Anyone else dealing with shingles?

Hi @pitepalten, You will see that I moved your post to a discussion talking about shingles. I did this because I wanted you to be able to connect with members like @bustrbrwn22, and @momx5dea

When you had the tests done, did it include a PCR lab test?

How long did it take for it to lessen. I have had 4 acupuncture sessions of surrounding the dragon and I have little to no relief

I had shingles on my left arm and back shoulder in January and this is April and I am still in pain, I have tried acupuncture 4 times, (twice a week) but no relief yet . I don’t know what else I can do get relief

Welcome @donnamcd, I'm sorry you haven't found anything to give you relief from the Shingles pain. Mayo Clinic has some information on the different medications and over the counter items that can be helpful here - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shingles/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353060

I believe others have mentioned taking a cool bath or using cool, wet compresses on your blisters may help relieve the itching and pain. Has your doctor prescribed any medications to help with the pain?

I had shingles many many years ago. i found i gad to treat the rash separate from the pain. for the rash i used Diaperene or cortisol ointment. the idea is to dry up the rash. any ointment that can be used for poison ivy or diaper rash will work. for the pain i used cold things like cooling sheets and cold towels (towels put in the refrigerator. but i have to tell you that neuralgia (pain along the nerve pathways) affected by the shingles may last years

@donnamcd You want to be sure you have had chicken pox. I was diagnosed with shingles, but my blood tests showed I had never had the cluck-cluck. So I started by starting some genetic testing, and discovered I have CALR (Systemic Fragile Capillary Disease, or "Clarkson's" Disease). The capillaries will break off under the skin surface of either one's outer skin package, or under the skin of ones organs such as liver, spleen, esophagus, etc. Then the skin begins to darken to gray or red. This diagnosis seems to be frequently missed and assumed to be shingles. Four MDs and two labs pronounced it to be shingles although there was no evidence I had cluck-cluck in my life, but plenty of evidence of CALR. oldkarl

Hello @donnamcd

I'm really sorry to hear of your continued Shingles pain. I had Shingles almost 2 years ago and will have a return of the pain periodically.

In order to connect you with others who have similar problems I hope you can explain a bit more about the type of pain, you are experiencing. Is the rash what is painful (in other words, has the rash not disappeared yet) or is it the nerve pain that you are experiencing (known as neuralgia).

If you don't mind sharing more what type of meds have you been given? Has it been pain meds, Gabapentin, anti-viral meds, etc.?

I had a mild bout of shingles early in February. I contacted the doctor (over the phone due to covid rules in Ontario) scanned photos of the rash. A shingles antiviral was prescribed. Best to start within first 24 to 72 hours from onset. The first week was the worst. The horrid itching and pain would start around 11pm like clockwork and or wake me up. It was uncomfortable lying on my back and I got awful muscle pain all around the back area where the rash was. It was very bad and made it difficult to sit comfortably in the car. I thought I had somehow pulled a muscle or bruised a rib. I am so glad this was a mild case. The antivirals helped. After one month it was pretty much over.
I had had the first shingles vaccine that came out some years ago but not Zostavax.
Just something that entered my mind . I had my third covid vaccine on Dec.27 and shingles on Feb3. Wonder if any connection.
On the other hand, it was a stressful time so maybe the stress.

Thanks! Maybe shingles had something to do with my issues. It is so much better now. I am on zymbalta so I didn’t know if that was the reason. It has been over 6 months.

I didn’t have a rash.