How long do the pimples last when you have shingles? How long does the pain continue?
By J.E.D
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
The first thing to be done is contact your health professional. There are meds which can help relieve the symptoms.
That said, the rest of this is based on my personal experience; I'm not a medical person. I'll also offer my home remedies for your consideration.
Five years ago, I had shingles on one side of my face, ran from my jaw, up my cheek, and into my ear (nasty!). If I remember correctly, the pimples lasted a couple of weeks, partly because I didn't know what it was, so didn't go to the doctor until I had broken out and was in horrible pain. Because it was in my ear, it gave me vertigo, which lasted about a month.
For me, the horrible nerve pain lasted 2-3 weeks. Zovirax capsules prescribed for me made me sick, so stopped taking them. The topical Zovirax cream helped a little on my face. I took Tylenol to relieve some of the pain.
Ice packs on my cheek where the sores were helped the most. Ice pack on my cervical area at the top of my neck where my hairline is helped the excruciating headaches and some of the vertigo.
Instead of the Zovirax capsules, I took 1,000mg of L-lysine every 4 hours. I really think that helped shorten the outbreak. L-lysine is also reported to be good to relieve cold sores, a relative of chicken pox and shingles. You can research this on the Internet.
When the shingles vaccine became available, I got one!
My deepest sympathy to you (or whoever has it). Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Dottie
This is complicated and different for everyone. First and foremost I hope you've gone to your doctor and have been prescribed an anti-viral medication! I've had shingles a few times (one really, really bad outbreak) and it took almost a week for the blisters to pop but they don't pop for everyone they just sort of dry up. My bad outbreak took months for some of the spots to completely fade even though they had healed.
You must NOT touch them whether they have broken open or not and if you do touch them then wash your hands immediately and thoroughly because you can spread them to other parts of your body. Plus you could possibly pass the virus on to someone else.
Stay completely away from anyone who has never had chicken pox especially young children, the elderly or anyone with a compromised immune system and do not get into shared/public swimming pools or hot tubs during an outbreak because that can also spread the virus.
In my case I was Blessed to have only localized pain but since it affects the nervous system the pain can spread to other parts of the body and last indefinitely. What drove me the craziest about the outbreaks was how much they itched and I couldn't scratch them ;-) If you have undo pain or itching you need to talk to your doctor about it because they can prescribe additional medications for those issues.
I am sure I am forgetting to mention something here but the last thing I highly suggest is talking to your doctor about having the Zoster vaccination because the chances of ever having another outbreak of shingles again is 'greatly reduced'. If you have other health issues you also need to talk to your doctor about weighing the benefits of having the shot. In my case one of my health issues could have been a risk to have the shot but I decided I would rather take the risk of having it so I would never have one of those nasty shingles outbeaks again. I am glad I had the shot, had no adverse results/reactions because of my other health issue and not a single outbreak since :-)
Hope this was helpful and that you talk more to your doctor about it.
I had it on my right tonsil, the roof of my mouth, lip, side of my nose, and my cheek-and all this was in a matter of less than 48 hours. The worst pain in my entire life. I couldn't even drink water that wasn't body temperature-cold water from the tap hurt so bad I blacked out. I got to the doctor on day 1.5, and they prescribed Famcyclovir. I had blisters, 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter, for about a week and the scars for a couple more weeks.
The doc also prescribed a pretty strong antibiotic ointment around day 3 for my blisters since they were on my face. Twice daily I washed them with a cotton ball and mild soap, then rinsed them with a saline soaked cotton ball, applied the antibiotic with a cotton swab. I used disposable items to clean the wounds to prevent prolonging the irritation. I also got plenty of bed rest (I had a fever of 103), and I kept a bottle of water up under me so it would be body temperature when I got thirsty.
Because I acted fast and got medicine, I have had no lasting nerve damage and it didn't get close enough to my ear to cause hearing loss, and because I took care of them meticulously I have no noticeable scarring-only I can really see where they were, thank goodness. I hope you are under a physician's care and taking medicine-Shingles are so bad I wouldn't even wish them on an enemy.
As you can see by the other posters, it is absolutely imperative to go to the doctor. My aunt had shingles on her spine - inside - and these caused paralysis. This is nothing to fool around with and can have very serious complications.
Best you check as I only made mental note. Google chaparral spray for pain and infection of shingles. I understood pain alleviated in 20 minutes with chaparral spray. Also lysine orally. Check Eskimo/colloidal silver site for some very good natural remedy.
I had a a breakout, thinking it was pimples, on my lower butt cheeks,around my rectum and on the inside of my leg.- all on the right side. Anyway, I went to my annual gyny. checkup and ask the doctor what I can do for the itchy, burning pimples. Well, he said. "I think you have shingles". I said, "What, down there, what the heck." He told me that when he got up that morning, he never thought that he would have to tell a patient that she had shingles down there.
Anyway, he put a cream there and on my butt and told me to get hold of my med. dr. right away. Some people are hospitalized over this. I was put on strong antibiotic meds and I really suffered for over two weeks, but finally they went away. Please contact your doctor.
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
