Shingle bells

Hi All
Look around you, one in three people are likely to contract shingles according to the stats. Well sods law and all that..... I kicked a goal.

The annoying bit is it may have been avoidable. there is a vaccine, ask the doc next time you visit.

WIth first hand experience I can assure you you do not want it, 4 weeks in and it is still most uncomfortable. At the beginning high power prescription only analgesics were needed. The good news is it is receding (hopefully but not certainly to zero) so all good there.

However all this would in 90% of cases have been avoidable,

Are you next?

Regards J

Never heard of the vaccination for shingles. Good to know. My late wife had them once, and definitely they are something best avoided.

Hi John,

The NHS have in recent years made the shingles vaccine available for those in their 70’s, well worth having. I had the misfortune to have shingles before the vaccine was made available but recognised what it was and visited my GP who prescribed ant-virals which didn’t cure it but certainly lessened the impact of it. I had it down the side of my face, very painful, but it fortunately didn’t affect my eyes. If anyone suspects they have shingles developing then visit your GP as soon as you can and get anti-virals prescribed, although getting an appointment in time might be a problem with the current workload of GP’s, oh dear have I added a political element to my posting? Anyway John you have my sympathy it’s not pleasant, hope it clears soon.

Dave W

My friend says shingles is more painful than shortening one leg by 2" by crashing a motor bike...

SOD,

I think I will pass on trying that!

Dave W

My biology teacher had six months off with shingles when I was doing my A levels.

I've been diagnosed with it twice, both times it wasn't very severe and only lasted a couple of weeks. I was lucky...

Neil

If this is turning into a whats my ailment forum can members at least post in the "midden Tea Room" section to make it easier for the minority who come here for engineering to avoid.

I will move this thread there.

J

Edited By JasonB on 17/07/2018 11:02:51

My wife developed shingles a few years ago, but luckily she managed to see the GP within a day or so of it starting, and the swift administration of the antiviral medication got it under control. It started retreating up her arms within the first week, but it was another 5 weeks or so before it was no longer a problem.

Apparently the medication is only effective if administered within the first week.

The vaccine has been available to the over 70s for some time, but, because of the small stocks, it is restricted to certain age ranges, and they change every year. I understand that the causative virus is related to the chickenpox virus and once you've been infected you have it lying dormant for life, and can erupt at any time. Since she'd had chickenpox as a child, she was keen to get the shingles vaccine, but whenever she was about to reach the correct range they changed it.

Oh no, first we have politics now we have health issues, a man could get depressed, as Jason says put these topics in the Tea Room, model engineering is what I come here for. Mike.

I'm with MichaelR.

Brian

In the spirit of the conversation I won't mention that I had the jab with no ill effects, I can now carry on with making my rear toolpost without fear

😨

Mick

Those who post on a thread just to moan about what it covers, simply add to the number of posts and pop it to the top of the list, helping ensure its longevity.

The rational thing to do with thread you aren't interested in is ignore it.

Out of about 40 threads on the first page of the list, two are about 'medical issues' is it really that distressing to people to see them listed as no-one has to open a thread marked 'shingles' or 'gout'.

Posting 'I don't think this is relevant' when a topic clearly interests many forum members is akin to trolling.

Neil

If you had Chicken Pox as a kid, you have the virus for Shingles. In NZ the vaccine is free for over 65s/ Gold Card holders. I had mine along with the Flu jab. This year is only the second time I'v had the Flu jab.

Ian S C

Well at least the Gout one you had an idea of what it was about from the title so could be avoided. With a title of "shingle bells" it could have been about what aggregate to use for a shed base or bell making as it was under general questions.

Mike's point is well-made. Thanks to him, the forum has had a narrow escape - I was about to share 53 photos of my fungal toe-nail infection.

Surely the diseases of Model Engineers are fair game though? Especially as Model Engineering is excellent therapy for many illnesses.

Dave

Now where is my big wooden spoon - this pot needs stirring !!

SOD , thank goodness it wasn't a fungal crotch infection !

On a serious note i had shingles many years ago and if i had to choose between the pain from a prolapsed disc in my back and pain of a band of shingles running around my chest and through both nipples the prolapsed disc would be welcome anytime ! I had never heard of them at the time and went to my local gp who prescribed some medication , i went to the chemist - which was packed at the time and the lady behind the counter looked at my scrip and at the top of her voice pronounced " oh you have shingles" - did you know they are a form of herpes? that chemist shop emptied out pretty fast i can tell you ! Never a more embarrassing moment in my life has there ever been !

If you had Chicken Pox as a kid, you have the virus for Shingles

Does that not immunise you for life?

My flatmate caught it when we were in our mid 20s and it never touched me

He was an itchy scratching nightmare covered in pustules

No, after you have had chicken pox the virus can remain in the body in a dormant state and re-activate later in life.

Russell

It retreats down the nerves and hides till you get rundown, then it comes back up hence the reason it hurts so much.

Surprised no one has dragged up the old 'If you get a ring of shingles around your waist that joins up you die' very popular story at my old school and complete garbage.

"hides till you get rundown, then it comes back up hence the reason it hurts so much."

I got run down once and yes it hurt a lot

Rik