Shingles questions

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bezu@rcn.com - 28 Oct 2005 21:39 GMT

I have been diagnosed with shingles and have been taking Valtrex since
Tuesday. Though my doctor was "99%" sure it was shingles it is that 1 %
that worries me.

My rash starts around mid back across my left back bone. It started as
3 distinct patches and has basically filled in. The patches are red
with small darker red bumps. I have not actually blistered and I have
no oozing or crusting.

Is it normal to get nerve pain and tingling in the wrist , arm and hand
when the rash is on the back (with one small patch on my chest)? I have
also started getting a little odd sensation in my face.

Does heat increase the pain?

Are cold packs any good?

I have had no relief thus far...how long before I should be seriously
worried? Is there a medical alert to any of this that should take me to
the emergency room? Thanks for any advice,

Beth

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Christopher J. Henrich - 29 Oct 2005 01:59 GMT

> I have been diagnosed with shingles and have been taking Valtrex since
> Tuesday. Though my doctor was "99%" sure it was shingles it is that 1 %
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> when the rash is on the back (with one small patch on my chest)? I have
> also started getting a little odd sensation in my face.

An important nerve goes through the "carpal tunnel," and when it is
distressed it produces those symptoms. Most often, I think, "carpal
tunnel syndrome" comes from repetitive stress and fatigue. But it
could come from inflammation of the carpal tunnel by the virus which
produces shingles.

Which brings me to yor next sentence - this sounds like the beginnings
of "Bell's palsy." Again, it's from an important nerve, in this case I
think it's the facial nerve, which also goes through a bone tunnel.
Bell's palsy can produce numbness and paralysis on one side of the
face.
Again, I think it is usually caused by that same virus. BTW this is
the virus of chickenpox.

Mention these symptoms to your doctor. He may bump that "99%" to
"100%," and he may change your medication.

> Does heat increase the pain?
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> worried? Is there a medical alert to any of this that should take me to
> the emergency room? Thanks for any advice,

I (a layman) do not think these symptoms are threatening enough to go
to the emergency room. But, the sooner you treat the inflammation, the
less lasting damage to those nerves.

> Beth

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Chris Henrich
http://www.mathinteract.com
"Try thinking of outrage as an addiction, and see if that helps." -- Nancy
Lebovitz

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dcholiman@ev1.net - 29 Oct 2005 04:33 GMT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You did not say your back rash is painful.
I had a private school colleague who developed a
painful shingles patch on her waist. She eventually
died from tylenol poisoning, although the public
hospital said death was caused by a recurrence of her
kidney cancer. Fact is, the hospital doctors were too
afraid to prescribe liberal amounts of codeine for her
pain. She always ran out of codeine on the weekends
and had to rely on tylenol. And no one was authorised
to prescribe narcotics on weekends. And it's common
knowledge that opiate addiction does not occur when
opiates are taken to neutralise physical pain.
Doctor Quack
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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