes the mistakes of the past do haunt you.

Thanks.

admin answers:

Ok, from what I can find online, RPR can have a 20% false negative rate for primary syphilis. All in all it’s not really a good screening test since it has a high false positive rate with plenty of other diseases like Epstein-Barr (mono), hepatitis, varicella, measles, lymphoma, tuberculosis, malaria, endocarditis, connective tissue disease, pregnancy.

Normally, if positive, the RPR result is confirmed by the FTA-ABS test. However when patients have negative test there’s no second test to confirm.

Back to your symptoms, normally you would have had plenty of other issues by now if you were really positive the first time. Take a look at a few of the pictures in that first article down below. So the take home point is that probably dont’ have syphilis. If you’re really paranoid have your primary care doc run a FTA-ABS. Otherwise, don’t worry about it.

I’ve attached articles below if you’d like to know more. I hope this helps.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Your Questions About Shingles

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Joe Homps

Ken asks…

Who’s had Shingles? (Herpes Zoster)?

I was 14, and I thought I had an STD because they decided to form all over my scrotum and penis.

Even though I’d never had sex before.

Anyway.

It hurt like hell and I wanted to die.

But I was just wondering how common it is for people to have Shingles in that area.

Or maybe I’m just extremely special.

Yay.

But not really,

it hurt like hell.

admin answers:

I had shingles when I was 8, over my forehead. If they’d have spread any further, I would have gone blind. 😉

Daniel asks…

Shingles – Herpes Zoster / Herpesvirus help?

I have recently found out that I have shingles (adult chicken pox), and I am only 15 years old, which makes this very rare. Are there any good tips or information I should know about treating or care for this? How long does it take for it to go away? Currently I am using Zovirax and Ilbuprofen for the pain and healing, and the doctor says it will take about 3 weeks until its gone. Can anybody help me out here?
My mother and I were talking about the stress, which causes it to come about. I don’t ever really think of things in too deep to be stressed, but I guess not. My mother and I just came up with the fact that my father is in Iraq and that I’m having some English I troubles. I’m not failing it, it’s just that it’s self taught and I haven’t gone too far in the lessons this year.

The doctor said those would probably be what triggered. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not some stress freak or psycho, I’m your average 15 year old male, and a video gamer.
They have me taking Zovirak 5 times a day, which is about 2 to 3 hours each pill. The Ilbuprofen is what I have to take 3 times a day, if I’m in pain. I usually take them at each meal, since I’m supposed to take it with food anyways. I hate that I have to swallow it though, because it’s a huge pill, 800MG, in fact! I’ve always been scared of taking pills, and here I am, required to take these huge things! I hate it, and this stuff burns too! The pain pills don’t even work, and I can barely sleep at night! It’s on my left side of my body, wrapped all the way around from chest to back. It’s around my armpit and shoulder though, so you can imagine what troubles it brings upon me.

admin answers:

It is weird to have it so young – had it in my twenties and it was weird then too – are you under a lot of stress? Been really ill lately?

Anyway, it’s fortunate they have the antivirals now – like zovirax – i’d think it would clear up sooner than the 3 weeks – eat really, really healthy, lots of leafy greens, and fruit, and stuff, and lots and lots of fluids – no sodas or coffee but lots and lots of water and fruit juices (watered down to reduce calories and increase liquid) and rest and relax as much as possible – and stay away from kids, old people, and anyone otherwise immunocompromised. Good luck! Feel better soon! And if the ibuprofen is not controlling the pain, you can probably alternate with tylenol and/or naproxen sodium. . .

Like, if they have you on every four hours, take the ibuprofen at 2PM, Tylenol at 4, then the Ibuprofen again at 6, tylenol at 8 or so. . .but, of course, check first. . .

Richard asks…

Will i get Shingles (Herpes Zoster!)?

I’m really scared of this becasue i was just reading about Chickenpox and i heard i could get a second attack called shingles and it said it was really really really painful like 100 stabs and a fiery blanket and the same time!!! im so scared i cant sleep it’s the scaries thing ever :(. and people who had varicella disease (chickenpox) can only get it! i just heard alot of talk about!! i dont want to get it ever!! just really scared at the moment!

admin answers:

Don’t be, lots of people who had chicken pox never ever get shingles. The virus remains in the system, sure, but just take good care of yourself, eat right, get enough sleep. It’s not worth worrying about b/c the odds are good you’ll never get it.

Mary asks…

Can u help me by answering my question about “Herpes Zoster” (shingles)?

I also asked before this question but today Im asking u about some things.
My dad is sick and its been a while now for about 5 months he first had Herpes Zoster and he also has it we are all tired of that thing especially my dad cause that was not the only problem because he had brain tumor and he is over it. I looked a lot of websites and they say its caused by chicken pox and when immune system is weak he attacks us, my dad i think he has strong immune system cause he eats good and everything but herpes its also there, my dad has Herpes in the side where heart is and in his back, i asked him today how you been dad he said not good cause my heart is hurting me i said its because of herpes but im not sure so im asking you
Can it be possible that heart can hurt you if you have herpes in that side or maybe its something else?

He also tried acyclovir but nothing happend the doctors cant help him they say nothing can be done

admin answers:

First.
Ramsay Hunt syndrome is just ONE of MANY complications due to shingles.

The most common is Postherpetic neuralgia and I would think this is what your father is suffering from.
While there is nothing more that can be done for the actual Herpes Zoster infection in your father there most certainly are things that can be tried for pain control.

Postherpetic neuralgia
For some people, shingles pain continues long after the blisters have cleared. This condition is known as postherpetic neuralgia, and it occurs when damaged nerve fibers send confused and exaggerated messages of pain from your skin to your brain. Pain medication, antidepressants or anticonvulsant medications may help provide relief until the pain subsides.

This is a very very common comlication and I would ask your fathers doctor to advice and treat for it

Side note for Mr Nair, what is correct in today’s medical literature will be needing updated by tomorrow.
Medicine and medical reserach moves at an astounding rate.
( I work in medical reserach in drug trials). I spent 30 years working in acute medicine specialising in heart disease before that.
We are taught NEVER to rely on what we read as our only source of knowledge.
The book is out of date as soon as it is published.
We must rely on our own medical experience or risk causing damage, worry or even death to others.

Chris asks…

Is Herpes Zoster infectious ? ( Shingles )?

admin answers:

If you have never had chickenpox, avoid contact with people who have shingles or chickenpox. Fluid from shingles blisters is contagious, and exposure to it can cause chickenpox (but not shingles) in people who have never had chickenpox.

If you develop shingles, avoid close contact with people until after the rash blisters heal. It is especially important to avoid contact with people who are at special risk from chickenpox or shingles, such as:

Pregnant women, infants, children, or anyone who has never had chickenpox.
Anyone who is currently ill.
Anyone with a weak immune system who is unable to fight infection (such as someone with HIV infection or diabetes).
One study reports that the virus that causes shingles may be released into the air from shingles sores. If you have active shingles, you may be able to prevent spreading the disease by covering the shingles sores with a type of dressing that absorbs fluids and protects the sore (hydrocolloid dressing, such as DuoDerm). 4

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment