1. < Brain & Nervous System

Shingles and Postherpetic Neuralgia and Pain

Posted by tikigod18 @tikigod18, Jan 13, 2019

Has anyone suffered from LONG lasting neuropathic pain as a result of Shingles, and what treatment do you use for the pain? My daughter had shingles at 21, a spinal cord stimulator inserted and removed, many trigger point injections, all of which may have contributed to the thoracic pain she has. She is now 34, and teaches yoga, but is still on a compound prescribed by a pain management Dr. in NYC what is basically Oxy. I am paying for this, since neither she nor her husband can afford it at around $500 a month. She could not find a physician in Fl. I know who would prescribe this medication after 10 years, thus the use of an out of state physician. I do not want to see her suffer, nor can I discuss much with her since we barely speak, but this expense, coupled with paying for asthma inhalers that are expensive is becoming more and more of a strain. Any thoughts for alternatives are appreciated.

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jerid | @jerid | Oct 30, 2020

Don't give up... keep using it. Maybe increase an extra session or 2 a day to see if that helps. I will not be sending mine back. I treasure it.

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bunnyp | @bunnyp | Oct 30, 2020

So happy for your good results and now I am very hopeful it will work for me since I will be doing it correctly now😊👍

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colinshen | @colinshen | Nov 18, 2020

My wife aged 65 recently had shingles and now suffers from Postherpetic Neuralgia and Pain, this has been going on for 2 months She also suffers from dermatomyositis which only adds to ther trauma and suffering. The range of drugs she is now on is extensive (amitriptyline, gabapentine, paracetamol and capsicum cream) and worrying. She has recently been having acupuncture with some sucess but it only lasts a couple of days.

Currently I'm researching PENS (percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) and was wondering if anyone had tried this with any success?

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bunnyp | @bunnyp | Nov 18, 2020

I understand your wife’s pain and suffering as I have had this for almost 3 years now with no help from drugs or treatments including acupuncture sadly😢
I recently bought the Laser TRX Low Light Red Therapy Professional treatment hand held machine from Amazon and may have had some relief but then the pain comes back but still will keep trying for another month or so! I am in pain every single day sometimes excruciating sharp stabbing pains but always in pain so I know what you are going through for sure! I got the info about this Laser from Jerid on this site and she has had tremendous relief from this so it may work better for some and worth a try! It is expensive for sure but I will pay anything for some relief even a little as I can’t even take pain meds or they don’t work or I’m allergic to them! Very frustrating! Praying for you to get relief from this terrible damage to your nerves 🙏Please let me know if you find anything that helps

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Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Nov 18, 2020
In reply to @colinshen "My wife aged 65 recently had shingles and now suffers from Postherpetic Neuralgia and Pain, this..." + (show)
@colinshen

My wife aged 65 recently had shingles and now suffers from Postherpetic Neuralgia and Pain, this has been going on for 2 months She also suffers from dermatomyositis which only adds to ther trauma and suffering. The range of drugs she is now on is extensive (amitriptyline, gabapentine, paracetamol and capsicum cream) and worrying. She has recently been having acupuncture with some sucess but it only lasts a couple of days.

Currently I'm researching PENS (percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) and was wondering if anyone had tried this with any success?

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Hello @colinshen and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.

I am sorry to hear about your wife's Postherpetic Neuralgia and Pain problem. I had shingles in September and I know how terrible that kind of pain is. Fortunately, after treating with Prednisone and Gabapentin I got over it.

Can your wife take Prednisone? If so, she might ask her doctor if she could try it. It was the only thing that helped me. I do realize that everyone is different and that Prednisone can have serious side effects. Has she ever tried a Tens Unit? Many of my friends praise this non-prescription item as being very helpful for nerve pain.

There certainly has been an upswing in Shingle's diagnoses lately. I even got the Shingrex shots last year and still got Shingles this year.

I hope you are able to find some help for her. Will you post again as you look for answers?

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bunnyp | @bunnyp | Nov 18, 2020

Hi Teresa, since you had Shingles in Sept. and are now over them, you probably did not have the PNP which is damaged nerves from Shingles thankfully and probably because you had gotten the Shingrex shots which definitely protects you and makes the Shingles a milder case! Unfortunately I had not had the shots and didn’t go to a doctor within 72 hrs for the antivirals because I thought it was a sunburn and going to peel because of the blisters🥴A big mistake for sure! So thankful for your recovery and I highly recommend the new shots for everyone 50 yrs and older! IT IS PAINFUL!!!!!!

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2 replies
Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Nov 18, 2020
In reply to @bunnyp "Hi Teresa, since you had Shingles in Sept. and are now over them, you probably did..." + (show)
@bunnyp

Hi Teresa, since you had Shingles in Sept. and are now over them, you probably did not have the PNP which is damaged nerves from Shingles thankfully and probably because you had gotten the Shingrex shots which definitely protects you and makes the Shingles a milder case! Unfortunately I had not had the shots and didn’t go to a doctor within 72 hrs for the antivirals because I thought it was a sunburn and going to peel because of the blisters🥴A big mistake for sure! So thankful for your recovery and I highly recommend the new shots for everyone 50 yrs and older! IT IS PAINFUL!!!!!!

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Yes, I agree with you, @bunnyp. It is the worst pain possible in my humble opinion. I failed to get the anti-viral med for 72 hours as well. The fact that these itchy spots might be Shingles was not even on my radar since I had the Shingrex vaccine last year. I too, will not make that mistake again.

I hope you find some answers to your pain.

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Hank | @jesfactsmon | Nov 18, 2020
In reply to @bunnyp "Hi Teresa, since you had Shingles in Sept. and are now over them, you probably did..." + (show)
@bunnyp

Hi Teresa, since you had Shingles in Sept. and are now over them, you probably did not have the PNP which is damaged nerves from Shingles thankfully and probably because you had gotten the Shingrex shots which definitely protects you and makes the Shingles a milder case! Unfortunately I had not had the shots and didn’t go to a doctor within 72 hrs for the antivirals because I thought it was a sunburn and going to peel because of the blisters🥴A big mistake for sure! So thankful for your recovery and I highly recommend the new shots for everyone 50 yrs and older! IT IS PAINFUL!!!!!!

Jump to this post

@bunnyp @jerid
Hi guys, I wanted to update you on how things have gone with the LaserTRX and my wife Linda's neuropathic pain. Well, basically not that great. We did the light 2 times a day on 3 different places on each foot for 5 minutes each. So six locations twice per day. They recommend you do it for 3 weeks (21 days) to give it a fair trial. Linda got to day 19 by which time she called an end. During the last few days she had been saying she thought it was hurting her but I kept encouraging her to keep going and she agreed that maybe since it seemed to be doing SOMETHING so maybe it would get better. But finally her pain got to be too intense for her to tolerate. So she gave up. That was about a week ago. She has had mostly very high pain days since, much higher than before starting the LaserTRX. I am hoping her pain will calm down over some more time but she does not think so. We'll see. But we definitely can't give the unit a thumbs up based on our experience of it. Sorry for the bad news.

I hope that ultimately you do see benefits bunnyp, and maybe since your pain is from shingles it will have a better outcome. I also have the most positive wishes and prayers for jerid as well. I hope for only the best for both of you. I am returning the unit by the way. Too expensive not to. Best, Hank

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bunnyp | @bunnyp | Nov 18, 2020
In reply to @hopeful33250 "Yes, I agree with you, @bunnyp. It is the worst pain possible in my humble opinion...." + (show)
@hopeful33250

Yes, I agree with you, @bunnyp. It is the worst pain possible in my humble opinion. I failed to get the anti-viral med for 72 hours as well. The fact that these itchy spots might be Shingles was not even on my radar since I had the Shingrex vaccine last year. I too, will not make that mistake again.

I hope you find some answers to your pain.

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Thanks Teresa❤️

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bunnyp | @bunnyp | Nov 18, 2020
In reply to @jerid "Don't give up... keep using it. Maybe increase an extra session or 2 a day to..." + (show)
@jerid

Don't give up... keep using it. Maybe increase an extra session or 2 a day to see if that helps. I will not be sending mine back. I treasure it.

Jump to this post

Jerid, how are you doing these days? Had the TRX really helped and is your pain gone now or even just bearable? Hope all good news for you❤️

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