Shingles?

[Material Girl]

Has anyone here ever had shingles? My friend has it and is totally down and out.


My hope now is that Jaffacake will suddenly come out of the woodwork and explain everything.

[Superted]

I was originally going to use the line 'no it's just the way I walk' but then I looked it up on google and discovered that it's possible shingles could affect my walking.

What is Shingles?
Shingles (herpes zoster) are an outbreak of rash or blisters on the skin that is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox - the varicella-zoster virus. The first sign of shingles is often burning or tingling pain, or sometimes numbness, in or under the skin. You may also feel ill with fever, chills, headache, or upset stomach. After several days, a rash of small fluid-filled blisters, reminiscent of chickenpox, appears on reddened skin. The pain associated with shingles can be intense and is often described as "unrelenting." Anyone who has had chickenpox is at risk for shingles. Scientists think that in the original battle with varicella-zoster, some of the virus particles leave the skin blisters and move into the nervous system. When the varicella-zoster virus reactivates, the virus moves back down the long nerve fibers that extend from the sensory cell bodies to the skin and cause the characteristic blisters of shingles .

Is there any treatment?

The severity and duration of an attack of shingles can be significantly reduced by immediate treatment with antiviral drugs, which include acyclovir, valcyclovir, or famcyclovir. Antiviral drugs may also help stave off the painful after-effects of shingles known as postherpetic neuralgia. Other treatments for postherpetic neuralgia include steroids, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and topical agents.

Which you've probably already looked at, so to answer your origianl question; no. But if I see Jaffa before you I'll refer him onto you

[scumbag]

hmmm, sounds nasty, the only shingle i knew of before this was a shingle on a beach (thank you SPR)

Material Girl, I hope your friend gets better

[Rudy]

My dad had it about 2-3 months ago. He had about a week off work plus medication the doc gave him and then he was right as rain.

[Fit of Rage]

I opened this thread hoping for a discussion on roofing material. Thanks for ruining my dreams.

[Adman]

i thought you were going to ask what kind of shingles were the ebst, and i was gonna say get steel roofing, a little pricier, but lasts for 50 plues years where as shingles last for about 20.

[Jeansi]

material girl I told you not to french kiss ilya!

BAD GIRL. BAD!

[Material Girl]

You may be please to know that I have figured everything out already and the Shingles Survival List is as follows:


1. Prescription of Famciclovir (Famvir) - To limit recovery time.
2. Aveeno Oatmeal Bath
3. Calamine lotion with antihistamine
4. Tylenol (codeine optional)

My friend is better today because, with the Famvir, you get worse for the first two days but then gradually you get better. Taking the Famvir can give you a major headache, not to mention the overall pain that shingles can bring, so it is best to take tylenol to help with that.


*** On a different note, did you know that most waterproof mascara formulas are not safe to wear everyday because they contain formaldehyde? A makeup artist told me about this yesterday and my feeling that everyone should know it. Tell your mother/sister/friends!!!! ***

[Pandagirl!]

I don't wear my waterproof mascara everyday because I just figured it couldn't be good to wear it daily.

[ZeUs!!]

Yeah same here

[Troll King]

Honestly, when I first read MG's warning to alert people of the problems with waterproof mascara, an image of Zeus with really thick lashes popped into my head. At first, my reaction was "what the hell?" but now, not so much.

EDIT: That still doesn't explain why that mental image of Zeus was wearing electric pink short shorts and a sailor's cap though.

[ZeUs!!]

Its my party in 4 days time, if I get drunk enough I promise to fulfill that dream just for you TK

[Rab]

I had it about 2 years ago.

Apparently it is more common in the elderly, which is why my doctor was surprised that I had it. I got a prescription of expensive pills (thanks taxpayers) which quickly sorted it out.

That bunch of posted stuff is right, shingles is just a recurrence of chicken pox. In young people it doesnt really do a lot, but it gets more severe as you get older.

It can be transmitted by touch, but not proximity. Anyone who has had chicken pox could potentially get shingles. If you didn't get chicken pox you'd just get that instead. Once you've had shingles once you're likely to get it again.

[Troll King]

Its my party in 4 days time, if I get drunk enough I promise to fulfill that dream just for you TK

I think I can safely say on behalf of this community that it's not just my dream alone.

[ZeUs!!]

EDIT: That still doesn't explain why that mental image of Zeus was wearing electric pink short shorts and a sailor's cap though.

Unfortunately no one in the house owns any pink cycling shorts, but I do have a lovely blue and white flowery number in my drawers



You would not believe the look on my flatmate's face when I asked him to take this picture