Your Questions About Shingles

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Yes. I have a patch on the back of my left leg behind my knee. I hve had a biopsy on t to rule out other infections. Now that hurt! I have no pain but very constant incomforable itching. It may feel hot from time to time. But no deep pain. It’s just uncomfortable. I use a prescribed anti itch cream, aanti inflamatory cream and an anti fungal cream. It comes and goes always the same spot. Mostly when I’m overly stressed or in pain from a neck and back injury that required 2 separate surgeries (spelling off) sometimes it can look pretty nasty. I would piste a pic with this but do not know how. Good luck to you and God bless.

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Today’s treatments provide a variety of ways to shorten the duration of a shingles outbreak and to control the associated pain. Sometimes, however, shingles leads to a chronic painful condition called post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) that can be difficult to treat.

Although viral diseases can’t be cured, doctors can prescribe oral antiviral medications, such as Zovirax (acyclovir), Famvir (famciclovir) and Valtrex (valacyclovir), that help control the infection by hindering reproduction of the virus in the nerve cells. “Antiviral therapy may shorten the course of an episode of shingles,” says Cvetkovich. “However, therapy must be started as early as possible after symptoms develop–within 48 hours–in order to have an effect.”

To relieve pain, the doctor may recommend over-the-counter analgesics (pain-relieving drugs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen, or prescription drugs, such as indomethacin, all members of a class of medications known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Acetaminophen is also commonly used to relieve the pain. If pain is severe, doctors may add stronger analgesics, such as codeine or oxycodone.

Doctors use other methods to alleviate pain with varying degrees of success. “One of the relatively new medications that I’m enthusiastic about is the Lidoderm patch,” says Veronica Mitchell, M.D., director of the pain management center and inpatient pain service at Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C. “It’s the transdermal form of lidocaine and it’s been studied in the PHN population with very good results,” adds Mitchell. “We prescribed the Lidoderm patch for a patient who had intolerable side effects with oral medications–and no relief–and she’s had about a 50 percent-plus improvement in pain relief. It’s one of my first-line therapies.” The medication contained in this soft, pliable patch penetrates the skin, reaching the damaged nerves just under the skin without being absorbed significantly into the bloodstream. This means that the patch can be used for long periods of time without serious side effects.

Yet another method used to treat PHN is transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, or TENS. A device that generates low-level pulses of electrical current is applied to the skin’s surface, causing tingling sensations and offering some people pain relief. One theory as to how TENS works is that the electrical current stimulates production of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers.

TENS is not for everyone. “TENS didn’t help at all,” says Einar Raysor of Rockville, Md. “I found there was a problem in fine-tuning the administration of the electrical current. Low doses of the electrical current didn’t do anything for me. When the technician increased the current, it gave me a painful response. After this happened a couple of times, we dropped the treatment.”

As a last resort, invasive procedures called nerve blocks may be used to provide temporary relief. These procedures usually entail the injection of a local anesthetic into the area of the affected nerves. “We have controversial results in the terms of the efficacy of nerve blocks,” says Mitchell. “I do consider nerve blocks in treating PHN and I would perform them because there’s some evidence that they work, but the real efficacy is to catch and treat the patient in the acute shingles phase. As PHN presents mostly in the elderly, and the older patient often is unable to tolerate some of the medications we use, I find nerve blocks useful in these cases.”

Injection directly into the spine is another option for relief of pain that is not easily treated. A Japanese clinical study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that an injection of the steroid methylprednisone combined with the anesthetic lidocaine reduced pain by more than 70 percent in one patient group compared with groups that received lidocaine alone or an inactive substance.

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Http://www.medicinenet.com/shingles_picture_slideshow/article.htm

Oh shame – must be painful Raheema. I suffer fron cold sores which are similar, usually around and in my nose and sometimes on my eye – which can be very dangerous so be careful not to touch any weeping blisters. It should scab over and just leave them – don’t pick and take care.

Get well soon 🙂

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1st, I sympathize, I’ve had them and they suck. Now, your prognosis is good; they may or may not come back. Understand that they are contagious, so wash your hands and try not to touch them. I doubt the blisters could be anything but shingles, especially if it is what your doctor diagnosed you with and is treating you for. Now understand a couple of other things, the antibiotics will not treat the shingles they are simply given to prevent a bacterial infection should one of the blisters break open and get a bacteria in it, second follow the directions of all your medications exactly, this will aid in a speedy recovery and finally understand the pain element is different from person to person I can tell you mine didn’t necessarily hurt all that much, but my Grandmother took Vicodin for the pain; each person tolerates pain differently.

Now, I would also suggest if after following the directions and trying to relax a little, contact your doctor with any more questions you have. It’s always better to be on the safe side, and considering this is new for you I’m sure you doctor would not mind discussing your worries over the phone.

Take care of yourself, follow the doctor’s orders and understand these will pass in time.

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Go on a short three-day cleansing diet to eliminate acid wastes and alkalize the blood. Take a carrot beet cucumber juice each day. Eat only fresh fruits and vegetables. Include cultured foods in your diet. Use effective topical solutions to relieve pain. Petroleum jelly and flax seed are beneficial. Take salt and oatmeal baths to neutralize acids.Take in early morning sunlight. Stress creates an acid body condition and erodes protective nerve sheathing. Adopt relaxation and tension control techniques to counter stress.
L-Lysine, Zinc, Lemon Balm are the food supplements that might b helpful for the condition of shingles.
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