Mom in despair with Shingles pain. Any recommendations? All are needed and welcomed!

My grandmother was given a prescription for Gabapentin to handle her shingles pain. It works on nerve pain and really helped her. I hope she feels better soon.

Sharing an update about my mom more for “educational or comparison” purposes as far as Shingles. Needless to say it is a horrible experience, specially for someone that is 85 with plenty of other health problems. As of today her blisters have healed significantly, yet not fully. I still clean them with chamomile and apply the prescribed medication twice a day; strangely she is more sensitive to the touch than at the beginning of the outbreak when her skin was raw. She can barely tolerate my touch applying the medicated cream.

The pain is a different story. It was literally unbearable until about three days ago, when it went from completely intolerable to severely painful (believe it or not, that is an improvement). Some days are worst than others.

We have been through days of complete depression to days when she makes an effort to try to do some activities but pretty much unsuccessfully, as the pain comes back with fury when she does. Aside from symptoms related to Shingles I have to say her strength has decreased noticeably and very significantly as a result of this illness, more than with anything else she has experienced in the past. It is probably because of her age and general health situation, but she has trouble with her balance, trouble standing up, moves very slowly and believe it or not despite her age she was not like that before Shingles. It has taken a huge toll on her and it saddens me a lot to see it. I hope and pray I can help repair some of the the damage with my care and providing proper nutrition (although she barely eats), and more than anything I pray the pain leaves her for good soon, as I can tell you my poor mom has had more than enough. And if I can be honest, I am pretty tired too, physically and emotionally.
For believers reading this, your prayers would be extremely appreciated. We need them! Thank you again so much for all of your input.

I don’t think anyone has mentioned CBD oil for this condition, but I’d ask for input from your mother’s doctor, and if given the go ahead, I’d try it without hesitation. It has none of the negative effects of marijuana, but some very helpful effects when used medicinally.

I'm so sorry about your mom. For those of you who are reading this, please get the vaccine so that you don't get shingles (or it's severity is reduced). One out of three older people will get shingles. Yes, one out of three! Spare yourself this misery. Insurance usually pays for the vaccine. A new vaccine came out several years back. Even if you had the old vaccine, get the new one. While you've at it, get a flu vaccine too! If you are 65+ get a pneumonia vaccine.

My mom got to an ‘I cannot take it anymore’ point early this morning. I told her I would take her to the hospital but then thought to contact the doctor that saw her, as well as a nurse that lives next door. As a result my mom received a morphine injection and almost immediately the pain went away.
Oh Lord, finally some peace.

My mom had never received a morphine shot before, and as side effects she was light headed, lacking balance and with an upset stomach but it all was better than the pain that was killing her. Now I am, simply put, terrified of the pain returning, and more so of the possibility of having a longer than desired Shingles episode. But I trust with all my heart that won’t be the case.

I just cannot believe it was Shingles what got us to have to resource to Morphine.

If you are a believer please have my mom in your prayers; she has suffered a lot, more than most people, and this is simply a cruel situation for an elderly and very tired and depressed person. We need good thoughts and bright energy to come our way. Thank you so very much to all!

Rosses, I read your update. It is of concern to me as a nurse that you are not in contact with Mom's doctor about the inability to relieve her pain; you are currently giving her supplemental meds without passing this by the doctor. You say you are reading our comments, but have little time to do it because of the unrelenting pain. Please call your Mom's doctor. In case of lack of response, and given the ongoing pain, it is time for transport via EMS to the hospital for relief.

I know this regarding shingles... apply old fashioned Listerine to the bumps. It relieves the itch and cools skin plus dries up the shingles too.

Biofreeze! It's a topical ointment that can help alleviate the pain.

I had cancer last year. Got the 'all clear' results in Dec and broke out in shingles in January. LUCKILY I knew immediately what it was, had some Acyclovir from my chemo days and started on that on day 2. I also had pain meds as I have chronic back pain--nothing very strong, but it helped.

The itching was what got to me. I called my SIL who is a Dr. and he said I should be on Gabapentin, and my PCP called some in. That helped the most. I did also use a spray that they put on horses with tick bites--it stung but worked for a short time. I think I also took Benadryl for a few days.

The secret, sadly, is that you catch it early--which I did. I still had blisters for 6 weeks, but I was not truly miserable.

With our elders, we need to be checking them for blisters or rashes on the torso, where shingles often first occurs. My mother's breasts hang to her knees, so her shingles were not noticed for 3 months. She never looked at herself. B/C of that, I check myself daily.

I should have fought my other PCP about the shingles vaccination. She kept saying "wait until you are 65'--well, I was 63 when I got shingles and it is not unusual to break out in those after a bout of chemo.

I had shingles last year. It started out as a terrible back ache that would not go away. And nothing I took would ease the pain. I didn't have much of a 'rash'. It looked like a few bug bites. After two weeks of constant pain I went to the doctor and she said it was shingles. They gave me pain killers that were useless. Just made me dizzy. What worked was three Excedrine. That gave me a few hours of relief.

My husband broke out with shingles last November or December and it was pure hell for him. He broke out from his navel down and around his hip to the middle of his backside. He swore he had an ant bite until I looked at the first breakout and told him it was shingles. A trip to the dr proved it. He was put on pain pills for a few days and we were told there really isn't a treatment that works for everyone for them. He has a severe allergy to poison ivy and I had some of the otc meds left. They are what helped him. No gauze or covering other than loose, casual, athletic pull up pants. I cleaned and doctored every morning and after he bathed each night and sometimes in between. I would pat the area dry after his bath, put on gloves since the liquid in the blisters can be contagious, use a couple of cotton balls with the med on it and pat it on to cover it all and he had to let it dry before putting on the pants. The products I used was CVS pharmacy brand Itch Relief Clear Skin Protectant that dried in a thin covering that was easy to remove with water. I also found that Calagel Maximum Strength Anti Itch Gel worked great. It is basically for poison oak and ivy itch relief but it worked by helping dry up the blisters. If he was hurting to bad to get in the tub, I sprayed it with Bactine Max Pain Relieving Cleansing Spray, dab it off with clean wash cloth then applied one of the other products. His lasted til March of this year.
Because it is so contagious, I stocked up on gloves, lysol spray and disinfectant wipes. The wipes were used on the toilet and we carried them in a baggie in his pocket when we were at familys homes just in case he had to use their bathroom. The tub was disinfected every time he used it and his favorite chair was sprayed down nightly with lysol. Even the seat in my car was disinfected after he was in it. I pray he NEVER gets them again. He could tell me every time a blister came up. Said it was like having a burning nail pushed out of his skin. We checked on the shots but here, they are $500 each. We are both in our 70's and really need them.
The best of luck to you and your mom. They really are bad. I pray she gets some relief.

First of all I want to say thank from my heart all of you. You have taken time and effort to share your experiences and ideas here and I so much appreciate it.

I had not even been able to read your answers as I have been completely focused and dedicated to take care of my poor mom, with very little success as far as her pain management.

As I mentioned before she started taking medication a day after the rash appeared. The meds included Acyclovir, pills and cream, an antibiotic and pain meds which included Neurotin 150mg and Novalgina 500mg. None of the pain medication works for my mom. Most meds were prescribed for 5 days only, and I did ask the doctor if I should indeed stop them after five days since my mom still has the blisters (they are healing but still there) and the doctor said to stop the medications after the fifth day as she had originally indicated. I am concerned as I see my mom still very ill, yet stopped the meds, except for the useless pain meds and the Acyclovir cream which I apply twice a day on her wounds which are located on her back and front, left side of her body.

My mom is completely broken by this pain. Today in the morning I tried putting an electric massager on her back, around the affected area to “distract” the pain, but did not work. I have stayed away from cold compresses because they may not help her bronchitis. Have been giving her Medication to help her sleep too but the pain is too much.

Also, I think I associate the hearing loss to the bronchitis, although I am aware it can be the Shingle. Every time she gets congested her voice pitch changes and she loses her hearing. It is very bizarre. And ENT came a week ago and saw no blockage in either ear.

Shingles is indeed a very cruel illness. Cruel to experience it and cruel for a daughter to watch a parent suffering because of it. It is amazing how my mom has gone through cancer, herceptin, chemo, radiotherapy and all the side effects that come with those devastating treatments and which are affecting her to this day (since 2010) and yet Shingles is proving to be much more debilitating for her...and for me.

I relate my dizziness to tiredness because of severe lack of sleep. First because I am almost 24 on duty (my mom would not like having a nurse) and second because when I get to try to sleep my subconscious keeps me awake reminding me I need to be alert. It is very strange and very tiring. Yet if I don’t get better I will go see a doctor.

I have a question because I do have Lysine in the house, but does it help with the itchiness or will it ease the pain? She amazingly has very little itching, it is all about the unbearable pain.

I will re-read all your answers to see what I can add or change from what I am doing with her, contact the doctor about, etc. I honestly pray that we can get over this very challenging time soon.

Thank you so very much again, to all and each of you.

Imho, as I am not a doctor nor a medical professional, I will not be able to say what medication aides Shingles.
For you, Rosses003, I would urge you to be seen by your ENT physician as you COULD have an inner ear problem. I recently had tremendous, room-spinning vertigo that was actually caused by my physician digging far too deep into my surgically altered ear.

L-Lysine worked for me. Within 2 days I had relief from the shingles, and they soon disappeared. That was 14 years ago, and they have not returned. I have recommended it to friends and they too were cured. One woman actually had blisters on her head. Usual doses are 800 mg every 4 hours, 5 times a day for 10 days for shingles. L-Lysine can be picked up at any pharmacy for less than $5.00.

Dear Rosses, I am so sorry for you. My husband had shingles a few years ago, and it was very painful for him (and very concerning for me). My much loved MIL1 had a bad case which got into her head and her eyes, and continued to give her an occasional little pain until she died. A neighbor had the rash under her breasts, which was very difficult. Australia now has a free vaccination for over 65s, which I am very glad to have had. Medication to stop or reduce the attack has to be taken in the first few hours or it doesn’t work. Anyone who had chicken pox as a child is vulnerable.

I’ve just talked through with DH exactly what we did with him. He showered twice a day or more if he wanted, then did a very careful pat dry over the blisters. I used a cotton bud to wipe off any matter from broken blisters. I then dabbed old fashioned pink calomine lotion on them and left it to dry. He wore his softest shirt, and tried to keep working (he was about 65) to take his mind off it. He says that relaxing is easy to say and hard to do, but it helps to shorten the attack.

I’d up the pain medication, even if it makes her dozy and ‘out of it’. It’s just a case of getting through this.

The net says ‘Calamine is a mixture of zinc oxide and other components. Calamine and zinc oxide are topical anti- itch lotions. Although the exact mechanism of how calamine and zinc oxide work is not known, they have skin protecting and astringent properties that relieve itching’. I would be surprised if you can't find it locally.

DH says the gauze taking off the skin is NOT the way to go. If you really need to put a cover on them, look for some of the new sticking plasters designed for open wounds. He says he thinks that they have a non-sticking plastic surface next to the wound.

You both have very sincere sympathy from both of us. Please reassure your mother that the attack WILL finish. Yours, Margaret and Tony

I'm so sorry you are in this difficult situation. My mother also had shingles, and it is indeed horrible. Glad you got her to the doctor for the meds that can help. Several other things were helpful to my mother: vasaline, ice packs, and rubbing with a very soft cloth. The rubbing should not be on the rash, but near it, so the pleasant sensations override the pain signals.

As to the dizziness, I'm not a doctor but it sounds like it might be benign positional vertigo. Try the Epley maneuver. You should be able to find good instructions easily with a web search. If that doesn't work, please see your doctor!

Go to the Pharmacy counter and ask for Calmoseptine. When my mother in law had shingles it really helped.When I worked in the rehab as an LPN we used on the patients for stage 1 pressure sores and it would heal them up fast.I hope it helps... Please get some rest and take care of yourself. The Calmoseptine is a cream and it will help you remove the gauze.

I, too, sympathize greatly. Shingles is absolutely horrible. My 93 yo mom came down with it in late April and I am sorry to say still suffers with the nerve pain. (Yet it has improved so we remain hopeful it will one day go.) She was hospitalized for a week with the shingles, uti and multiple falls. (Falls were from a muscle relaxant prescribed for neck pain. The pain was the shingles coming on.) So I did not care for her blisters. They were closed by the time she came home.

I understand it is critical to get on an antiviral asap when shingles is diagnosed. This is hoped to curtail the outbreak. It is by no means a cure, I am sorry to say.

My research tells me her sporadic hearing loss is related to the shingles.

Gabapentin seemed to briefly help my mom tho it also affected her cognition, significantly at first. Then it seemed not to work. She does see a pain specialist. He switched her to Lyrica (generic is pregabalin). It helped. (Started on 50 mg 2x a day) now on 25mg 2x. It also affects cognition and I think her motor skills. But not bad.) She also uses 5% lidocaine patches daily. We are 6 months out with this.

I agree—call doc immediately to ensure she got antivirals. (They must be given wi 72 hours of outbreak.) Also get a pain doc who knows about shingles to try something for pain. Hydrocodone did not touch the pain for my mom.

Shingles is a cruel cruel condition, so bad and potentially debilitating that the vaccine should be given to everyone at risk, which is all of us who have had chicken pox.

Be aggressive with the doctors in getting her pain relief as I think longterm nerve pain correlates to uncontrolled pain. (Not sure but based on pain doc comments, this was my impression.)

Blood pressure: monitor her bp with at home monitor. My mom’s went high and tho not on bp meds bf shingles, she’s now on 3. There is a significant increased risk of heart attack and stroke in the first 6 mos after shingles. I think the pain causes the high bp and if not treated, can result in a heart attack or stroke.

During my mom’s initial recovery after blisters healed, we microwaved a damp cloth and applied it to her neck (outbreak area.) This helped. But be careful not to do this if you are applying any topical treatment.

Tho my mom still has pain, it is manageable and she is light years improved from what she was like in April. I wish you both hope and a full recovery.

Rosses003, Shingles pain can be unbearable. I have suffered with the pain for many years. Try L-Lysine, I use the 1500mg dose. I take one a day, if I start to feel the tingle, I u that to 3000mg. Not sure what the drugs your MD prescribed, I use Acyclovir,800mg. When I feel the tingle,800mg 3 times a day. I can usually slow the progression, and help it get better quicker.

Good Luck with your Mother

I feel so bad fir your mom..

My 96 yr old Dad had a break out all over his body except his legs and we went thru all. Creams and ointments and meds as his made him itch where he wojld itch so bad 24 7 and cry out in pain because of the itching..

anyway it just wouldn't go away. It would start getting better than reverse and get bad again. The Dr finally decided he must be allergic to something..

anyway I prayed and prayed to take this misery from my Dad and finally I was impressed to use Pure Virgin Coconut Oil on him and after a couple days you could actually see the inflamation going down and it just got better and better and finally went away after a few weeks.. I continue with applying the virg8n coconut oil on him every day.

In regards to your dizziness, I had the same experience really bad just 6 weeks ago and was in bed a week just getting out to go to the bathroom and I was so dizzy, I used a walker to make sure I wouldn't fall.

After a week, I finally went to the Dr and I did have a little bit of an infection but I was Low in Iron and Sodium and I was told to drink more water and take a multiple vitamin with iron as I'm not on any meds or vitamins except I was taking one Airborne every day.
It took about a month and my dizziness is almost all gone.
But since it's not 100% gone, I think I am going to ask my Dr for a Referral to go see an Ears Nose and Throat Specialist, just to make sure my ears aren't part of the problem.

Praters

My husband had shingles awhile back. My husband hardly ever complains. He is such an easy going guy. Shingles is extremely uncomfortable. It’s very painful.

It does last awhile. The upside for my husband is that I had been begging him for years to see a doctor for checkups. Nope, he never made the time to go.

At a follow up visit after his shingles the doctor saw something suspicious on his lab work. She sent him to a specialist and a biopsy was taken. He has cancer and being treated.

So in my husband’s case, I am glad that he got shingles. I hope your mom can find relief soon. It takes awhile for the pain to subside.

My husband caught his early so it isn’t going to be as bad as someone who went to the doctor at a later point in time.

I would continue to speak up on your mom’s behalf. I feel so badly for her.

Will keep her in my thoughts and prayers.

Where is the shingles rash? Is it facial? Any facial numbness or weakness? I am concerned that she has hearing loss associated with it. She may have something called Ramsey Hunt Syndrome where the auditory nerve gets affected by the shingles virus. Lots of good information above especially from the Mayo clinic about possible treatments but most of them need to be prescribed by a doctor. You can pretty much forget about the opiates in my opinion apart from maybe helping her sleep. None of my patients have ever really benefited when the pain is severe. I think you need to go back to the doctor and update them on the situation and the hearing loss in particular. She might need steroids to help. She certainly needs to consider different painkillers and topical treatments. In some cases the pain is long-standing but mostly it will start to significantly diminish allowing decrease in painkillers over a few months or even sooner. The worst is the immediate period when you have the rash as well.

As for your problem, it sounds like you have vertigo. Out of the blue like this the most common cause is either labyrinthitis or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. The labyrinth is the gyroscope system in your inner ear that tells you which way is up and which direction you’ve turned in. Labyrinthitis (or vestibular neuronitis) is thought to possibly be caused by a virus but no one is really certain of the cause. Inflammation of the inner ear causing over stimulation. If there is nausea and/or vomiting associated with it this is probably the cause. BPPV is caused by over stimulation of the hair cells within the labyrinth usually by what is basically a bit of grit in the system which has fallen down into the area where the hair cells area and so overstimulates them on slight movement. Sometimes also causes nausea. There are medications you can take that will help with the vertigo and the nausea if they are severe. Labyrinthitis will usually settle of its own accord over a few weeks. BPPV might need treatment like the Epley manoeuvre which you can find on the internet. Cawthorne-Cooksie exercises are also useful. But if you are having any hearing loss or ringing in your ears you need to see the doc as it could be Ménière’s disease.

I hope this might have added to your information a bit. Good luck. My prayers are with you. I DO believe in God but I don’t think God causes these things for a reason usually. I think they just happen because we live in an imperfect world and this is a part of that. It doesn’t stop us from praying for resolution and relief.

I have a friend that does all the natural stuff and she has advised colloidal silver for shingles.

BarbBrooklyn said:

"Get the doctor on the phone immediately. Why was mom told to stop the antibiotic after 2 days if she has bronchitis?"

I would have concerns about this as well, for several reasons:

1) Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. Once you've had CP, it remains dormant in your system and can come back as painful shingles, esp during stressful times. Antibiotics do NOT work on viruses. I see that there were also antivirals prescribed. The worst part is the pain - if the pain meds aren't working, perhaps she needs something a bit stronger?

2) Bronchitis can be either viral or bacterial. IF it is viral, the antibiotics *might* still be helpful to ward off any secondary bacterial infection. Being sick with both could compromise her system and lead to additional infections. IF it is bacterial, then why would the doc say stop? One thing we are always told is NOT to stop, as this is one way super-bacteria are produced.

IF she was having a reaction to the medication, then do stop, but there should be an alternative. My daughter had an ear infection at 9 mo. The antibiotic was NOT treating it and she ended up unable to hold down water and broke out in hives! Despite 5 days on medication, she had a SEVERE ear infection. When switched to another antibiotic, all was good. If there is allergic reaction, the primary reason for taking an antibiotic isn't likely to be treated. So, beware that too. Perhaps she would need another antibiotic?

I haven't had shingles myself, hopefully won't ever, but my mother did. From the Mayo Clinic:

"Treatment:

There's no cure for shingles, but prompt treatment with prescription antiviral drugs can speed healing and reduce your risk of complications. These medications include:
Acyclovir (Zovirax)
Famciclovir
Valacyclovir (Valtrex)

Shingles can cause severe pain, so your doctor also may prescribe:
Capsaicin topical patch (Qutenza)
Anticonvulsants, such as gabapentin (Neurontin)
Tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline
Numbing agents, such as lidocaine, delivered via a cream, gel, spray or skin
patch
Medications that contain narcotics, such as codeine
An injection including corticosteroids and local anesthetics

Shingles generally lasts between two and six weeks. Most people get shingles only once, but it is possible to get it two or more times."

As you noted, the names may be different where you are located, but the doctors should know how to figure it out.

The last part is included as warning - this could take some time to resolve. Many sympathies to your poor mother! Hopefully she will be in the two week group, not the 6 week one!

Nerve pain, if it is that debilitating, ask her doctor to prescribe Neurontin (gabapentin) --if a great medication used to treat nerve pain caused by shingles (herpes zoster). but make certain, if her doctor approves, to start with a *LOW* dose, to minimize the possibility of side effects. Most tolerate it well.

Rosses: How is your Mom doing?

I have seen my sig other suffer with pain from shingles for over a year now. His were internal. Dr who finally diagnosed it said rare, but it happens. His rash never hurt or burned on skin like other people, but went to kidney, bladder and prostate and down big nerves on front back of one leg. Took 4 days to get him transferred to a bigger hospital in a nearby town to get the diagnosis. His own dr refused to give him pain meds even though he was on the verge of tears 24/7. Finally got the dr to give him a referral to a pain management doctor.

I highly recommend a pain management doctor who will prescribe various types of pain meds that work for the damaged nerve pain your mom has. There are even pain block shot procedures that can be done. Your run of the mill family doc is not going to get in to all that, so you need a specialist.

As for you, you really need to see ENT doctor. It may be something as simple as allergies creating the dizziness. Could be sinus infection. Meds can help to dry it up. (You can try antihistamine from over the counter) However you need to rule out something more serious. And PS, go get your shingles shot. If you ever had chicken pox - the virus is already a sleeping giant inside your body along the spine. You can't catch shingles from mom, but doc told me if you've never had chicken pox you could catch that from her. (I don't remember what the contagious period is)

So sorry your mom is having such pain.

Here's how we treated shingles when I was an active duty RN:
Please treat the shingles like Chicken Pox - because that is what it is. Calamine lotion will help the sores to dry and ease any itching. Do not cover the sores since they need to dry. If you need a bandage. put a non-adhesive pad closest to the skin, cover with gauze to absorb exudate, and wrap with rolled gauze. Try to avoid adhesive tape on skin. Consider putting mom on a schedule for her pain medication and any anti-itching medications as well. It is easier to manage discomfort if she has a steady medication level in her blood stream. Sometimes a cool compress (ice + water in a ziplock bag and wrapped in a towel) can ease discomfort. Cool "oatmeal" bathes can be soothing too, No hot water. You'll know you have turned the corner when she stops having fever and stops having new lesions.

Be careful since the lesions and her respiratory secretions/breath will have the chicken pox virus in them.

]My Gram had shingles and it affected the nerves in her hand. If your mom stops using a limb, notify the doctor. She will need physical therapy after she recovers.

Oh Rosses, your poor mother. I had shingles (I was only 50) and it was 6 solid weeks of the most endlessly agonizing pain I have ever experienced. It started with a weird tingle over my eyebrow and I felt like little "shocks" were hitting my scalp. I was put on anti-virals before I even got the rash along with some serious pain killers which did very very little to ease the pain. Virus ended up in my eye...which swelled up like a lemon and caused corneal scarring. I told my kids if I ever got it again, to find a way to legally put me out of my misery and I was not kidding.

I was advised not to cover the rash - to leave it open to the air to decrease weeping, and cleanse simply with a clean wash cloth and tepid water twice daily. I asked for sleeping meds as the pain would not allow me to sleep. They helped me doze but I guarantee I did not get a good nights sleep during the whole 6 weeks I was bedridden. It took me a good 7 months to totally recover. Nothing has ever knocked my off my game like shingles. I sure hope your mom feels better soon.

Rosses, you should get no stick dressing to cover this. It really works and is not painful to remove.

I don't know anything about the medical side but, I love colloidal silver for any type of issue. It is natural and seems to help with so many different issues. I even read where a woman had eye herpes, which is viral, and using that multiple times daily actually healed it. (I just read about it and can't say true or false but, I can say the I use it for everything with great results.) Get the highest parts per million that you can and if you want to make it I would be happy to send you instructions.

Do you know if the pain meds are for nerves? My dad was prescribed lyrica and gabapentin when he had shingles and he said it made it bearable.

May The Lord God almighty bless your mom with deliverance from the pain, may HE lay HIS healing hand on both of you and lift you up from this despair.

Mark 16:18, ...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Believe when you pray and she will get better, it is God's word. As a believer we know that ALL of HIS promises are for us and HE can not lie. I will be believing with you that The Lord will intervene and deliver her and you.

God bless and keep you both.