shingles

Get the anti-virals ASAP. I had it in my head some years ago and the pills which are huge made all the difference. But you have to act quickly. Other than that, painkillers (not codeine based) and make sure it doesn''t spread down to your eye as your sight can be damaged. Get medical advice if you suspect the latter. I felt like c**p for the first week and pretty bad the second, but the run-up to it was the worst - it felt like someone was drilling into my head - I thought meningitis at the very least. Good luck. (Oh and don't go near anybody with a compromised immune system or who has not yet had chickenpox.)

I had shingles a few years ago and was too late to have the anti virals so hope sallee is not too late. Its is very painful and tiring.

Agree about getting the anti-viral meds. as soon as poss. I'm not altogether sure they made a difference to me, but better to give them a go than not. I do hope it's a mild attack. Don't underestimate how serious it can be.
I had shingles on my forehead and down through my eye and cheek bone. Extremely unpleasant and painful. I felt lousy for about a month - so rest as much as possible!
Unfortunately, I am one of the unlucky ones who has postherpatic neuralgia because the nerve was quite damaged. Very nasty when it flares up. Fortunately my sight wasn't compromised, but the eye continues to be sensitive.

SALLI - My homeopath has put me on Lysine twice for possible shingles outbreaks and says it is the only thing which properly tackles the herpes virus of which there are lots of types. It causes chicken pox and cold sores too plus other nasties.
I did not get shingles proper either time and my niece took Lysine for cold sores on my advise and they went away. I always keep Lysine in now and add it to my vits and mins periodically.
The herpes virus will always be with you but if you can keep it at bay, it all helps.
Good luck!

BUTTY - try NEW ERA combination A for your neuralgia and do as it says on the pack. You can get it on line or at holland and barrett. about £7 for 450 little pills. Tried it for sciatica nerve problems and the relief was almost instant after ten months of agony. Gave some to a friend to try for neuralgia of the face which he'd had for twenty years and suffered badly at times. He now keeps a supply in as although it doesn't take the pain way, it is reduced to a manageable level for the time it's there.

Rinky; do you know anything about using feverfew for migraine? I'm trying to find out more about it.

CRIMSON ... Didn't work for me I'm afraid. Headaches can be a symptom of B vit deficiency tho.

SALLI .... Just been on the herpes information website. Sorry haven't got round to doing links yet! There are eight different ones. Herpes zoster is the shingles one. I also had chronic fatigue a few years ago which can be caused by glandular fever which is also zoster related. Took me over two years to even feel reasonable so be very careful about not doing too much and take notice at any time not to overdo. Have had two short relapses when thought I was over it

crimson...sorry got distracted and did not finish. My sister had massive migraines for years and although I helped with massage to some degree, she eventually found that B vits and acupuncture every month was the only way to keep it at bay. If she misses a couple of treatments due to work, she always tries to get there ASAP

Thanks Rinky. It's for a friend so I'm finding out as much as I can. My concern is that anything you take on a daily basis to fend of migraine attacks can actually make them worse and you then have to go cold turkey to get them out of your system. And that it can be a stomach irritant, like aspirin.

Migraine Support Formula just found on Internet. Looks good for natural ingredients and supplements and 100pc money back guarantee. They have co-Q10 in too which I forgot is good for all sorts of things.
Haven't heard that there is a build up of toxins before. Will look in my books when back in UK in few days.

Someone I know was prescribed a low dose of amitryptilline for the nerve pain of shingles (it is prescribed more often for nerve pain than for depression, apparently). It made a difference.

I think I took Acyclovir and our GP arranged to fax a prescription to Boots in Westbourne (Bournemouth) where DH was working at the time so that he could take it too as he has a compromised immune system, I understand you need to start within a couple of days of diagnosis. It made it bearable for me, compared to other people's "horror stories" Best of luck!

Rinky Thanks for your info. I'll check it out.

Sorry to hear about this sallee and I hope it is just a short attack. My DS had it after a dose of chemo - gracesmum is right. It is caused by the chicken pox virus, which after a childhood attack of chicken pox hides out in the nervous system and then pops up again decades later to cause the nerve irritation of shingles. She is also giving you good advice about acyclovir and staying away from anyone that has an immune system weakened by age, chemo etc. Other than that I would say you should treat it as an illness, put your feet up, find some nice DVDs or books to distract you.
rinky
Herbal medicines on the other hand may or may not work for some conditions
Some have active ingredients so you should not advise other people to take them because the ones that do have active ingredients can interact with other medications that you are unaware of. If you are ill and a doctor asks you whether you are taking any other medication you should always mention any herbal supplements. If you are taking medicine then you should not start taking herbal stuff unless your doctor approves. And of course they don't know about all the possible interactions. Herbs can also have side effects. Butty has already mentioned that there are painkillers you should not take when you have shingles. We had a recent discussion about how grapefruit juice and blood pressure drugs can be a dangerous combination.
Homeopathy is proven to be no use at all for anything. I don't understand why people persist in believing that a plain sugar pill will have an affect on the body.
It is of course completely safe as there is nothing in it.
Toxins are a myth that is dear to the heart of many alternative practitioners. Pre-scientific healers such as the ancient Egyptians used to blame toxins before science discovered things like viruses and bacteria.
If you must spend money on alternative things then let it be on a nice stress relieving massage or something else that reduces stress levels.

Acyclovir needs to be taken within about 72 hours of onset. I had a very bad time 6 years ago, I could not convince the walk-in centre or our practice nurse that I knew I had shingles. The nurse eventually consulted with a doctor ( why could she not let me see the doctor ?) The pain is horrendous and makes one feel very miserable. I was unfortunate because DH was working away and I had no support, the nights were very long when I could not sleep.
Best wishes sallee we know how you are feeling

Sorry to hear you have this truly horrid illness and I hope you recover asap!

JessM : shocked to hear you make such judgemental statements. Yes they DO work and myself and my family take them quite often. If you actually research it properly there is huge evidence out there. If you don't believe it fine! I don't believe that alliopathics get it right all the time but i dont tell people off for going to a GP.
Not everything works for everyone but also homeopathics have to be used in combinations sometimes just like the chemical potions.
I assumed that BUTTY and SALLI were intelligent enough to think about their own medication and needs.
I don't know what your background is but you do not need to lecture people and assume we are all wrong to believe...or at least try..something else.
I nearly died a decade ago because the experts did not know what was wrong. I turned to homeopathy in desperation. It worked.

Also....I did not mention herbal products at all. Just tissue salts and vitamins.

RINKY even vitamins can have side effects and I would never buy drugs, herbal or otherwise, on the internet. Self medication is not advised unless you are a doctor of course and know what you are doing.

Rinky what are tissue salts and how do they work - are they massaged in?

Could not agree more with gracesmum and butty and I really hope that by now you've seen a doctor and have the necessary drugs supplied. It really is a particularly nasty thing to have, I suffered from it about 10 years ago, in my forehead and eye. Like butty I still suffer from postherpatic neuralgia which seems to get worse when I'm tired, stressed or upset. I still have the sensitive area on my forehead which can be very itchy and my eyesight was affected too.
Take care - and I sincerely hope that you're in good, capable hands

JessM, your comments on the dangers of herbal medicines and of buying any medicines from the internet are spot on, and I quite agree with you about the safety of homeopathy! You have indeed stated a judgement, and I join you in it.

Homeopathy is not unsafe. You may think it is pointless but it is not harmful. I have had experience of using it for my daughter and my dog and it was very helpful in both cases. I did not buy over the counter remedies but consulted a homeopath. Nothing more to say really, I was not ripped off and was happy with the results. I have a very open mind on these matters.

I do agree that it's vitally important to take aciclovir asap with shingles but do feel that a good diet afterwards can help the healing process by helping the body to fight further infection, and that does include taking certain vitamins if the body doesn't produce them naturally [eg vit D].