I was diagnosed as having Shingles on Friday at the doctors. I started itching on my forehead Tues night and by the next day my forehead had all red marks on it? I didn't realise you can get shingles on your face?
I have had horrible pain on/off since, swelling on my eyebrow and jawline near my ears?
Anyone else had this? How long will it last? Also should I be off work with it?
Appeciate any advice please
Hi
mine lasted a bout 4 weeks .no should not be at work till it blisters over .my was on the back .but I had a friend who at it on the face you must be carefull if it goes in to your eyes go back to doc .make sure you take the tablets for it and strong pain killers .hope you get better soon
Julie.
Thank you Julie, I am taking Aciclover and Tramadol which I was on anyway for a knee problem, they work on the pain really well. Thank you for your advice.x
I had them on my face one time. I agree with the other posting that you have to be extra cautious if they get in your eyes. It can do serious damage inside of the eye. Just keep on the pain meds and ride it out. I know you have to be careful if you have shingles around someone who hasn't had chicken pox or is pregnant. I wish you luck! We all know how painful and miserable they can be.
Hi,
I am so sorry you are suffering with this exceptionally painful disease.
Shingles is really a reactivation of the chicken pox virus. It is a Herpes Virus, and the pain can be excruciatingly agonizing. If the tramadol is not working properly, I would ask my physician for an opioid. Please remember you are ill with a viral infection, and as such, you can suffer from aches and pains in your joints and muscles, have a fever, become extremely fatigued, and complications include encephalomeningitis and postherpetic neuralgia. It is imperative that you rest and receive enough analgesics for this very painful disease. Many physicians think you can get it only once, but they are abysmally ignorant. Also, as it is on your face and near your eye, if it approaches your eye or is in your eye, see an ophthalmologist immediately that same day as it is considered an emergency.
Please let me know how you are getting on. I get Shingles Herpes Zoster in my ear, and i know the face is extremely painful as the headache is worse than a migraine, if that is possible.
Merry Juliana
I'm with you, got it on my head and eye at the moment, diagnosed Wednesday night. It's been very painful even before it was diagnosed. After it was my eye completely swelled up and closed over, looked like I'd been in a boxing match (Friday morning). I did, as advised and went straight to an opthamologist on Thursday who was able to tell my eye,retina and optic nerve all looked ok, but was advised to go back next week to see them again for another check up - so highly recommend this to you.
72 hours on the Antivirals and it seems to be abating slightly. Though I've had a constant headache and some nausea/vomiting in the first couple of days. Guess that was a mixture of the meds. What I'm finding amazing is how I got here... I'm a very fit 39 year old male and did not think I was run down at all. Young family stress is all.
Also Concerned about possible Postherpetic Neuralgia, Eye Dr said symptoms of shooting pains can last up to a year 😁 lets hope we're not in that 15% eh?!
Good luck.
G
Morning everyone, just woke up and read your replies, 1st thing I did was look in the mirror as my eye felt strange! It is very puffy this morning but it just seems to be just the area around my eye, I think I have been lucky as it doesn't seem to be affecting the actual eye?
I did have a much better nights sleep, wondered if the antiviral medication is starting to work? Been on it almost 3 days now.
Good luck to all my fellow sufferers on here, hope your pain is not too bad this morning? Thank you for your replies, they have been really helpful, so good to know I'm not on my own in this!!!
Thank you hnybny, can you believe my daughter and daughter in law are both pregnant at the moment, and I have 2 small grandchildren aged 2 & 3 who haven't had chicken pox yet!!
this has completely ruined Easter as a family as I have had to cancel all our get togethers!! Not that I feel up to much anyway though.xx
Pauline
Thank you Juliana.
I can only imagine how painful it must have been to have it in your ear, knowing how much pain I've been in with it on my forehead!!!
Thank you so much for your excellent advice!!
Pauline.
Thank you G
I too am amazed how I got it!! People keep asking me who gave it me?
I realise how very little I knew about this illness till I got it and I'm a nurse!!! I am older than you at 55, but the only stress I have is work related which most people seem to suffer with on a daily basis???
Hope you are feeling a little better today?
Pauline.
I am too thanks Pauline. You can get a vaccination if you're over 50 I believe?? I'm based in Australia now and that's the rule here. I'd pay for it after this 😉 or definitely book in for one when I am!
Glad you're feeling a bit better.
Good luck.
G
Awww. I'm so sorry. That had to be difficult. You just have to focus on getting better so you can have every other day with them. That would cause stress to anyone but we all know how stress can intensify the shingles. Hang in there! Happy thoughts!
Pauline was my mother's name!
I have learned to accept all days....and I appreciate the great days which are much more plentiful than the not so great days.
Keep an eye on your eye...if it starts throbbing painfully, it had spread. The Acyclovir starts working in three days or so, and usually the pain starts to slowly resolve. It can last much longer, 4-6 weeks, but that often is no antivirals.
Merry Juliana
Hi Gordon,
When it is in your eye, it is excruciating and agonizing! The reason you vomited is any inflammation of your eye stimulates the vomiting center of the brain. As I have Scleritis, a bad autoimmune disease of the eyeball, and recurrent Shingles- Herpes Zoster Oticus in my right ear, I literally know how you feel.
I hope your physician gave you an opioid such as oxycodone for the extreme pain , because he should have. The one feared complications of Herpes Zoster, especially when it occurs in the eye or ear is encephalomeningitis. If you develop a fever, severe headacstiff neck, start hallucinating, etc, go to the emergency room.
Thanks for you reply to me Merry. Great advice, sounds like you've had a hell of a time, sorry to hear that.
Stay Positive.
I actually went back to my ophthalmologist yesterday for a check. Was surprised to find out I had lesions on both the top and lower eye ball (it was clear Thursday when I went), lucky it's not in my line of sight though👍 so I've not been aware of it (apart from the pain) and any potential scaring shouldn't affect my sight. Going back in a weeks time for another hopefully final check up.
Head, where I have the rash, has now dried up and scabs on any lesions so I'm no longer infectious to people who've not had chicken pox. Downside is itchy now and head is still numb?? Hoping this is going to subside, anyone else experienced how long that lasts?
Hope you're also feeling much better Pauline.
G
Dear Gordon,
As you have been placed more promptly on antivirals than some, hopefully the more severe pain, burning, and itching shall diminish the first three weeks, with milder pain, itching, and burning the second three weeks. Some people are more fortunate and have very little symptoms after the first three weeks. The shingles affecting the the cranial (In the head) nerves can certainly be excruciating, as I can attest. Pain can wear one down. Certain people swear by L lysine, but double blind research control trials have shown no efficacy. The nerves shall regenerate . If you are itchy, you might ask your physician for Zyrtec or Atarax, as that should help tremendously. You still need to rest as you are recovering from a viral insult on your body and your recovery shall drag on if you don't. I am in the US, so please Google the medications for the UK names, as you have different brand names across the pond. I hope this helps.. The eye is the worst place to get Shingles, unfortunately. Please be aware that one can get recurrent Shingles, as too many physicians are unaware of this salient fact.
please take care.
Merry Juliana
Thanks again Merry. I'll look into those. I'm a Brit who moved to Sydney Australia, different pond 😄
Hope to get back into my training again soon!
Certainly that is an even larger pond! I can't even imagine flying that long a distance! I have never had the pleasure of visiting NZ or Australia! I lived in Europe for six great years and thus was able to visit the UK frequently. I live on the east coast on the Atlantic in Delaware, one of the original thirteen colonies. Hopefully you can swim in Sydney. The North Sea is frightfully cold. I am sorry the lesions affected your eye.
At least you are on the road to
recovery.
To your health!
Merry Juliana
During the last week of my holiday I felt run down and with a cold, then found a large lump on my back. Thought it a bite or spot. It was squeezed and minor blood and white material came out but not loads. Thought nothing more of it, but having squeezed it noticed various exit wounds. This continued. I attended the doctors as soon as returned from holiday. I explained the lump the exit wounds, no rash or itching or any pain only discomfort as it was by the bra line. I Was told it was shingles, which I have never experienced (I am only aged 44), and was told nothing to take for it but to leave it and it will go over a few weeks and passed me on to this website.