Shingles

I got a very mild case sometime after I got the old vaccine.?ÿ It was a small patch on the back of my right shoulder, and it was pretty painful.?ÿ I later got the new vaccine, and haven't had another outbreak.

I can imagine that a large outbreak would be very unpleasant.

Wife got it in her 30s on the shoulder and another spot on the cheek that was migrating towards the eye.?ÿ Docs were very worried at the time, but she ended up being OK, with little effect on the eye. It really bothered her for about 2 months as I can recall.

You never really hear about it, but it can really mess with people, and until recently there was nothing that could really be done for it.?ÿ We are awaiting the eligibility for the shot on that one, couple years yet I think.

Had a buddy spend his 30th birthday in the hospital, paralyzed from the waist down from shingles.?ÿ It eventually went away and he's just fine now.?ÿ?ÿ

Shingles last year at 29. I had a small patch on my right flank. The nerve pain is such a bizarre pain. That nerve pain lasted at least two months after everything on my skin had cleared up. I can't imagine a large breakout. It would be debilitating.

My brother had shingles and said it is bad. He should know, because he has had a lot of terrible injuries and illnesses.?ÿ I had no problem getting that vaccination and updated vaccine after listening to his story.?ÿ Jp

Despite having the vaccinations I had a very minor case on my head. More of a mosquito bite type irritation to me. My wife at a different time had a much worse case, having not been vaccinated due to her young age.?ÿ

Had a friend about 10 years ago who had shingles in what he called a very wide belt all the way around him just above the actual belt line.?ÿ There was no way to lie down comfortably for a long time.

It's definitely a good idea to take it easy when you have shingles. I strongly recommend getting the vax. And get anti-biotics if you realize you have it soon enough.

When I got it, it felt almost like pins and needles, but from deep down in my abdomen. I thought that something internal was failing from all those years of abuse. Another way to describe it is that it felt similar to the shot the dentist gives you to put your mouth asleep, but again, from deep down inside. I describe this in detail because if you're able to get anti-biotics early on, you can drastically minimize the severity of the illness. But the problem is that it feels like nothing else you've ever had before, and probably varies based on who and where it occurs. The first sign on the skin appeared as redness, followed by the blisters. I think they said once the blisters appear that it's a little late for the anti-biotics.

I don't think I had the worst case but it still sucked. I had just lost two weeks of pay due to a potential Covid case (this was early on in the pandemic, April 2020 I believe). I didn't want to take another break and had to work through it. This may have contributed to worse scarring. I also threw in the towel a few nights (you're in constant pain) and crushed a couple beers... that might have caused more blood flow to go to the skin making the scaring worse. Other than the beers a couple nights I made sure to take care of myself and got over it pretty fast otherwise. The scar looks very similar to burn scars. I've heard of people healing completely, so I suspect I somehow negatively contributed to that outcome.

I was in my late 30's when I got it. I think the cause was sudden and quite intense sun burn (I read that can cause it). I work in building construction and we were working on a parkade at the time. The recently-cast concrete was a very light grey. And we were getting far more sun than usual for that time of the year (and a complete contrast from the previously dreary weather beforehand). So I went from no sun in months to more sun burn than I probably had the entire previous year... which may have triggered it.

After a rather stressful 48 hour trip from Sharm El Sheikh Egypt to my home in Wyoming (including staring down the barrels of several AK-47s in Cairo...long story), I came down with a bout of Shingles. it really sucked, but eventually cleared up without any major complications. I know several folks who have had Shingles, and nobody enjoyed the experience.?ÿ?ÿ

@toivo1037 there has been a shingles vaccine widely available for years now.?ÿ Your primary care provider should easily be able to administer it.

From 2004 to late 2007 I shared the responsibility of running a satelite office with a PE friend of mine.?ÿ Somewhere around the middle of that time frame he contracted a nasty case of shingles that covered his whole back and the back of both of his arms and was in extreme pain.

We lived about 15 minutes apart and both had a one hour drive to the office, I can only imagine the discomfort of his commute.?ÿ Every time he manager to get to the office, for a good two months, I told him to go home and try to rest, assuring him that if we needed him, we'd call him.

His condition lasted for about three months but he made a full recovery, having had chicken pox, one would think that I would get the vaccine but I guess that I am just too adiment about getting substances injected into me.?ÿ I'm very leery about that kind of thing and have never even had a flu shot, or the flu itself, for that matter.

Shingles suck, I'm 43 and have had them twice.?ÿ The last case was on my face and left a few scars.?ÿ Started out feeling like one side of my face was sunburnt, then the blisters and scabs came (I thought it was poison oak from a job site) I finally went to the doctor and they gave me some meds.?ÿ I lasted about 3 weeks and hurt the whole time.