Not looking for medical advice, but my MIL has SHINGLES. Does it get better?

[7wo7rees]

My mother-in-law is 75 yo and never would I think anyone that age could suffer from such a crazy illness.
She's had red bumpy swaths circumnavigate her torso. She's in pain, itchy, completely worn out. It's killing us to see her like this and driving us nuts trying to care for her.

Does it get better? She seems like she's getting worse?

Again, not looking for medical advice (in the lounge, certainly not), but what's the outlook? Anybody have a personal experience?

Cross-posted to Lounge. Mods, please allow for a minute. I need a happy ending.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Yes, but it is painful as hell

[Zoeisright]

2. She'll get better, but odds are she'll get it again. Have her get a shingles vaccine.

[EFerrari]

3. Shingles can be extremely painful. She needs medical care.

Once they go away, there is a vaccine to prevent another bout.

I'm so sorry. My mom had it last year and it went on for weeks. :(

[tammywammy]

4. This is a good time to remind everyone older than 60 should get a shingles vaccination. n/t.

[Maru Kitteh]

11. + 1000. If you can't swing the Dr visit they have them at many pharmacies at a reasonable cost.

Shingles are PAINFUL. Vaccines can help prevent them.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. and under if you have an auto immune disease, talk to doc

[gkhouston]

5. It does get better, but she would do well to see a doctor.

If nothing else, the doctor might be able to prescribe something to help her with the symptoms so she can get some decent rest and could re-assure her about the likely course of the disease. Sometimes it takes a long time to get over.

[grasswire]

6. I had shingles about 15 years ago

The doctor gave me an anti-viral med and Tylenol with codeine. I was out of it for about two weeks and it took another two to start functioning again. But I wasn't 75 years old.

Take care of yourself too.

[Rowdyboy]

7. I had them twice in my 40's and it was excruciating and totally wiped me out....

The most miserable I've ever been. I can't imagine suffering like that at 75. Please be as patient as you can.

[ohheckyeah]

8. Yes, it gets better

but it can take awhile. I had it and it took about 6-8 weeks. My dad who is 84 had it and it took about the same amount of time.

I took an antiviral drug while I had it and he did not. I don't think it helped me much. We both used Lidocaine patches for the pain and also Vicodin at times. I didn't take a lot of Vicodin because it makes me throw up sometimes.

Every now and then I get some pain in the hip where I had them but it's not too bad. I will tell you that it takes a lot out of you and good nutritional support really helps to get the immune system built back up.

[Horse with no Name]

9. My Mom had it

it put her down for months.

We did find some things that eased it...goats milk soap in a bar (really...my Mom wouldn't do without it) was the most effective for her and the topical pain and we found some online health food remedies that were soothing. She didn't find anything prescription wise that gave her any relief.

http://herbs.lovetoknow.com/Homeopathic_Treatments_for_Shingles

Good luck to your mom.

[7wo7rees]

10. Thank you all.

Good answers and endings.

Shingles vaccinations for everybody!

[Mojorabbit]

13. I get them from time to time

and those big lidocaine patches help me a lot. It kind of numbs the area. I hope she improves soon.

[OhioBlue]

14. my mom recently had them

was real bad for the first couple of weeks... worse with heat and activity. She saw a doc a couple of times - they did have meds to help with the pain and something to lessen the severity/duration. I also read that docs have used shots of B vitamins to help with it... unfortunately I read that after my mom had already gone to the doc a couple of times... she has to pay upwards of $100 for each visit.. so she was at a place where she thought she could deal and didn't want to pay again to go back to the doc to ask him about it.

None the less... aside from medical treatment if she's already done it or can't afford it ... it might be a good thing for her to make sure she is eating very healthy and taking vitamins (especially B vitamins) - absolutely not medical advice... just normal living suggestion... ;)

[givemebackmycountry]

15. This is what took my stepfather out at 79 a few years ago.

And the reason why my Mom is alone now.
This is serious.
It took him out in a matter of weeks.

Granted, he already had Parkinson's and he was already suffering, but he just couldn't handle this.

Be aware.
As I said, this is serious.

[7wo7rees]

16. Everyone my spouse wanted to hear from showed up! You guys rock.

Doc visit tomorrow.
B12 shot coming up.

Nutrition yup. Fresh fruit, carrot juice, chicken salad, soup.
Lycene check. Pau d'Arco tea check.
104 degrees means no playing outdoors.
Looking at herbals. Yada yada

This too shall pass....

Thanks y'all. Really.
We'll be OK. You be OK too, K?

[bkkyosemite]

17. She needs to take

medication within 5 days of break out so that another painful disorder that can happen from shingles does not affect her.

[bkkyosemite]

18. Also nephew had it bad

and did not know he had diabetes. Make sure she is checked for this if it is very bad and not healing or going away normal timeframe.

[rainbow4321]

19. Poor woman..I had shingles 2 months ago

Not wanting to violate any medical advice so I will just tell my tale.

Background: I'm 46, had the chickenpox when I was around 5 yrs old. Never even dawned on me to think about a shingles vaccine---then I saw signs all over the pharmacy as I was waiting (in horrid pain) to pick up my shingles medications. It was kind of a cruel joke..seeing all the flyers and parking lot little yards signs with "get your shingles vaccine today". Pfft. Was a little late for me! Again, I am NOT making this a pro-vaccine "you should get it" post. ONLY one's doctor can help someone make that decision.

It all started with what I thought was a dry patch of skin over my eye on Mother's Day. No biggie, I just kept makeup off of it.

Within 24 hours I started with a tingling, creepy crawly, numb feeling around it. Ruh-roh, I remember thinking. Being a nurse, I started putting two and two together. The dry patch got redder and more painful. It spread thru my eyebrow and onto my eyelid. I got to the urgent care clinic within 48 hours and was put on appropropiate medicine to curtail the shingles themselves.

Had the WORST HEADACHE of my life where the rash was located. Even the narcotic pain pill I was put on barely took the edge off of the pain associated with the rash. All I wanted to do was be in a dark room with NO noise. Even my daughter putting her keys on the kitchen counter in the next room sent shivers thru me.

Was off work for a week as the blisters over my eye/forehead/scalp/temple dried up.

But in the middle of that week I noticed my eye getting all swollen and part of my nose was getting a red spot on it. The rash had gotten INto my eye. Apparently, the bad sign for me was it crossing down/over to my nose. Once it hit the nose, it meant the docs said it was just assumed it had gotten into my eye. I found out when I went to my eye doctor to see what was going on with the eye swelling/pain. Again, was given a different type of medicine to make this a two-pronged battle.

The rash started to dry up. The acute, sharp headache did as well mid week. But then I noticed the numbness and a new kind of discomfort. I developed what is called post-shingles neuropathy.

It would go from total numbness to a crazy ass ITCHY feeling. BUT because I was numb, I might as well have been scratching someone else's head/face. No matter how hard or often I scratched, I felt itchy, then the numb tight headache feeling. My eye stayed swelled so badly and my eyebrow was frozen in a raised position, it looked like I had gotten either beaten up or fell on my eye/forehead.

Keep in mind, the shingles outbreak started on Mother's Day and by this time it was already like 2 weeks later.

BACK to the doctor for the neuropathy pain/burning that had encased the left side of my head/eye/temple/cheek.

More medicine..this time for the post shingles neuropathy pain which had turned into random episodes of feeling as if someone was pouring hot acid on the top of my scalp and NOTHING I could do would stop that burning sensation from heading to my eyelid/eyeball. I never knew what would set off that burning acid feeling.

Had to get a refill on the medicine because the neuropathy pain, while better, still was happening in the middle/end of June. While I had come a long, long way, I still had this feeling one has when they have a bad, fresh sunburn (stiff skin) mixed with itching/swollen feeling.


Where I stand today: have pretty much weaned myself off of the neuropathy medication (non-narcotic, BTW). I still occassionally get an annoying tickle feeling if the wind blows my hair onto my forehead and my eyeball/eyelid is still numb but it so much more tolerable than the initial post-shingles nerve pain, I can deal with it. Seems worse when I first wake up in the morning. I really only feel small amount of pressure when I frown or raise my eyebrow.

All I can say is have lots and lots and lots of patience. This can be more of a marathon than a sprint in recovery.

Hope this gives you some insight!

[Ichingcarpenter]

20. Shingles ... Diet .... and cannabis.

After an attack of Shingles, the pain may continue (even after blisters gone). The pain can last for months or years! The post-herpetic syndrome can be more painful than original infection.
"Do not take acetaminophen—it might prolong illness."


Diet:
Raw fruits and vegetables, brewer’s yeast, whole grains.
A cleansing fast.
Sunlight on blisters for short periods.
Gently wash blisters.
Take: L-Lysine 500 mg. (twice a day)
Vitamin C 2,000 mg. (twice a day)
Cayenne capsules follow instructions on label
Vitamin B complex plus extra B12 100 mg. (three times a day)
Zinc chelate 80 mg for one week then reduce it to 50 mg.a day
Cannabis Treatment
Cannabinoids are compounds in marijuana (cannabis), which may have properties that protect nerve cells. They are being studied for a number of nerve-disorders, including chronic nerve-related pain. In one study, it was effective in reducing pain and had no major side effects.

Acting through cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, endocannabinoids (as well as THC) are thought to play a role in variety of biological functions, including pain and anxiety control, and inflammation This is where medical marijuana comes into play. There has been plenty of research demonstrating marijuana’s ability to reduce pain associated with damage to the nerves (neuropathic pain). Patients with HIV and Diabetic neuropathy have been studied at the UCSD Medical Cannabis Research Center. All showed dramatic improvement in patient’s symptoms.
With the addition of cannabis other pain medications that patients require should decrease
Shingles can lead to a debilitating complication called post herpetic neuralgia.

This condition causes the skin to remain painful and sensitive to touch for months or even years after the rash clears up. Medical marijuana is the perfect treatment for neuropathic pain.
Cannabis has also been shown to be useful as an antiseptic topical treatment for infections.


http://medicalmarijuana.com/medical-uses/condition.cfm?conID=47

[7wo7rees]

22. Thank you I Ching and all

Finally someone weighed in on medicinal cannabis.

She made it to the doctor. Her neurologist said this is the worst pain there is.
At 75, she gets the news that she'll be out for the summer.
The neuro wants to try botox in an experimental treatment. Is this for real?

Thank you all so much. We have hope. Any more info please share.

[7wo7rees]

23. Thank you so much for this info,

This is 7wo7rees so responding. I think maybe my mom just might consider with the info you have provided. Can anyone help get us some contact info for FlyByNight (b. ellis). We have supported him a long time and I think just maybe he can provide the straw to tip the scale.

Once again, thank you all so much.

[kaylynwright]

21. I had it as a teen.

I got it as a teenager, but caught it within a couple of days and was on Valtrex, so it cleared up pretty quick. Which is strange, as I was under the impression that it was very uncommon in young people. A friend of mine had it at the same time as me (she was 18 then) and it has come back every year after for her.


I've heard diet is helpful for suppressing it.

[Raine]

24. My aunt who was in her 80's would get shingles

now and then, the only thing that helped her was DMSO.