I have a friend afflicted with "shingles". She is not a happy camper.

About "shingles".

I have never had shingles but my Dad was prone to repeated bouts of them for many years and suffered terribly from the pain.

My wife had it a couple of years ago. It isn't pleasant.

I hear it's tough stuff.

Yes I have and they hurt like hell!!

For those that had chicken pox in their earlier years, beware.

The wife had them. My mother did as well.
Sorry to hear about your friend.

There is a shot available now that will prevent shingles but I think it is expensive and there are some rules as to who can get it. Somebody in the medical field might can add that info.

Hedduk had shingles and they were very painful.

I have never had them but did have chicken pox. When I went to the doctor this summer I asked about the shingles shot. He wrote me a prescription. I went to the drugstore and the pharmacist gave me the shot. Didn't seem to be any big deal.

My poor friend is miserable right now. She made the mistake of putting an adhesive bandage (emphasis on adhesive) on the area and pulled off skin in the affected area. Apparently she had the sticky part of the bandage on an area of her stomach that was in the early stage of the outbreak. She was literally in tears. Damned thing is that the doctor told her it could be 4 weeks before it clears up.

Shingles suck, and are usually very painfull! Best course is to get on an anti viral as soon as possible. Also topical anti-inflammitories may help, but most likely prescription strength pain killers will be her only relief. Shingles do usually last for several weeks, this is a viral infection that definitely needs heavy duty pain killers in most cases.

In your friends case, if she is really hurting, I would encourage a visit to your local ER, or either call her Doctor first thing in the morning, and see if he can work her in tommorow. Besides a drug like Valtrex or some of the other anti virals, nothing much will help her, except for pain medicine. Shingles just has to run it's course. Of course you want to do things to boost her immune system, which is mostly plenty of vitamin C, and other vitamins.

Don't put anything on the rash like a bandage or anything. Just let it dry to air.

Again, my best advice is get her to a doctor, and treat the symptoms, which is primarily pain. If she can't make it to her own doctor, then go ahead and take her into an ER. I don't know about other ER docs, but the one's at my hospital will definitely take good care of someone with shingles.

My Mom got shingles while she was going through chemo for lung cancer, so I have a little bit of experience with it first hand, just not as an ER nurse.

quote:

Originally posted by BamainbigD:
I have a friend afflicted with "shingles". She is not a happy camper.

About "shingles".

I did & it knocked me naked & hid my clothes. There's only a very few people I'd wish that off on

I had them in August of '07 and I thought I was going to die.

I had themm last winter. It was a light case on my arm so it wasn't that bad. Hate to have them on my back or side though.

I overheard someone today say that their 14yo son had a case. I'd never heard of someone so young having shingles.