You know you must look bad...

[MonkeyFunk]

when the first nurse says "Oh bless your heart" and the second one walks in and says "oh poor baby!".

Just back from a trip to the ophthalmalogist for my shingles.

[zanne]

1. Ouch!

I hear they're pretty painful. When did they show up?

[MonkeyFunk]

4. first symptoms showed up

one week ago today

[rug]

2. What exactly are shingles?

[MonkeyFunk]

3. shingles is a viral infection of the nerves

from wikipedia:

Herpes zoster, colloquially known as shingles, is the reactivation (from the nerve cell body in the sensory ganglion of a segment of the spinal cord) of varicella zoster virus (VZV, primary infection of which leads to chickenpox), one of the Herpesviridae group, leading to a crop of painful blisters over the area of a dermatome. In Italy and in Malta, it is sometimes referred to as "St. Anthony's fire", although that name usually refers to ergotism.<1><2> Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a neurological disease, affecting the nervous system with or without the appearance of a rash on the skin.

[rug]

5. Well that sounds nasty.

Good luck!

[Parche]

6. Shingles

That must hurt!! :hi:

[spinbaby]

9. That's not shingles

Them's tiles.

[yewberry]

7. Well, if it makes you feel any better,

here's mine:

When I was 17-18, I developed pretty serious cystic acne on my face. No fun for anyone, right? (Okay, maybe fun for people who might have loathed me...lots of opportunities to point and laugh there.)

So, I ended up having to have some surgery on my face, above one eye and two places on one cheek, and I got some nice, big black stitches, too. Just the Frankenstein-looking accessories that all the shy teenage girls really go for.

There I was one day, face all red and angry in some places and stitched up in others; I was crossing a street, and a police car actually pulled over and offered to take me to a safe place, because obviously someone was beating me pretty badly. :cry: I thanked them and told them no, and the police actually followed me and tried to convince me to go with them. I had to explain to them that no, this was just my face. But really, thanks.

Good times.

[MonkeyFunk]

8. LOL

yeah, that's pretty bad.

[yewberry]

10. Yup.

Police involvement=you look pretty bad.

Sorry to hear that you're having a tough time--I hope it clears up quickly.

[Raven]

11. I'm an expert on shingles...ask me anything!

Got them about 15 years ago when Will came home from college with chickenpox. Started as a very small blister on my neck, left side. Spread to my face and eyes, left side. Mine were called "cervical shingles" because it attacked my neck. Some people get them arounf the waist and down a leg.

There is nothing you can do for them now. There is a drug that helps if you take it within the first 24-48 hours after first symtoms. There is topical cream that can ease the pain and burning. You will also feel like you have the flu.

Be very careful if they are near your eyes, but your Doc has probably told you that.

Mine lasted 4-6 weeks and then, like a light switch switching off, they stopped, dried up and went away.

The only thing that you can do is rest, use the cream and know that it will pass.

Good luck!

[underpants]

12. "Are you okay?"

The morning after the boys last golfing trip 3 of us got up to go back to the buffet (it was a LONG night) and our waitress came over to the fourth and asked him just that "Are you okay?" not in the waitress sense but in the general health and welfare sense...it was a LONG night.