My experience with Shingles

Hardcore · 09-25-2025, 10:39 AM

Just a few things from a 66 year old guy who has had a few bouts of shingles..

I picked up Chicken Pox when I was 7... from my sister who had it like 5 days before...
wasnt fun then... really itchy..but it happens

now in my 60s..I spent BIG bucks for 2 doses of a medication ending in RIX
needless to say.. I can only hope it has reduced the severity... but has not stopped the shingles pain from occurring on multiple occasions..
and its always on my right side of my body.. face along the cheekbone and eyebrow area.. and fortunately for me the blisters have been light..so far .. but still painful.. also have occured on my shoulder and back..
It feels like someone is poking you with a flaming stick... and not much helps as its in your nerves
recommend Valtrex and Aleve(prescription strength or double up the over the counter version)
whatever the commercials say.. dont expect to not get it if you take the vaccines.. it still does happen and its not fun

Slette · 09-25-2025, 01:56 PM

I'm sorry you're going through this. I had chicken pox when I was five and three years ago, at the age of 43 I got hit with them while I was in Vegas. It started with a blister by my right eye and soon spread across the entire right side of my face. It's such a strange pain, because doing nothing at all would still set off shooting pain like I've never felt. I couldn't eat or drink anything without thinking I was going to pass out. My doctor did prescribe me Gabapentin, which is typically a seizure medicine. I couldn't tell if it helped or not, if I'm being honest. Apparently it can be brought on by dealing with stress, which makes sense in my case since my youngest daughter had been in the ER a couple of days earlier.

If any good came from this, my doctor said that when I'm finally age-eligible for the vaccine, he recommends I only get one dose of it, instead of the two-dose preventive plan. Here's hoping I don't have to go through that again in the future, and here's hoping your outbreak is either over, or over soon.

Hardcore · 09-25-2025, 02:46 PM

have had 4 outbreaks in 6 years....
weird that its most times in the fall or winter.....

Siberian13 · 09-25-2025, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hardcore

have had 4 outbreaks in 6 years....
weird that its most times in the fall or winter.....

Probably stress of holidays and other stressful stuff during those times. I hope I don’t get it as I’ve heard so many horror stories.

cash4cards · 09-25-2025, 03:26 PM

I share the same painful experience. I had chicken pox at age 5 and got them from my father who was having a shingles outbreak at around 28 years old.

I got shingles when I was 33-34 (now 45) and I recall the hot knife shooting pains and constant ache in my lower chest, rib cage and around to the underside of my shoulder (all on my right side). I struggled to sleep because no position was comfortable. I felt like I had been a car accident and had been tossed around but had no visible signs of anything. After almost a week of that I went to the doctor and the nurse told me she wasn't a doctor but asked If I would take my shirt off to show her. She saw a few blisters that were starting to form after a week of pain and no signs and said that I def have shingles. They gave me a strong steroid that didn't help. The whole ordeal was about 14 days long with nerve/muscle pain first week, then nerve/muscle/blister pain week two.

The Latin word for Shingles means belt. That's because the chicken pox virus lays dormant in your nervous system and then when it decided to come out it will almost always come out of one nerve belt. For me lower chest, ribs and under the shoulder blade on one side. For OP his was face, neck and into the upper chest and shoulder on only one side I assume. I have heard of cases of people having it in multiple nerve belts at the same time though rare. One nerve belt was bad enough for me!

09-25-2025, 10:39 AM	#1
Hardcore Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Toronto Canada Posts: 626	My experience with Shingles Just a few things from a 66 year old guy who has had a few bouts of shingles.. I picked up Chicken Pox when I was 7... from my sister who had it like 5 days before... wasnt fun then... really itchy..but it happens now in my 60s..I spent BIG bucks for 2 doses of a medication ending in RIX needless to say.. I can only hope it has reduced the severity... but has not stopped the shingles pain from occurring on multiple occasions.. and its always on my right side of my body.. face along the cheekbone and eyebrow area.. and fortunately for me the blisters have been light..so far .. but still painful.. also have occured on my shoulder and back.. It feels like someone is poking you with a flaming stick... and not much helps as its in your nerves recommend Valtrex and Aleve(prescription strength or double up the over the counter version) whatever the commercials say.. dont expect to not get it if you take the vaccines.. it still does happen and its not fun

09-25-2025, 01:56 PM	#2
Slette Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: St Paul, MN Posts: 3,261	I'm sorry you're going through this. I had chicken pox when I was five and three years ago, at the age of 43 I got hit with them while I was in Vegas. It started with a blister by my right eye and soon spread across the entire right side of my face. It's such a strange pain, because doing nothing at all would still set off shooting pain like I've never felt. I couldn't eat or drink anything without thinking I was going to pass out. My doctor did prescribe me Gabapentin, which is typically a seizure medicine. I couldn't tell if it helped or not, if I'm being honest. Apparently it can be brought on by dealing with stress, which makes sense in my case since my youngest daughter had been in the ER a couple of days earlier. If any good came from this, my doctor said that when I'm finally age-eligible for the vaccine, he recommends I only get one dose of it, instead of the two-dose preventive plan. Here's hoping I don't have to go through that again in the future, and here's hoping your outbreak is either over, or over soon. __________________ Always buying 2006 Donruss Elite Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodges.

09-25-2025, 03:26 PM	#5
cash4cards Member Join Date: May 2017 Location: Terre Haute, Indiana Posts: 406 throckmj2004	I share the same painful experience. I had chicken pox at age 5 and got them from my father who was having a shingles outbreak at around 28 years old. I got shingles when I was 33-34 (now 45) and I recall the hot knife shooting pains and constant ache in my lower chest, rib cage and around to the underside of my shoulder (all on my right side). I struggled to sleep because no position was comfortable. I felt like I had been a car accident and had been tossed around but had no visible signs of anything. After almost a week of that I went to the doctor and the nurse told me she wasn't a doctor but asked If I would take my shirt off to show her. She saw a few blisters that were starting to form after a week of pain and no signs and said that I def have shingles. They gave me a strong steroid that didn't help. The whole ordeal was about 14 days long with nerve/muscle pain first week, then nerve/muscle/blister pain week two. The Latin word for Shingles means belt. That's because the chicken pox virus lays dormant in your nervous system and then when it decided to come out it will almost always come out of one nerve belt. For me lower chest, ribs and under the shoulder blade on one side. For OP his was face, neck and into the upper chest and shoulder on only one side I assume. I have heard of cases of people having it in multiple nerve belts at the same time though rare. One nerve belt was bad enough for me! __________________ Check out our Instagram @Indianacardguys

09-25-2025, 02:46 PM	#3
Hardcore Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Toronto Canada Posts: 626	have had 4 outbreaks in 6 years.... weird that its most times in the fall or winter.....