Hey Folks,

Has anyone had the oh so pleasant experience of shingles post-SCI?? I've be dealing with if for 3 days and feel like a man-o-war is giving me a big hug! Don't ask me how a 31yo ends up with shingles, but good G-D this hurts. It feels like the worst sunburn all through my torso and it's triggering all kinds of spasms as the nerve the shingles are following are at the level of my injury. I feel like someone has put me on a griddle! YEEEEEEEEE---OWWWWWWWW!

I had shingles,, pre SCI,, and you're right,, they hurt. I get the same pain now,,, but mine aren't shingles this time.

Life's a bitch,, ain't it?

Usually the pain lets up a lot once the rash starts,,, then you need to be careful not to scratch too much,,, gets the tshirts bloody and doesn't really relieve the itch much. Can get infected,, and you don't want any part of that,,, trust me.

Hot showers helped me with both the burning and then the itching. They have new meds they didn't have back when I was inflicted,,, You might even ask about that oral med they use for herpes,,, shingles is pretty similar.

Hope you get some relief soon.
ed

Had it last year hurts like heck!

Still does sometimes.

Tin

I found that over-the-counter topical anaesthetic cream (NOT ointment) was a great help in reducing the burning and hypersensitivity.

Nothing to do with age, shingles is of the chicken pox family and can be very painful, and stress will not help.
best of luck, it will get better, but can take sometime.

I have had shingles for a little over a month. The blisters are finally healing, but I have scars, itching and pain still. The doctor prescrbed Cymbalta, and it seems to be helping quite a bit. I hope none of us get those damn shingles again. They hurt and they're a PITA.

Sandy

The way I understand it, if you've ever had chicken pox, then the shingles bug is in your body ... just waitin' for your immune system to bog down. So, don't get overly tired; don't let stressors into your life - if they're already there, dump 'em; and stay on a decent schedule - good food, good rest, good exercise, good mental/emotional health. Be happy, but don't drink as much as edlee - ARG!

The up-side (so I was told) is that although the bug stays in the body, once you've had shingles you are unlikely to have a subsequent outbreak. Fingers crossed!