Shingles

[tod2]

I haven't looked in here for a while....And laughed till I cried at Kerouac's post 1270 July 5th.
Thank you! The only time I have ever had to "compromise " my mother's dignity was when we went to Cape Town for her 90th birthday. She had a bout of tummy troubles en route and I found her in a cafe toilet wedged between the wall and the bowl, pants down to her knees and in a bad way concerning excretement. I somehow got the strength of a profesional nursing sister and cleaned her up best I could. Summoning the husband he went to her suitcase and produced new underwear, and clothes. He was such a brick and took it all in his stride, even putting all soiled clothes into a bin bag and sealing it.
As you can imagine mum was beyond caring what anyone thought and settled down to a cup of weak black tea, and a couple or 6 of Imodium.

Now, What I desperately need to know from anyone who has the faintest clue...How or what can I put on very very severe shingles. Not on me. On my dear maid who broke out 10 days ago and is covered from shoulder to finger tips in a hideous rash of blisters. She is in great pain.
Her family have taken her to a doctor and again yesterday. Injections were given.
I am trying to find her something to sooth the rash.

[Deleted]

I would say cortisone cream, if you have it in SA. we also have something called Xylocaine in Canada which is an anaesthetic cream.

[Kimby]

I am not a nurse or a doctor, but since the pain comes from the nerves that harbor the chicken pox virus, I think general analgesics would help at least as much as topical ointments. Ibuprofen or acetaminophen, perhaps.

[Deleted]

Yes, I think you're right, Kimby.

[mossie]

My wife had injections for her shingles. Sorry I have no idea what medicine was used

[Kimby]

From WebMD:
www.m.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/shingles-treatment-overview

(We're all partly right.)

[tod2]

Thanks all! Yes Mossie an injection at the very early onset is imperative (and here cost around R1,000) but my maid kept telling me her arm was sore. If she had said "my skin on my arm is sore" I would have investigated the matter but I kept her recharged with muscular pain tablets.
She did have an injection and since has had another but I eventually found a sympathetic ear at my pharmacy and the lady sent me cream which soothes chickenpox....so that seemed OK, and also tablets which kill the virus from the blood stream. I also supplied her with a lot of Neurofen Forte for pain.
This morning her grand daughter came to fetch the medicine and said the shingles has not spread any further.
So far she is on Neurobien for Vit B's, Zinc for healing, and all the other stuff supplied by myself and doctor. The only soothing stuff they have told her to use is Calamine Lotion, so we'll see what this cream does.

I know shingles takes an age to heal but the suffering is terrible. My late father-in-law had it on his face.

[Kimby]

I hear that after the shingles rash is gone, some percentage will suffer lingering nerve pain that can last for years. There is a vaccine to prevent a shingles attack, but it's no good if you already have an outbreak.

[Deleted]

(Kerouac2)
I know two people who had shingles -- my grandmother who had it when she was more than 80 years old, so she suffered a lot, and my Singaporean friend who happened to be on sick leave for that on one of my trips to Singapore. He was able to get out and about, but I remember that we spent at least two afternoons in his bedroom at his parents' house while his girlfriend peeled dead skin off his back.

Anyway, tomorrow I'll be back in Paris and once again I will have a moment of doubt as to whether my mother will recognize me after 5 days.

[tod2]

I spoke to my dear maid today and am distraught at hearing she has numbness in her hand and arm. She thinks she has had a stroke but I think it's something to do with the nerves coming from the spine. Maybe a pinched nerve? Or, could this be something to do with the Shingles down the entire arm?

[htmb]

I'm very sorry to hear that, Tod. Hopefully, it is just related to the shingles.

[Deleted]

Yes, I would think that it is just part of the discomfort of shingles, since the nerves are constantly tortured.

[bjd]

Anyone who knows me knows that I am skeptical about much alternative medicine, but I must admit that the only efficient cure I have ever heard of for shingles is to go to a healer, a person who takes away things like sprains or burns. We have an old neighbour who does this. And there is an osteopath here who also can cure shingles -- he did it for a friend of mine.

I have never had shingles, but once talked about it with this old neighbour, and she told me that medicine often drives the problem further inside. She was not trying to drum up business because she never took money, claiming that her ability was a gift from God.

[Deleted]

Ooooh... you know a rebouteuse? In my grandmother's village they were available, in Paris not so much.

[bjd]

We are about to wander off track again!

I don't think she considers herself a rebouteuse. She told me she discovered this "gift" when she was about 60. I think she is 90 now and in poor health. She can't cure herself though. I remember her telling me that when she got shingles, she had to call her daughter in Carcassonne, who also has the gift of healing, and she was cured over the phone. I know of someone else who was cured by phone, in fact.

Years ago, when I first came to France, I never would have believed this was possible, but a friend/neighbour burned herself while cooking dinner, ran to this lady's house, and the burn disappeared completely.

It doesn't work for everything -- not for long term stuff like tendinitis, but it does for sprains, burns, and shingles.

[Deleted]

I have never been convinced by the myth of rebouteux/rebouteuses, but if I were living in a village and the offer were made, I would certainly give it a try.

My grandmother only had traditional medical care when she had shingles. Even though it was painful and horrible, I think it was not as bad a case as many people get.

[tod2]

Talking about rebouteuses I am pretty darn sure Phillipina has been hauled off to one of their (very expensive) Sangoma's. She would never admit this to me but I don't blame her for trying everything and anything. It is definitely comparable to Kerouac's comment: 'but if I were living in a village and the offer were made, I would certainly give it a try'.

My husband and I have decided to offer her a chance to go to our private doctor, who incidentally has seen her in the past for back pain, and get his opinion - at our expense. I'm sure she needs X-Rays of her neck. At least we will know if it has anything to do with her numbness.

Lizzyfaire - thanks for the name of that cream. I would have to get a Doctors script for it or similar. Will ask him.

[Deleted]

I was reading on a French site that anti-inflammatory drugs and even morphine do not really help to relieve the pain but that certain local anesthetics can help, but every person is different so certain things will work on one person and not another (and vice versa).

[tod2]

I called in at one of our local Pharmacies this afternoon. The pharmacist and owner is known to me for over 30 years and is quite reliable in his opinions.
I described the symptoms my maid has experienced and he immediately said the reason her arm and hand arm numb was because of the Shingles Virus. It is attacking her complete nervous system.

I was relieved it was not a pinched nerve. He also gave me some "heavy" pain-killers and some numbing cream for her. I thank my lucky stars I am in Africa (at times like this) when medication is available from who you know.( And a lot of times from who you will pay).

[Deleted]

I think that anything that numbs is exactly what your maid needs at the moment.

[Deleted]

Today for the first time ever, I saw a sign advertising "Shingle Shots" prominently posted outside of a pharmacy.
I had never seen one before and wasn't aware that there was a vaccination for shingles.
Had I not known it was a pharmacy, living in New Orleans, I could have easily misconstrued it for the name of a special on a cocktail, such as Jello Shots or the like.

[htmb]

We have signs outside the pharmacies here, too. I figure it's another way for them to make money. There's been a shingles vaccine for awhile, but it's not supposed to be much more than 51% effective.

[Deleted]

What I find most curious is that I know of 3 people personally who have suffered from shingles just within the last 6 months.

[mossie]

Apparently our NHS is giving free shingles jabs to certain oldies. They have given up on me though, the cut off age is 75, I suppose I am meant to curl up in my little corner and die before I cost them any more.

[Deleted]

Maybe what I thought was hives was actually a case of shingles that I caught off this website.

[cheerypeabrain]

I've been feeling a bit under the weather for a few days, and had a nasty painful rash develop in a rather unfortunate place (sitting down is very uncomfortable, you get my drift). Yesterday I felt worse. I took the mirror off the dressing table and with the aid of an angle poise lamp, I managed (with much grunting and shifting about) to see what was 'going on'. Even then I wasn't certain and so presented myself to OH to ask his opinion

After a very uncomfortable night I rang our Doctor's surgery this morning and was referred to 'nhs 111'. I've heard a lot of bad things about 111 but as I was in a lot of pain I decided to try..they were brilliant. After a few minutes an appointment was arranged for me to see an emergency doctor in a health centre over on the other side of the city.

Aside from the trauma of having to display my all to a young, male medic (with chaperone called in) it all went well. I'm in shock really because this is the third time I've had shingles...this is by far the most painful but that may be because of the position of the rash! Before it was on my back..still on the same side as previously..but 'lower down'!. I'm on 7 days of antivirals, paracetamol and rest.

[kerouac2]

Oh no, not again!

What I said so many years ago in reply #8 is still my most recent information about shingles.

[htmb]

Sounds miserable, Cheery! Hope the medications will give you some pain relief.

[kerouac2]

And I mistakenly thought for a long time that is was just a two strike disease -- first as chicken pox as a child, enough to make the vast majority of people permanently immune and then the second time as shingles. And I only thought you could get shingles once, just like chicken pox.

Clearly I have no medical knowledge at all.

[mickthecactus]

I was 18 when I caught chicken pox off my mother who had shingles at the time.
At that age, wherever you have a place, you get spots on it. Even there.