Shingles during pregnancy and after! Is there hope for me?

I too suffer from shingles in my rectal and vaginal area and have had them since March. As you can imagine it is difficult for me to sit. The burning is intense. I was taking Morphine which did not help at all. Now I am taking Lyrica. If I take too much I just can't stay awake and sleep most of the day, if I don't take enough I am still burning...sometimes are worse than others. I have been told by a friend who had shingles in her hair (she is in her 80s) and said my current pattern of pain is telling me it is ending. She also told me it will never go away and it will return again and again but they will not hurt as much or as long. I don't know how this works with this thing with Mayo Clinic but if you want to email me directly my email address is doxiedonna1@aol.com. I hope I hear from you. I have lost 25 pounds and know what you mean about nausea. We can communicate more if you like, just email me. So glad your daughter was born healthy that is a blessing and hopefully puts some delight in your days. God bless......

You need vitamin D3! There is a wealth of free information online about the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and shingles. To start with, you should check the Mayo Clinic archives, the Vitamin D3 Blog (http://vitamind3blog.com/), as well as this article on vitamin D deficiency: http://www.pamelaegan.com/articles/vitamin-d3-2/

Thank you so very very much, I'm going to purchase some the next time I leave the house. Thank you for the other websites, I'll be sure to read.

God bless you.....

First please let me disclose that I am an NP and not an MD. I have completed all of my coursework and exams, but have not formally been endowed with the title of MD. That said, I must out of respect for the venue recommend asking a Mayo Clinic physician for advice on the matter.

That said, I do have a few dozen OBGYN patients, and am not altogether unfamiliar with the topic or unqualified to speak on it. Again, please reference the above paragraph before reading and especially acting on the following:

Recently, one of my patients had the worst case of vulvar varicosities (vaginal varicose veins) I've ever seen. I actually had to get online and do some reading up, but I came across a single product - a compressive undergarment called a V2 Supporter which MAY --- I repeat MAY --- provide some measure of relief in conjunction with D3 supplementation.

Shingles is not listed among the indications listed on the package, but given the similarities in terms of the symptoms I think it might well help with shingles as well. It's such a new product I don't know that it's ever been tested on a shingles patient.

The URL for the product is here: http://www.eganmedical.com/V2-Supporter-p/ormt-v2s.htm

It's made by a company called It's You Babe. They're based in Michigan and make high-end maternity support garments. This one has been among the most popular among my patients experiencing discomfort in that general area during pregnancy.

For the sake of full disclosure, a relative of mine has a stake in the website that sells them, and in light of this I'll offer to send you one free should you request it so as to avoid any potential conflicts of interest in which my motives and/or advice would in any way be tainted by profit or monetary interests.

In fairness, very few companies carry it, and every other one I've seen charges about $20 more than my relative, who is close with the manufacturers.

For the record, I have no financial interest in the product or either company whatsoever, and would gain nothing should someone read this and buy it. As a professional I feel obliged to disclose my association with the individual who does.

All that said, the patients of mine who have used it for the various conditions for which the product is indicated have had nothing but good things to say about the product and the results.

Quoting from the site:

The V2 Supporter is Recommended for Use with the Following Conditions:

- Vulvar Varicosities
- Lymphedema
- Perineal Edema
- Incontinence
- External Prolapsed Bladder or Uterus
- Following Sclerotherapy

Should you decide to take me up on my offer to send you one, message me privately with your shipping information and I’ll email the relative and ask that he send you one and invoice my clinic.

If you’re not comfortable accepting it as a gift, any feedback you could provide as to whether or not it helps provide relief from shingles would be greatly appreciated and would help me better serve my prenatal, maternity and postpartum patients, more than justifying what is a negligible expense to begin with.

Anyway, it’s very important to me that everyone know that I only made the suggestion because I suspect that it might possibly help, and that I in no way benefit from this conversation aside from the knowledge I acquire as a participant. I have no financial ties to the relative who has a stake in the company which sells the product.

There is one more option I'd suggest you try, but given its nature I'll save the details for a private exchange. About to email you. You'll understand why I didn't post it here once you read the email.