I have shingles right now. I’m in my 3rd week.
First, I took the Vicodin because the nerve pain was incredible. In no way did I feel it was habit forming. After 2 weeks, I stopped taking it without any withdrawal or desire to keep taking it. The pain was gone about 80% anyway.
Second, I was told this would last from 2 to 6 weeks, and it looks like it is going to be 6 weeks. I’m wondering if my sores are going to go away or if I will have them as scars.
I took some type of cyclavir to fight the virus. It seems to have worked, but who knows if the virus would have just run its course and gone away on its own.
I’ve also been told that I am susceptible to getting it again.
For those who haven’t had it, the nerve pain can be excruciating. Even the painkillers I had didn’t numb it down much. I have not been sleeping for the last 3 weeks.
But.... I do feel like I’m healing. The pain has subsided.
I do have tendinitis in both elbows at the same time I have this. It seems like too much of a coincidence to be unrelated.
Separate doctors have told me that shingles attack patches of nerves. Not an expert here. But my sores and nerve pain are very centralized on one spot of my torso. Except, days 1 and 2, I had nerve pain throughout my entire body.
No doc or nurse ever related a link between shingles and cancer FYI.
There is a vaccine for shingles, you should look into it.
I have one very large scar on my back but I never had many sores at once, I had new sores everyday for the whole time. I could feel them coming, it was like a very long hair being pulled through my skin.