itsthetrip
Washington
New Member
Joined: 12/03/2006
View Profile
 Offline
|
What a coincidence - I'm in the recovery phase of a case of Shingles, I'm under 60, and I've got COPD. But the main reason I'm writing is to caution everyone that while Shingles itself is not contagious, there is another problem. If your partner has never had Chicken Pox, he or she can catch it from direct contact with the Shingles rash while it is still in the active phase. And chicken pox for adults is extremely dangerous. If you're full-timers like us, this can make your life somewhat complicated for awhile! Hang in there, it does pass.
|
Chock Full o' Nuts
GA
Senior Member
Joined: 02/02/2007
View Profile
|
Pitapony wrote:What lung disease does he have that lowers his immunity? I have copd and I have all intentions of getting the shot...once I can afford it.
DH has stage 4 sarcoidosis. He only has about 30% lung capacity and he also has it in his heart & brain. He has been on steroids & methotrexate for several years, which helps ease the sarcoid but has destroyed his immunity. Every little cold & sniffle makes him sick as sin, so we have to really be careful.
Thank goodness the kids and I have had chicken pox! No worries there. 
* This post was
edited 09/22/08 01:36pm by Chock Full o' Nuts *
"Those who dwell...among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."--Rachel Carson, environmentalist, 1956
|
yakman
Carbondale, IL
Full Member
Joined: 11/26/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
Captn wrote:6 months ago I broke out with shingles. The doctor gave me antibiotics. The shingles got worse. A friend of mine told me about a cure that his Grandmother used. She was from Germany. Coat the infected area with clear finger nail polish. It gives instant relief and the sores start to disappear. I used the finger nail polish and my shingles cleared up in 4 to 5 days. I had them on my neck, back, chest, and waist. Once you coat the infected area the pain all but goes away. Touch, air, or just moving hurt.
antibiotics? Shingles is caused by the varicella virus that causes chicken pox. Antibiotics are effective only against bacteria not viruses. The virus is dormant in the nerve root since the initial chicken pox infection years previous. for some reason it reactivates and causes shingles late in life. this can lead to post herpetic neulagia. Anti_virals are effective if started within 72 hrs, antibiotics will have no effect.
Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what's for dinner.
|
oldcurios
The South
Senior Member
Joined: 10/25/2006
View Profile
|
My uncle had shingles. I had some pure african shea butter that he coated the spots with. He said that it gave him tremendous relief.
36' Safari Ivory
|
starflyte1
Florida
Senior Member
Joined: 02/20/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
My husband went to a Pain Management Clinic and received an epidural that brought much relief. One injection was all it took.
|
|
|
eaglewatchers
Bellevue, NE
Full Member
Joined: 03/18/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
Another thing you should all be aware of is that you can get shingles more than once! I had it in 1996 before I retired (and was off work during the time I required pain medication), then have just gotten over another episode. This one was much milder, but completely surprised me because I didn't know you could get them again. Was put on the antiviral meds just as soon as the rash started, and took them for seven days. VERY EXPENSIVE medication if you have to pay the whole cost! Also a huge issue at our house because my husband is getting chemo for lung cancer, and we had to be very careful that he wasn't exposed to any of the lesions or the crusty material of the rash.
Liz
George & Liz
Ole (the cat)
1987 27' Mallard Class C
|
opnyn8d
Michigan
Full Member
Joined: 03/24/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
Try Zostrix, or a similar capsaicin cream. Its active ingredient is the stuff that gives hot peppers their heat. Use it SPARINGLY several times a day. It does burn the first day or so, but then it depletes the "substance P", which is the chemical nerves release to send the pain signal. It is specifically for shingles pain, and works great. It also works very well for chronic arthritis aches. What a difference it has made in my knees! Works well for many of my patients, too. Pricey, but a little goes a long way.
|
Scottiemom
South Dakota/Indiana
Senior Member
Joined: 09/09/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:I think they recommend the vaccine for healthy people over 60. DH is only 51 and he has severe lung disease. They don't usually give the shot to people with compromised immunity because it is a live virus--the shot can *cause* shingles in that population.
He says it feels like boils under the skin--owwwww. And his left ear keeps buzzing. I think that's the nerve being irritated by the shingles virus. It's still breaking out and he looks pretty awful. Poor hubby!
You are correct. DH is a cardiac patient and while some doctor somewhere might give him the shot, his GP and Cardiac docs say that studies have not been conducted on people with high risk problems like him, so they don't recommend it.
He did break out 2 years ago with shingles. He was worried/depressed/anxious until he actually broke and we knew what it was. He was SO relieved to know it wasn't his heart, his demeanor immediately changed. We got him started on the anti-viral within 2 hours of his breakout and within 2 days his pain/discomfort was gone and he made a full recovery.
We certainly will keep DH in our prayers and pray for a speedy recovery.
Dale
Dale Pace
Wife to Terry (Teacher's Pet)
Mom to 2 rescued Scotties
Bailey and Neal
2006 Tiffin Phaeton 40' QSH, 4 slides (Phaeton Place)
2003 Sport Trac Toad
Fulltiming since retiring in 2005
http://www.skoolzoutforever.blogspot.com/
Where are we?
|
emzee
california
Senior Member
Joined: 10/22/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
i hope your dh is feeling better, my prayers continue.
|
Chock Full o' Nuts
GA
Senior Member
Joined: 02/02/2007
View Profile
|
thanks for your good thoughts and prayers. DH is doing pretty well. The lesions are drying up and he still has a good bit of pain,but it's not keeping him up at night now. Naproxyn seems to be taking care of the pain, for the most part. He's still very tired and cranky--don't know if that's the virus or the medicine. Or maybe its just that he's sick & tired of being sick & tired! Don't know, but I'm taking him camping this weekend. I figure if hes' going to be out of sorts anyway he can just do that in the woods, right? Heck yeah!
(Actually, he'll probably feel better out there. No phones, no household stuff. Just woods and plenty of fresh air. He can go inside and lie down if he gets tired and I can take the kids on a hike through the woods or down to the lake while he rests.)
|
|
|
