Anybody here ever had a shingles outbreak? Let me tell you: No Fun at all. Its caused by the dormant chicken-pox virus somehow becoming reactived and it has all kinds of symptoms, all of them involving PAIN of some sort. I had heard of shingles before but I didnt really know what it was and never expected I would need to know, but here it is, out of the blue, and I have it.

The symptoms of it are many, besides the common one of the rash itself. I have also been experiencing headaches, chills, hot spells, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. It can really knock a person onto their ass.

So I got these medications which set me back like $300 am starting to take them. Hopefully it will work. Being sick sucks, and the worse kind of being sick is the one that persists, and you don't know when it going to clear up.

Wish me well.

Could've gone to the local healthfood store and bought L-Lysine tablets, <$5, and Super L-Lysine topical ointment, again <$5. Much cheaper than Zovirax and effective. Add in some organic, raw coconut oil in place of whatever oils and fats you normally eat (the coconut oil has beaucoup anti-viral properties) for another $7. File it for future reference, and you might just add the L-Lysine tablets to your daily regimen, along with a B-50 and a zinc, both for stress, which can trigger shingles.

Wow, those are helpful suggestions zooks.

Sorry to hear about your shingles, I saw someone with an outbreak of such recently and it was, well, not pretty.

I wish you a speedy recovery.

I had shingles in my early 30s, around my waist. It was pretty uncomfortable and debilitating. Seems like it was a full two weeks down time and a couple of months of itching and scratching. The main causative factor was said to be stress.

Then last year, I got it again on the left side of my face, while I was undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia. My doctor said it was an opportunistice infection that popped up while my body defenses were low. It came up in Jusy, and most symptoms disappeared by mid-October. The lesions were hardly visible, and there's a pill, Zostrix, I think, that will treat it.

My son also had shingles, and it affected one of the nerves in his eye--they were worred that it could bring on glaucoma but it didn't. I don't know how long his recovery took.

Zooks you should be a shaman . My father got shingles last year while waiting for a heart transplant(stress),and still has problems with a nerve in his arm because of it. The stuff Zooks mentions are spot on for helping alleviate the pain and quicken the recovery time. My dad thought i was nuts and kept using zostrix , tylenol( he was limited on other meds because of the trnsplant the first 6 months). Once my mom convinced him to try the natural stuff, he was out golfing in two weeks. I manage a drugstore and my pharmacists and I try to get people to go natural whenever we can, even if they need to go elswhere, because the costs for prescriptions are so far through the roof.

Good suggestions Zooks.

I had chickenpox at the age of 26 and it sucked. I expect to get shingles sometime later in life. I'm 42 now.

Sorry to hear anout the shingles there AFW. I know, it ain't supposed to be fun. and they say people who aquired chickenpox as adults are more prone to shingles.

How old were you when you first had chickenpox?

I'm very sorry to hear it, AFW. I hope you're back on your feet soon.

Dumb advice - Don't push yourself. I don't know if you have this problem, but many people do. If you try to work (whether at your job or on your own projects) when you're debilitated, or if you try to get back to a full schedule when you're still not 100%, you'll just extend your down time. Be gentle to yourself while you recover.

Hope it's soon.

Very young. I don't even remember it, but my Mother confirms I had it. Almost all kids get it during childhood.

Thanks for the advice. I am the kind of person who hates to be inactive (except on weekends). I am trying to take it very easy until this clears up.

The good news is that I am feeling not as bad as I was, and I was able to sleep better last night. Also my appetite has come back somewhat. The first few days of this were literally hell in a way I cannot describe. I could not do anything. I was in listless, depressed state and could not do anything to find satisfaction. Thanksfully that has passed and I am starting to return to my previous self.

I'll be pleased when you're back full of piss and vinegar and beating me over the head with your left-wing propaganda!

Yea, what he said. I havent been shot down in a couple of days...

Three Words Arnold said in Terminator.

"He will live."

Try "I'll Be Back!"

All right. Here we go -

I'll Be Back!

Fockin' brill! That was the very dog's ballocks!

AFW, watch out !!! Its the fluoride in the wate....eeerrk !

...the Rothschilds...and AFW, I'm glad you're feeling better. I've gotta tell ya, though. when I saw your post, the first thing that came into my mind was..."I've got rhythm, I've got my girl..." only "I've got shingles...". Then I couldn't decide who I liked better with shingles, Franky Valli or Ethel Merman.