I have shingles...any tips to make things more comfortable.

[Greenartywitch]

I saw my GP this morning who confirmed I have shingles and gave me Aciclovir tablets.

I have had fever and chills and of course some seriously itchy large, burning rash on my belly for the past couple of days.

It is so painful and tiring!

I was already on sick leave for burnout/depression and this is really not helping.

I think my body/immune system are just exhausted all around.

Anyone has any tips to try to make things a bit more comfortable while the medication hopefully takes effect?

If you had shingles how long did it take for you to feel better after starting treatment?

I had shingles after my mom died. The rash was on one side of my back. Everybody at her funeral seemed to hug me in just the place the rash was (I was wearing three layers, it was winter). After about the 25th huge I just couldn't feel it any more! So maybe get 25 plus bear hugs??

In all seriousness cocodamol helped. And cold flannels. Its definitely your body telling you to rest.

Sorry to hear you had to deal with this too @AlwaysFreezing.

I said no to co-codamol after the GP listed the possible side effects...starting to regret it a bit now :).

I took paracetamol and ibuprofen, but staggered the doses so I was having some pain relief every two hours during the day (up to the maximum daily dosage).

Ditto the advice for cold flannels.

Thank you @hoteltango .

I will definitely start with cold flannels. I am in the South East and it is boiling today which I think makes everything more uncomfortable.

I had the antivirals Gabapentin and cocodamol. It was still awful though. Like hot needles being pushed into your skin.
My GP said mine was caused by stress at work. Please rest as much as you can and don’t go back to work until you feel better.
I slept in a chair for a couple of weeks and was pretty “ out of it” on the meds.
Hope you recover soon.

Piriton helped my Mother. Sincere sympathies. I hope that you feel better soon.

I had shingles last week and was told to apply zinc cream, it worked really well and now the rash has dried up and is starting to flake off.

It took about five weeks to feel completely well but the worst was over in two weeks. I was exhausted and burned out before, like you. The doctor said not to skip pain medication (paracetamol and ibuprofen for me, I didn't tolerate the one he prescribed) to help reduce the risk of neuropathy. What really helped was lots of rest, water, paying attention to diet and sleep. I had no long lasting effects and it did force me to prioritise my health afterwards. I hope that you feel much better soon.

@24Dogcuddler
''It was still awful though. Like hot needles being pushed into your skin.''

That's exactly how it feels like for me too (being poked with hot needles) combined with muscle pain & these awful chills...

''The doctor said not to skip pain medication (paracetamol and ibuprofen for me, I didn't tolerate the one he prescribed) to help reduce the risk of neuropathy.''

@NoisyLemonDog
Thank you for mentioning that. I will make sure I also keep taking Ibuprofen.

I had it about 6 weeks ago and just under my bottom and down my leg so painful ti sit down. The rash doesn’t look any better now. The pain seemed to be worse right at the start but I’m still shuffling with fatigue now (although have MS so get fatigue anyway). I found calamine lotion helped. It took about 10 days for it to scab over and stop taking the aclovir.

All my sympathy to everyone who's suffering from shingles. It sounds awful.

May I just remind peeps that if you're over 65 you're entitled to have a free NHS shingles jab. I've done mine, and I'm truly grateful.

@CrystalSingerFanVaccination only available if 65, 66 or 70 and over but not if you are 67,68 or 69 at the moment! Which is so annoying for me who got it at 67. Vit B12 which I took is recommended to prevent long term nerve damage. Back to normal after 4 weeks - it was as if a cloud lifted and I had energy again. The scars are still there but I'm not bothered as on my bottom (only seen by a medic or undertaker!) I did have to go commando when the rash was v itchy.

@CrystalSingerFan

I am under 65 so would not qualify for a free vaccine unfortunately.

In the unactivated afe range and got shingles in March.
Think the AVs helped stop the rash in it's tracks.
The pain was something else. Never experienced anything quite like it.
Took OTC painkillers. Didn't have courage to take others offered. Side effects really need some thought!
Read about arginine and lycine in diet and think this really helped. Worth a look.
It.takes time and overall rest is the best cure.

I found wearing really oversized t-shirts were best for me, esp as I had it on my back. I also found aloe Vera gel from the fridge really helped cool it down

I've just returned to work after a 3 week absence with shingles. It's an absolutely horrible illness and nobody seems to realise how painful it is unless they've had it. Most of my colleagues seem to think I've been taking the p* by being off for so long, but its been awful. I found that ice packs and nurofen helped. I used every lotion going; savlon, germolene etc, but I'd say sudocrem was the best, when I was finally able to bear even putting cream on. Definitely caused by stress at work for me. Take the time you need OP, you have my sympathy, but it will get better x

Bad luck!

I have to say it was one of the few benefits of becoming 65. I would have preferred my state pension to have kicked in, but hey... Anyway, keep breathing. 😀

How bonkers is that?

Still, I'm glad you're feeling better. I may also have to use your line "(only seen by a medic or undertaker!)" in future medical situations. Keep well.

I got shingles a few years ago (I was in late 20s) after a period of significant stress. I was off work for 3 weeks and gladly could have died, the pain was horrific. I was unlucky and got the rash both sides around my rib cage.

Constant painkillers, sleep, eat and drink water as much as you can and do not under any circumstances over exert yourself too soon. It really will set your recovery back.

I ended up watching love island for three weeks I felt so pants! 😆

Aveeno oat bath sachets definitely. Hope you feel better soon x

Thank you again everyone for all the support and advice!

I am feeling a tiny bit better today and managed to sleep a few hours and go out in the garden this morning (I am in Kent and we had a thunderstorm last night) to check for any damage and do a bit of tidying up but I think the rest of the day is going to be rest...

Please do rest, OP.

I have severe back pain at the moment (x prolapsed discs, yay) and I'm not getting back on the co-codamol treadmill again. The most effective pain relievers in my repertoire currently are: hot toddies; TENS machine; ibuprofen/diclofenic gel rather than tablets [gut issues]; and cannabis-sourced edibles.

After five years, I'm binning off the pharmacopeia of prescription drugs and OTC tablets, so I do understand your point about avoiding co-codamol. However, should the pain become too much, then please do reconsider whether they'd help to give you some respite for a couple of days. Short-term acute use is safe.

Lush do a soap with calamine called fresh farmacy, it did help a bit. Rest is all that really works.

My dad just had shingles and he said it was horrendous. He was taking the prescribed medication and then maximum amount of pain relief - you can get low level cocodomol over the counter at the pharmacy, and you can take that alongside the ibuprofen to ensure you've got lots in your system! He used sudocrem and ice packs and just rested and slept a lot. He also took a multivitamin to ensure his immune system was well supported

Thank you everyone for the additional advice and support!

The medication seems to be working as the fever and chills are gone and the sores are slowly drying up.

I ended up sleeping in the afternoon as well over the weekend as I was exhausted about only a couple of hours of activity in the morning.

Still sharp, burning pains though but I need to be patient I guess!

When I feel well enough to leave the house I will hunt for a cream to put on the sores. Thank you for the suggestions for this as well.