Shingles and Postherpetic Neuralgia and Pain

Marko, thanks for the info. Now that you’ve explained, I am familiar w Tens, my memory just needed a bit of prodding. Just What’s needed is good to know when buying, often one thinks more is better. Sorry about your tinnitus, have u contacted the HLAA (Hearing Loss Assoc of Amer) they might have updated info or direct you to a support group.

I have PHN around and in my eye. I take 600Mg three times a day of gabapentin. Has anyone researched the surgery from the Washington Neurological Institute in Virginia?

I need to correct my dosage of gabapentin. I take 1200 mg three times a day. It is a lot but the only thing that helps at all.,

My husband has had Post-Herpetic Neuralgia pain near 8-9-10 levels almost continuously every day, since he had Shingles (Zostavax did nothing!…now have Shingrix).

Has had several epidural steroidal treatments that only slightly moderated pain.

Then had intercostal nerve blocks; they actually seemed to make pain worse, from my vantage point.

Now they’re talking about a spinal cord stimulator implant, but read some scary stats on that elsewhere om Mayo Connect.

My husband is in end-stage renal, so cannot tolerate most meds that people with working kidneys can. Doctors gave him very-low-dosage Baclofen in summer of 2019, which — after only 1.2 days’ use — sent him to hospital for a week in Altered Mental State (AMS).

Another set of doctors gave him low-dosage Gabapentin about a year later. I saw sane things happening after 1 pill as with Baclofen, so stopped him; no hospitalization.

He’s gotten interested in whether he could use these same drugs by injecting them into his dialysate, rather than taking them orally. Anyone with experience with that?

Thanks for all the comments. I have had the PHN pain now for 10 months. Am now taking gabapentin. Was able to get off the amitriptalyn. Went off my plant based diet and the pain got worse, so back on the diet. I get some temporary relief from CBD. I really appreciate all the comments on this site. I will keep searching because i have things to do and this pain is slowing me down.

Thanks for sharing your information. I am on year 5 and from all the doctors I have seen, PHN never goes away. I have tried so many treatments, pills, vitamins, etc. Are you speaking of laser treatment at home?

Thank you.

Try the VoxxLife patches. They worked for my balance and neuropathy.

All my doctors and in my online PHN group, tell me that sometimes it gets better over years, but PHN never goes away. Very difficult to live with as its not common. I have tried gabapentin, Lyrica and on and on. I can tell you that I have changed during the 5 years of chronic pain, I have endured. I don't want to go anywhere. It hurts to dress (hypersensitive skin), to sit, to drive, to walk...I am miserable to be around. It has not been a positive mental health experience. I am desperate and have spent a lot of $$ and time to get relief. I get no pain pills. I think you have to be at deaths door before you would get any pain meds. I have tried all of the alternatives: spinal cord stimulator, peripheral nerve stimulator, Calmare therapy. Honestly, I am worse. Maybe the Mayo Clinic can help? I don't know who to turn to.

Ok, thank you. I will try them

I'd like to know if they help you. I've written about them before. One friend of mine in his 70's had horrible pain in his toes from peripheral neuropathy. He got the Liberty Patch, the one I use, and put it under his toes. It worked right away to help him. Now I see they have a patch for pain. Maybe that would be even better. I had shingles,: I guess I'm really lucky it wasn't worse. I still have itching on one side of my forehead after 5 years.