The rash part of it was relatively short lived but the nerve pain is the worst I've ever experienced.
Apparently this pain can last for weeks, months or, in the worst scenario, for years.
Getting on top of it quickly is the answer apparently and when I was first aware of it my sister who is a GP wrote me a prescription for an anti-viral medicine. This, if taken within the fist 72 hours can help offset the long-term nerve pain so hopefully it has worked.
The short-term pain though is a bugger. I've always been wary of using pain-killers and opioids scare hell out of me. My sister and my regular doctor however have impressed on me the need to use strong pain killers at the early stage of shingles. "No time to be stoic, you've got to hit the pain hard" they've both said.
As a result I've got Tramadol, some sort of opioid that after long term use would require going through withdrawal!
Hopefully these will do the trick. The problem is that I cannot drink wine while I'm taking them.
Yesterday at Christmas dinner with friends some outstanding wines were opened and all I could do was have a sip of each. It was like being a guest at Richard's place and being served up lemonade.
Bummer!
8 comments:
I'm so sorry for you Peter. Hope you get better real soon.
Evidently it is the Chicken Pox virus re emerging.
All us oldies should be worried. We've all had chickenpox before vaccines were introduced.
There is a vaccine ZOSTAVAX that helps 60 % of us avoid shingles (for a while with no promises for $200 from the local GP).
My thoughts are with for as you know prayers are a waste of time.
Thanks Robert.
Glad to see that you acknowledge that prayers are a waste of time.
Are you an ex God botherer now?
Hey sorry to hear your news. Hope you're fit and well soon. Sounds like a very unpleasant condition to deal with. Let's hope those drugs work quickly. Take it easy and don't worry about the Christmas wine because I had enough for two.
Shingles are the bastard.
Painkillers and alcohol DO work together, they just tend to completely knock you out.
Ha ha. Maybe you are right.
The pain doesn't let me sleep so maybe the knock-out option is the way to go.
Curmudgon and TSB and RBB and Geremy all arrive in the after life together. "Hey this is not so bad
we have a long time to wait for judgement".
I thought you were told to watch what you drink.
He's away in La-La land.
Hopefully he will stay there.
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