Feel like crap - Shingles

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w3bbo

w3bbo

w3bbo

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Had ear ache since saturday. I didn't think much of it but sunday it was like a pulse through my skull from one ear to the other right to left. 'Ear infection I thought' so doped myself up on ibruprofen and tried my best to sleep it off.

Monday morning I wake up and my scalp is really sore from the crown all the way down the right side of my face. The pain is akin to wearing a hat that is too small or having your hair pulled. This along with the pulsing earache was getting the better of me. I hate going to the doctors like most blokes but the thing that pushed me over the edge was I was starting to get dizzy spells which was cause for concern.

Managed to get an emergency appointment at the docs (miracle??) and she said she was 99% sure it was the onset of shingles, possibly Ramsay Hunt syndrome!?. She sent me home with some penicillan (or variant - fluxiclaxillan or something) which put me at ease somewhat and told me to come back immidately if a rash developed. Looking online tells of horror stories with RHS (facial paralysis etc!) so I stopped reading that lol.

It's coming up to three days now and no sign of a rash but looking on the net it could take upto 3 weeks to develop. I'm still not totally convinced it is shingles due to no rash developing and I'm more leaning towards some sort of viral infection other than chicken pox.

Anyone ever had shingles or the Ramsey Hunt syndrome associated with it, if so how long did it take from earache to a rash developing for you?
 
the missus has got shingles at the minute and is thoroughly miserable with it.

It appears the symptoms in the female cause no change to their mood whatsoever
 
Got shingles when I was at University. Didn't have earache, just an unsightly rash on my back (still have a slight scar actually), itched like crazy when it was healing (scabbing and falling off - mmm) but wasn't too bad until then - my Grandad was in agony when he got it in later life. I thought it was caused by a virus though (herpes), so not sure what antibiotics would do.
 
scorza said:
Got shingles when I was at University. Didn't have earache, just an unsightly rash on my back (still have a slight scar actually), itched like crazy when it was healing (scabbing and falling off - mmm) but wasn't too bad until then - my Grandad was in agony when he got it in later life. I thought it was caused by a virus though (herpes), so not sure what antibiotics would do.
Click to expand...

Yeah it's offical term is Herpes Zoster virus. Anyone who has had chicken pox can get it as it actually is a reoccurence of that virus. RHS stems from shingles of the ear iirc which is what she believes I have, despite not having a rash (yet).
 
Hi

I know that medical threads are frowned upon, but . . .

if she is sure it is shingles/RHS you need Aciclovir ( anti-viral ) and possibly prednisilone - steroid - do a google.

Might be worth seeing the GP again tmrw/phoning her

R

Mehul
 
Shingles is caused by the Chicken pox virus, it retreats into the spine and can re-appear as shingles at any time. You can also get it more than once :eek:.

I had a pretty bad case of it, all down one side of my body. Big puss filled blisters.

Started off just feeling really run down and tired, like I was getting the flu. Then I got a aching pain in my chest and side, that gradually got worse. Then a small rash appeared and within a few hours I was covered in a big rash.

The Doc prescribed me some pain killers and some anti-viral drugs that he said cost over £100 for 6 pills. I don't know why he threw that bit of info in :p.

Took a week for the blisters to go and the area was still tender for about a year. There was also a mark there for over a year, but that slowly faded away and completely went after about 2 years.
 
I had shingles when I was about 15 - just a little patch on my side.

I presume your earache is because it's on your head, or maybe you have 2 things at once. I had earache all the time as a kid - so I can't say if shingles caused it.

Apparently you generally only get it when you're old, and if you have it once it may well come back.

It was annoying - but not too bad - and I got some time off school.

Apparently the pills cost a fortune.
 
I had shingles last year. I got the rash on my forehead and was very ill during the first week of the world cup (honest!) but the Aciclovir 800mg tablets stopped the rash from getting out of hand as I went to the doctors and it was diagnosed early.

Got a scar the size of of 20p peice on my head but its fading and now barely noticable. One thing I know is I don't want it again, the headaches were unbearable at times.
 
I currently have Ramsay Hunt syndrome and not to scare you but its been hell :(

It started with a very bad ear ache, 3-4 days later half my face was paralysed and then dizziness so bad I passed out with it.

Was put on Aciclovir and Prednisilone.

8 months on I can now blink again, all be it slower. However, the top of my mouth still does not work right.

I am pretty sure this thread will be closed. However, my advice is to really push the doctor to look into RHS, sadly until the facial paralysis occurs its very hard to diagnose.
 
I had shingles when I was in my early 20's and it put me to bed for 2 whole days, curtains closed slept most of the time had what looked and felt like lizard scales over my stomach and chest and back....they took over a week or so to finally go if I remember rightly

It was painful I remember that....

Hope you feel better soon mate ;)
 
Shingles? I haven't heard that mentioned for years! Actually I'm sure the last person I heard mention it was my late grandmother!


It's a nasty beggar from what I remember her saying though :/
 
Yeah thats what I though when the doc suggested I had it. I thought only old people got it (although I am 36 now :(). I'm not asking for advice. I know better than to ask for medical advice on the net. You can be diagnosed with Black Death for having a sore throat lol!

I'm more looking for people who have experienced shingles, especially those who have had symptoms similar to what I am experiencing as despite the doctors diagnosis I'm not entirely convinced I have it (hopefully I won't be eating my words soon!).
 
I had shingles when i was three, developed a rash on my left temple, eventually the rash spread into my eye damaging the nerves. I have very limited vision in my left eye because of this. Had the same rash appear a few times over the years now but thankfully not regularly.
 
Another member of the Shingles club here. Got it when I was 15 and had a rash of very large, puss filled spots on my back, like something out of Gremlins! Don't remember feeling that unwell though, just uncomfortable as I couldn't lie on my back.

I was given some mental lotion that my mum had to paint onto them a few times a day. It came packaged in a large plastic tub, with some clever lock on it and inside was a tiny bottle and a brush. The Chemist told us it was very dodgy stuff, hence the protection. Pretty sure it fizzed when it was applied, but that might just be my imagination getting carried away - stung like hell though!
 
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