Shingles vax in September, now got Shingles!

Thanks everyone for your supportive messages. I feel very low and tearful, and waking up each morning with a raging headache and feeling like I've been punched in the face. My mouth is sore, obviously, and the dentist said the Shingles was in my Trigeminal nerve hence the pain on Wednesday made me want to cut off my head. Thankfully that has eased.

Difficult to eat, though. Maybe this will turn out to be a diet to help me lose the half a stone I'd like to shed

Trigeminal nerve pain is notoriously appalling. Surely something could help even a little with the pain. You'll be a shadow of your former self by the time this has passed. It will pass but not soon enough for you I suspect.

When I had shingles I was prescribed amitriptyline by the GP. I think gabapentin is another one which can be prescribed too.

Although amitriptyline didn't actually suit me, it made me feel off the planet (perhaps a good thing at the time!) it might help. If you feel up to it, get on to that GP surgery again, don't hold back the tears either as they don't sound very sympathetic. They need to help.

When I had my shingles vaccination last year, I was told that it wouldn't stop me getting shingles, but it would, hopefully, prevent it being a severe attack.
Wishing you a speedy recovery. 💐

Sparklefizz

I had my 2 Shingirix Shingles vaccines earlier this year, the 2nd one only at the beginning of September. Each jab wiped me out for a whole week and is the worst vaccine reaction I've ever had. I thought at least it was better than having Shingles, but ........

On Wednesday I was in agony with my teeth - like toothache in every single tooth on one side - and the nerves in the whole right side of my face and head felt on fire. I thought I had a dental abscess and my dentist saw me as an emergency on Thursday.

Turns out I have Shingles in my mouth!!! I didn't even know that could be a thing.

This is only 8 weeks after the last Shingles jab. I am already juggling 13 different health conditions, having added Atrial Fib and SVT to my list recently. I'm fed up.

By any chance, did you have covid jag not long before you got shingles? I had 2 doses of shingles in May 2021 back to back and I phoned the surgery. I knew what it was because my brother had it some years ago but the doctor asked me to email a photo anyway. Doctor said the surgery had noticed an increase in shingles shortly after covid jag. I'd had mine a week before the shingles appeared. I got some kind of anti virals and pain killers. I do hope the medication helps you. Doctor told me not to go to pharmacy personally or anywhere there might be pregnant women or young babies until the rash dried out as you can pass chicken pox on from shingles so my DH got the prescription. I hope you feel better soon. Shingles is horrible.

Try talking to 111 today. I found them very helpful. They may suggest some painkillers. Or prescribe some.
They prescribed the anti virals for me on a sunday and I think we picked them up the next day. It was 2.5 years ago. So memory is fuzzy....but the pain wasnt. The clinician was very sympathetic which I needed. I sent a pic of my buttocks, which DH took, to the GP when she asked for it!!
It made me cry. And I don't often. And I can imagine if it is affecting the trigeminal nerve the pain will be dreadful.

Have had shingles twice since being vaccinated one was a Saturday so rang 111. They were brilliant anti viral’s ready in 45 minutes at local pharmacy.

Hope the antivirals help. Ive never heard of shingles in the mouth though. My shingles were right beside my eye - seemingly quite dangerous. Luckily I had gone to minor injuries as our gp is useless and was seen very promptly. I really hope you dont suffer too much - healing vibes to you.

Thank you everyone for your posts and support.

GranPepp By any chance, did you have covid jag not long before you got shingles?

Yes, I had the Covid jab 3 weeks before developing Shingles. The dentist actually asked me the same. I'm not sure what to think about the possible link.

Meanwhile, I battle on with what feels like raging toothache in all the teeth on the right side of my mouth, a raging headache, swollen glands, earache, a sore mouth when everything I eat or drink stings .... and now I've added diarrhoea to the list, which is apparently a common side effect of the antivirals I'm taking. Oh joy!

But the awful trigeminal pain has eased off thank goodness. Today is Day 6 of symptoms, Day 4 of taking the antivirals.

To the posters who suggested complaining to my doctors' practice, yes, I am going to do this.

Oh Sparklefizz, you poor thing. I can’t offer any advice, but look after yourself as best you can. Sending hugs and 💐

I wonder if your immune system was busy with the covid jab and let the shingles virus, which we all carry if we have had chicken pox in the past, develop.
I developed shingles when I came off the antivirals I had been taking through chemo. My immune system was very compromised. I don't understand why the antivirals were stopped so soon while I was still very vulnerable.

I hope you are well now "HelterSkelter1* after both chemo and Shingles. I am sorry you went through all that.

I don't know if I will complaint to my doctor's practice after all because - apart from not having the energy at the moment - I am worried I might be blacklisted. My surgery is already restricting patients to 25 appointments per GP per day which means we can't get an appointment for weeks and get fobbed off with a text from a "non GP". New housing developments mean that there are loads more people living in the area and no more doctors to deal with this workload. I do feel for them but what about those of us who are ill?

The Government have now said that my area has to build on the Green Belt so there will be even more houses/people/cars. Sigh.

No vaccine is 100% successful. Despite having all their vacinations, one of m children caught measles and both caught whooping cough, BUT in each case the infection was slight, 3 days for measles and one whooped once and one coughed until they were sick once and they weeuder the weather for a couple of days for whooping cough,

So Sparklefizz, your shingles jab may not have given you complete protection, but it protected you from a far wors case of shingles than you actually had.

I still have Shingles at the moment M0nica so will let you know how bad it actually has been when I am over it. and whether I feel the vaccine gave me lesser symptoms. So far I think not!!

I know that no vaccine is 100%. I was a child who caught Whooping Cough despite having had the vaccine, and I had it severely and missed a whole term of school which I remember well. The vaccine didn't reduce the impact in my case.

8Sparklefizz*perhaps you arethe excption that proves the rule

Trust me to be the odd one out !

Does anyone who has had Shingles know if it's common for it to seem to be on the way out only for symptoms to return?

After more than 3 miserable painful weeks, on Sunday I felt I could go out, and I drove through the lanes to the library to pick up some books. It was lovely to get out.

However, on Monday evening I started feeling unwell again. The Shingles was in my mouth originally and caused pain in the Trigeminal Nerve on that side of my face, and now the pain has started to come back in the same place.

Is that common? Is it a relapsing and remitting condition?

Sparklefizz

Does anyone who has had Shingles know if it's common for it to seem to be on the way out only for symptoms to return?

After more than 3 miserable painful weeks, on Sunday I felt I could go out, and I drove through the lanes to the library to pick up some books. It was lovely to get out.

However, on Monday evening I started feeling unwell again. The Shingles was in my mouth originally and caused pain in the Trigeminal Nerve on that side of my face, and now the pain has started to come back in the same place.

Is that common? Is it a relapsing and remitting condition?

I think nerve pain can last for a while afterwards
(Sorry)

🤞 it will go soon.
As well as painkillers, have you tried a course of vitamins?

Vitamin D, C and zinc and B vitamins, especially B12 might help in your recovery.
Magnesium is a relaxant if you are feeling tense with it all.