Posted on 03/25/2016 4:20:04 PM PDT by Hostage
A very close friend of mine has had a bout of Shingles for several weeks and finally went to the VA Hospital to get help.
Shingles is a reactivation of the Chicken Pox that one might have had as a kid. It is the Herpes Zoster virus and it can damage nerves causing severe pain.
He is 61 years old and he told me November last year that a visit to the VA for shoulder pain had him diagnosed for tendonitis. So he followed steps for gently exercising to restore his movement and he took Ibuprofen for the pain.
He said that while at the clinic late last year, he was told he should have a Shingles vaccination but he declined as he did not know what it was and he was skeptical of vaccines in general. He said he was going to read up on it but got so busy that he forgot about it.
I drove him to the VA Hospital week before last because his pain was so severe and he hadn't been able to sleep for a week. I walked with him into the ER and he was nonstop apologizing to the staff that he didn't follow the advice to get a Shingles vaccination. A Nurse Practitioner saw him in the exam room and told him it was Ok that he skipped the Shingles Vaccination because it didn't always 'hit' anyways. He also said that likely his tendonitis was likely the Herpes Zoster virus emerging and not tendonitis. So it wouldn't have mattered whether he got a Shingles vaccine or not.
I thought the Nurse Practitioner did a great job calming him down. He was prescribed a 7-day course of Valtrez (an anti-viral) and Oxycodone. He took the Valtrex immediately while in the hospital but wouldn't take the Oxy because another vet who was waiting in the lobby had told him they were habit forming (which as a narcotic pain killer they are).
The NP told him to follow up with his primary in a week if the pain persisted. The appointment with the primary was more than a month out (talking VA here) so the NP suggested he do a walk-in to the primary clinic and tell them he was in pain.
Walking with him down to the hospital pharmacy, he seemed calmer. He said he had always been tough as an Ox and was never one to rush for medical help. He said he did not want to take the Oxy but he was so deprived of sleep he might have to. At the pharmacy dispensary, the pharmacy assistant assured him that the Oxy was only for one week and there was no danger of it becoming habit forming. She said it would take about a month before habit forming tolerance would be seen. He told her he would only take them if he could not get to sleep.
So I drove him home. The next day he told me he had taken the Oxy and it worked like a charm, barely felt any pain but he would continue with the Valtrex as his rash breakout had been worsening. He vowed to not take any more Oxy but he did. He told me several days later that after stopping the Oxy, the pain came back with a vengeance and so he took the Oxy again along with Ibuprofen.
Now he said he was deeply concerned that he was going to fall into the category of being addicted to painkillers and that distressed him greatly.
After one week he was finished with his Valtrex and his Oxy but was still having a lot of pain. I drove him back to the hospital and dropped him off. He wasn't supposed to drive while on Oxy and he had just taken his last pill a few hours before. He said he was sure the pain would return and that he best get to the clinic.
He called me after returning home and was relieved that he had been prescribed a non-habit forming painkiller called Gabapentin. Last week he told me that the Gabapentin was working but not always. One day he would be relatively painfree and the next day in a lot of pain.
He is more stable but has occasional bouts of pain. He's also worried about the herpes zoster virus causing cancer in his arm-pit and shoulder area. I told him not to worry as I could not find any connection.
Shingles is awful; take the pills, try to manage through it, all the antivirals do is keep it from spreading as much. Oxy is a far more effective pain reliever for this particular pain, but if he was concerned, he made the right move to another pain killer. I’d strongly advise NOT mixing Ibuprofen into the mix. Never mix pain killers.
a drug habit is a condition of self talk.
I took meds for 3 years during shoulder surgeries and now being pain free(tolerable) I rarely take em...
But, when I do I go full on Whitney Houston...and draw a bath...
The vaccine may not always work 100%, but it can lesson intensity of “attacks.”
After surgery I was prescribed Toradol. Non narcotic and non habit forming. Took away the pain without the side effects of narcotics. But it is for short term use only.
So unless he has a substance abuse history he might want to try taking the ibuprofen and then take the oxy for breakthough pain.
The gabapentin dose should probably be monitored and increased, one can titer up to a lot of gabapentin.
He might also think of throwing a little Tylenol in there.
Neurological pain is uncomfortable.
A friend of mine got the shingles even though he had had the vaccination a year before. However he was 81 years old and in the last week’s of lung cancer so that likely had something to do with it.
I also have reservations about vaccinations, however I made sure to get the shingles vaccination when I turned 60 because of the horrible stories I have heard about shingles.
Prayers up for your friend!
L-Lysine and Vitamin D-3 has eliminated any recurrance for me.
Uncomfortable is a medical term for screaming and clutching the ceiling.
After my wife’s step father came down with the shingles, I wasted no time getting the vaccine. Did not want any of what he was having.
If he takes the pain pills as prescribed for the period of time he needs it he will NOT get addicted.
I’ve had a bout of shingles and it’s no fun at all, the pain is severe, but very hard to describe. If he’s worried about addiction then I’d assume he has some reason to worry about it, so staying away from Oxycodone is probably for the best, even if he has a bit more discomfort. I was prescribed Gabapentin as well, and got some relief from it.
I had them about 12 years ago. They hurt, but not enough for me to lose sleep over. But then, I have a tolerance to some pain.
When they healed, I noticed the area felt “dead”. Kind of like when a nerve is cut. I’ve had no pain since.
Gout isn’t much fun either.
The VA should never have existed. Vets should be given MONEY to pay for their medical care.
Got shingles when I was 47 back in 2000, the worst pain ever. I had mine in the scalp and down the left side of my face. Yes, so painful you can not sleep,didn’t use pain pills, just stayed drunk for 2 weeks or so. I figured what the hell, I can either take pills or at least enjoy a drink that will do the same as the pills. Long story short, I would never wish a case of shingles on my worst enemy.
I’m glad your friend found Gabapentin to be helpful, I found it to be w0rthless.
What dosage of it is he taking? They come in capsules of 100Mg to 3500Mg.
He should be allowed to take any gd painkillers necessary. It’s not up to the gubbermint. Fark them
If for some reason he doesn’t want or can’t take systemic pain killers......The Lidocain patch should do the trick.
Lidoderm I think it is......
ASAP Silver Biotics gel 24 ppm about $15.00 a tube on Amazon. Has worked for a couple of people I know with shingles. Also ingesting the Silver Biotics liquid 10, 12 or 30 ppm. All made by American Labs. For years our family and friends have used the gel and liquid as well as the lozenges regularly. (already checked. . .no stock option availability) Do the research. Some people are getting ripped off by various vendors. You want the higher ppm. Note . .this is not the silver that turns you blue.
Does he know you are posting this about him?
I don’t think you are a good friend sharing his personal medical condition.
Furthermore, he is a Veteran. You should know better.
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