Quick trip to NHS drop in yesterday confirmed shingles. Lumps, bumps and boils on the back of my head with pains shooting down my neck.

I feel like crap. Have read anything up to 4 weeks until i get back to normal. Is this true or will i be back to normal sooner??

The women on Loose Women have it as well, its not nice, and debilitating, their are tablets that help.

Can affect you for months or just weeks if you’re lucky.Wiped out a full season for a football playing mate of mine and he eventually packed it in all together because he felt he couldn’t get his fitness back.Mind you he was in his mid thirties and liked curry and ale a bit too much!

In rare cases the neuralgia does not go away.

With anti virals mine took a few days for the pain to go.

I lay in a darkened room for 3 weeks – and it hurt – went from itchy boily things and rashes with aching joints and horrid skin.
I went back to work about a week after that, but on easy office and bike fixing duties not outdoorsy-intructor things.
I reckon I was 100% after about 3-4 months.
Take it easy, take your time. I feel for you.

Thanks you two, i’m mid 30’s, like curry and cider and i’m now being compared to a Loose Woman!!! 😉

Ta!!

Spent most of the last two days in bed sleeping and taking para’s and brufen. Docs would’t give anything else.

If it’s v painful, your doc/drop in specialist should’ve at least considered antiviral drugs and possibly also something to deal with the pain – antidepresants in low-dose are pretty “normal”.

If they didn’t offer you either and you have significant pain, read this and consider asking “why not?”

I felt flu like for a day or two when I had it, and the rash broke out about a week later, which affects your nerves….hurt like ****. But aside from that I was fine. All in all was pretty much gone in a couple of weeks.

Being in Vietnam at the time I had pretty much zero medication for it either. Went to the pharmacy, which was just a shanty with a glass cabinet, and they didn’t speak a word of English. They just pointed a bit and went oooohhhh.

If you get it again get to the doctors as soon as you feel the signs and get them to give you anti-virals, they will stop the shingles in their tracks. Well, that is what my doctor advised.
Mine started like yours at the back of my head, but then progressed down my forehead and towards my eye. If it gets onto they eye it can scar it and mess your vision permanently.
I feel for you as it is seriously painful.

I too only had paracetamol / asprin and doc’s did not want to give antivirals…

I had shingles on my waist which lasted nearly 3 weeks in my teen. All I can say is I could hardly sleep, wear tight pants (was fashionable then) or walk normally. My treatment was Chinese herbal medication …

Shingles on your head can be very dangerous.

If there is a Chinese doctor that you can trust nearby you might want to consult him/her …

I did look like something from star trek……a line of lumps straight down the centre of my fore head 🙂

I think I may get the anti virals because it always heads along my tri-geminal (sp) nerve towards my eye.

Cheers all.

I know about the eye bit as the mrs is a eye nurse and see’s loads of people with the problem. Docs wouldn’t give anti-virals so at the moment its pain killers and calamine lotion on my head.

I had it Emintating from my spine around my torso on the left side and onto my chest. ittook several monthes to get better. At the time I was given Zovirax in tablet form. Maybe you could bauy a tube from the chemist and try it. I’m not doctor though. Good luck, it was incredibly painful and I was absolutly knackered during the period.

Get well soon.

i had a rare case when i was 8-9 years old. dark room again, layed in bed for 2-3 weeks, extreme pain on my shoulders where it was worst. can’t remember anything about it apart from pain, don’t know what dru gs i was given at time 30 years ago. look online nhs for info i spose… there are other things related to shingles, would be worth reading about.

2months or so no excercise/lots of sleep but good recovery but 20 years ago and was given anti virals – hope one of the medics on here is along to explain when you should get them
good luck