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Stress leads to additional problems. My Story as a warning

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Posted 1/6/2013 12:32 AM (GMT 0)
Diagnosed 11/09, been getting tests, consults and stressing out. Same time as some unresolved dental work. Started Tamsulosin to help with flow problems in the meantime, resulting in poor sleep due to congestion, add it all together and....

If you've had chicken pox when you were younger, there is a dormant virus left behind that waits for a trigger to wreak havoc, this long term stress did me in,

Started with burning painful skin, in various areas, like I had a serious sunburn, seemed to emanate from right hip, down right thigh, immediately thought bone mets, what else? The pain moved up and across the mid section and back, on day 4, a serious blotchy rash occurred, this when I am starting short term hormone therapy, this just sucks.

Welcome to the world of shingles, herpes zoster(no not that kind) look it up. any advice would be appreciated. There is a vaccine to prevent this, and if you expect to be in a prolonged period of stress, please look into it
Posted 1/6/2013 1:16 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry to hear you've got that to deal with. My father got it in his eye - Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus (of all the strange places). In the early stages there is a anti-viral drug that can be given but it's a hard one to fight. Do what you need to do to manage any pain - being in pain is not good.

Everyone who's had chicken pox needs to get the shingles vaccine.

I've known a lot people that have gotten shingles and it seems to strike most often we people are already physically stress with something else.

I really feel for you.
Andrew
Posted 1/6/2013 1:34 AM (GMT 0)
I broke out five months ago.   Quickly get started on Valtrex, an anti-viral, it stopped the outbreak for my skin.   However the ongoing persistent pain is in my neck and shoulder.   Most people have it for a year or more.   We ae all at risk as we are the generation that had chickenpox and our cancer treatment has weakened our imune system.

Posted 1/6/2013 1:54 AM (GMT 0)
I broke out with shingles 2 weeks after my husband was diagnoised . So painful, but the medication you are taking helped me so much. When I get stressed now I break out in cold sores, same virus, inside my nose. Between the RX and Abreva and still two weeks of pain. Got the vaccine too.
Posted 1/6/2013 2:06 AM (GMT 0)
I asked my doc about the shingles vaccine and he said not until I'm 60. Guess I'll wait.
Posted 1/6/2013 8:57 AM (GMT 0)
I recently got a flu shot, a Pneumonia shot and a tetanus booster. Doc said to go to CVS for a shingles vaccination.. Still haven't gotten on, but maybe will do it today..


Some adults should not be vaccinated for shingles. This includes, according to the Mayo Clinic, people whose immune systems have been weakened by HIV or other conditions, immunosuppressive therapy, chemo, radiation and steroids, people who have had bone or lymph cancer or have an active case of tuberculosis. People who have a serious allergy to gelatin should also not be vaccinated.

Read more: Shingles Vaccine Information | eHow.com www.ehow.com/about_5336693_shingles-vaccine-information.html#ixzz2HBSMWifv
Posted 1/6/2013 2:12 PM (GMT 0)
You might want to do some research on L-lysine... the supplement Dr's suggest when you have a cold sore. Here's a link:

www.peoplespharmacy.com/2009/05/14/l-lysine-agains/

You should google it yourself. (L-lysine + shingles) I've read a lot about L-lysine recently, as it's part of a supplement regimen I'm following for lowering cholesterol. In almost every article, even the Mayo Clinic site, there's mention of it either reducing, curing, or warding-off most forms of "herpes."

Good luck.

btw, get a decent brand... Nature's Way, Nature Made, Schiff... The store brand at Target is cheap, but it constipated me. Not so with the others. Vitacost has a million selections. But so does your local grocery store or pharmacy. You'd probably want 500-1000mg/ 2-4/day. It's a horse-pill, but it's manageable.

Post Edited (dude1969) : 1/6/2013 7:16:46 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/6/2013 3:44 PM (GMT 0)
Good thread.

I think stress is really causing me problems in the form of general anxiety and high blood pressure.

I'm posting a separate thread on that, since you are specifying shingles.

We should all be getting shingles and pneumonia and flu shots. We have enough problems as it is.

A friend of mine got shingles and it did threaten his eye. He had to be on prednisone for awhile. He recovered well, but he was smart in seeking quick medical help

Mel

Posted 1/6/2013 4:03 PM (GMT 0)
Mm...
Yes I've heard of a few folk getting rash due to stress, and occasionally I've been getting a strange itchy rash on my hands wrists, ankles shins forehead and scalp. I thought it was due to skin getting (too) cold when the weather got bad, but who knows.
Rash may just have been eczema and took a long time to go away, but itching went away very quickly if I used E45 cream, and I think that E45 helps with shingles too see:
[url]http://www.e45.com//url]
Posted 1/6/2013 5:22 PM (GMT 0)
Shingles can be a Bit*h - very painful and it can last for months. My wife was lucky - she had a very mild case, but even that wasn't much fun.

I'm planning on getting the vacinnation after I'm on Medicare this next year -I believe it's covered by Part D, so I will have to get the shot at the drugstore.

BTW, I got a shingles info. sheet from the CDC. The vacination is no guarantee that a person won't come down with shingles - but it reduces the chance by 50%. That's reason enough for me to get the shot.
Posted 1/6/2013 5:28 PM (GMT 0)
JAV:

I think also if you do come down with it, the vaccine reduces the intensity so you have a lighter case.

I think it's a similar situation with the pneumonia vaccine

Mel

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