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I sent a report on my PHN to Mayo Clinic Community on 11 March 2012 as follows (in anonymous mode):-
I had Shingles from from mid-July to mid-August 2011, while on a visit to Phoenix(US). The area was on my torso on left side, in a patch of 4 inches, all round, starting from 2inches above belly-button to back center line. Dr prescribed Acycyclovir on the first day itself. After all the scabs fell off, Post-Herpetic Neuralgia started appearing. At first i was having pain in my lower part of the left lung, even while walking. I was virtually dragging my feet. The pain was severe while on a road trip, due to bumps of the vehicle. Any light clothing, like a vest, was giving an electric shock like sensation (allodynia) on the area affected. The cool air from airconditioner was giving a burning sensation & ceilng fan's breeze was giving electric-shock like sensatons. One day I tied a crepe bandage of 6inch width,(like the one used for Varicose Veins condition), all round the torso covering the area, and slightly tight. The effect was good, that i had less pain & skin sensation of clothing, & walking was pretty comfortable. Only it had some restriction on the full expansion of my lungs, which was tolerable for the period of walking. Now I keep my torso bare while at home.
Slowly the walking got better & i could attain 75% of my usual speed in 3 months. But the pain while road travel remains, & is a bit less with the crepe bandage in place.
So I avoid road travel nowdays & undertake only if essential.
I engage myself in some activity or my hobbies all thro' the day & do not brood over the bodily discomforts. By God's grace the sleep at night is comfortable.
Replies to "I sent a report on my PHN to Mayo Clinic Community on 11 March 2012 as..."
hi I would still get this checked the time that you have had this has been a long time. Take care Piglit
Thanks. You have been very kind with your concern. I will try to get a day off and make an appointment soon.
No worries Please let me know how you get along Take Care Piglit
The Shingles rash created feelings of itching, burning,pulling of skin, insect-crawling all over, hair-raising on ends many times, pin pricks, etc. But it is not a debilitating disease. BUT NEVER SCRATCH WITH YR FINGERS ANY WHERE. Then it will spread wildly. It was a big effort to desist from the temptation of scratching. Sleep was almost in bits & pces. But by God's grace I was able to control my urge to scratch, by saying my prayers all times & by wearing a pair of cotton socks on both hands as mittens. I wld like to tell u that u had to find ways & means to reduce the discomforts as much as possible. The facial nerves r the most sensitive. Hence I wld like to tell that use of perfumes, cosmetics, deoderants, etc will increase the discomforts. Use only a very mild soap & bathe in water at body temperature. Pat the skin dry with very soft towel. In case yr facial skin is feeling dryness,use Glycerine (medical grade) as a lotion. It may look like oily, but do not care for anything like fashionable looks. Remember all these discomforts r not transferable to anyone, however dear they r to u. By keeping yr faith in God, the bad days will be over. Be bold & never give way to dejection. It is said that THE DARKEST HOUR PRECEDES DAWN. I wish u all the patience & hope to wait for that dawn. Best wishes.
Thanks so much for caring. I did finally go back to the doctor this Monday. The resutl was multiple tests blood work, etc. but the diagnosis is still shingles - just a very bad case combined with much family/work stress which makes it worse apparently. So, I continue on the medicine that was ordered back in Dec. The good news is that it is not anything worse!
Thanks for letting me know. Please take care of yourself and so glad that you went to the dr.s Keep in touch andlet me know how things are going. Piglit
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Thank you for sharing. If you have had this since last summer, I guess three months for me is nothing to worry about. It definitley is not a pleasant virsus; and since I have a challenging job, it has made life rather stressful. However, at least I won't be concerned about the duration. Thank you.