Posted on 08/31/2025 12:07:04 PM PDT by conservativesister
SIL has shingles any help suggestions appreciated?
She is in her 4th week, got to Dr right away & got anti-viral meds, she still has a large single outbreak in her hair line that looks like a large blood blister about size of a silver dollar & it’s not getting any smaller. says she has no discomfort just this large blister like outbreak.
THANKS to all
Well, we now know what to look for, as you do too, and next time (if that happens God forbid) will catch it much earlier on.
That’s odd, i haven’t heard of that one 🤷♀️. I think I’d have a dermatologist look at it if it were me.
I did read that some people have the blisters appear, crust over and then more appear. So the timeline is hard to pin down! I serve in our church’s children’s ministry and have had have them fill all my slots until I am healed. Sigh.
Prepare her for the worst, and hope for the best.
If VERY early, there are anti virals that will help.
I had it about 5 years ago. 70 days of agony and little, if any sleep.
It has been known to drive people to suicide, so keep an eye on her.
1) get on Valtrex IMMEDIATELY. ASAP. Go to an ER if you have to.
2) drink 5 packets of 1000mg Emergen-C everyday until the shingles are gone.
3) clean the skin area with the shingles only with extra virgin coconut oil. Don't use soap or try to dry them up
4) Put a teaspoon of the coconut oil in cereal or a drink daily until the shingles are gone.
And as others have mentioned if it's near the eye keep in touch with a Doctor.
Go to the doctor. He will prescribe anti virals and pain meds. In a couple of weeks she should be much better. That’s how it went for me.
Did they give your husband Gabapentin?
I haven’t had to take any pain meds “yet”, but she did prescribe some just in case. My pain is intermittent (like shooting pains), except my teeth. Feels like a how they feel for an hour after a bad teeth cleaning 😅
Morphine
Sublingual Vitamin B12, 2500 mcg. Cured my shingles very quickly.
Well, we now know what to look for, as you do too, and next time (if that happens God forbid) will be able catch it much earlier on for the antiviral to work more quickly.
See post 10 about massage helping, and I posted somewhere that ice packs helped mr. mm a lot.
I learned a lot about them during that MRSA infection. When I was admitted for that, they couldn’t/wouldn’t give me anything worthwhile for the pain as it all suppresses blood pressure, which was already dangerously low. MRSA has a burning searing pain that I imagined must have been small taste of hell. Ice packs worked wonders and I’ve come to the conclusion that they are a vastly underrated and underutilized treatment for pain.
If they can help against MRSA and shingles, it WORKS.
They recommended it once but he tried some during his last kidney stone and DID NOT like the way he felt, so he passed.
Plus apparently it takes a week or two to reach full effectiveness.
FReepmail for more details.
Mine were on the side of my head. Your advice about an ophthalmologist is spot on.
It was incredibly painful for a few days.
The weirdest part was having hair. I’ve shaved my head for at least the last 20 years. Because of the scabs and scars I couldn’t shave it for a few weeks. It felt really weird to have hair on the side of my scalp.
I also had a public on stage role at a convention. My head was one big scab but no one cared.
my chiropractor says there are non drug ways of treating it — i want to say cold laser or something but that could be wrong. my brother got it and went to urgent care, got steroids and whatnot and was told to wait three weeks and get the shingles vax - chiro was appalled. she said almost nobody gets it twice and also how about giving your immune system time to recover
Shingles clinically affects nerve pathways within what are called dermatomes. Look up the dermatomes as described radiation off the spine. Shingles inflames nerve endings, hence the “blebs” and red colored blood blisters that are seen on the skin surface and eventually turn brown and become scabs. Avoid picking at the the scabs due to the itching— anti itch medication aids in letting the blebs heal. Also, pain meds (as in gabapentin, also limited use of APAP/hydrocodone meds can really help, carefully to avoid habituation to them.
Topical calomine lotion (the original had diphenhydramine/Benadryl in it—as a Parke-Davis product. Not anymore- think the OTC brand was picked up/sold to some outfit that puts pramoxil in the calomine). So the alternative is calomine lotion mixed with topical Benadryl (for bug bites) in combination. Careful with oral Benadryl OTC (25-50 mg) dosing esp if also using the hydrocodone, and certainly no alcohol injestion— respiratory suppression is possible).
If within a day of coming down with symptoms can get acyclovir or the other anti-viral oral agents— these definitely can attenuate the agony of this. Lot’s of people do not know that one can survive small pox as a child and the virus goes dormant on the spine (docs have told me this, what causes it to wait 30 years plus to then express itself as shingles is subject of a lot of study).
Sure is unpleasant. Post recovery, getting the preventive injections can be a kind of protection of expression of it again in coming years. This is no fun— that’s for certain.
Wet towels applied to the rash as often as needed. Lyrica if her doctor agrees. Rest, and more rest.
As soon as possible after it’s healed, get the vaccine.
High proportion of Lysine to Arginine appears to assist considerably.
Found a table of such, labeled:
“Foods highest in Lysine and lowest in Arginine”
https://tools.myfooddata.com/nutrient-ratio-tool/Lysine/Arginine/All/Common/No
Have an obese friend with dangerously low bp. ER and docs not helpful.
Have not researched yet.
Pain meds reduce bp?
Same friend took Tramadol (sp) and immediately got gout.
Found out gout is a known side effect of Tramadol.
Hmm.
SOME pain meds, like codeine.
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