Insect bite? Yeah.

12 years ago

George has been complaing about an insect bite on the top of his shoulder. No matter what he puts on it it still itches. I looked at it this morning and it looked infected. Practically had to drag him to the doctor.

Doctor looked at it and said you have a moderately severe case of shingles. He prescribed a drug, don't remember what.

He seems to get everything "gettable" , doctor said its probably because of a compromised immune system. All the chemo he takes every other month.

Now the rash is going down the back of his shoulder into his armpit. He pretends it doesn't really bother him but he wears his shirt rather rakishly, kind of off the shoulder

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Comments (12)

jazmynsmom
12 years ago
Shingles are PAINFUL. I'm sorry to hear this. Thank goodness you dragged him in. Getting meds on board will diminish the duration and intensity of his suffering.

Between his pants "shrinking" and the discomfort of wearing a shirt, you're having a hard time keeping this man dressed at all, aren't you?

Close the curtains, forget the clothes, crank the heat, and have ice cream for dinner. And tell George to get better soon. :o)
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tibs
12 years ago
And if you haven't got your shingle shot -get one. they recommend it for over 60+
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gmatx zone 6
12 years ago
Oh can I ever empathize! Had the shingles one fall when DH was having some surgery. Just affected the right arm, and the scars are not pretty at all. At least George's doctor immediately recognized it as shingles and not a contact dermatitis like mine did. At first he put me on a steroid which actually made my blisters worse.

Remind George not to rub the blisters and then touch his eyes. If he has any of the fluid from the blisters on his hand (before the medication has time to kill the virus) he can cause shingles to occur in his eyes. I had a patient back in the 90s who had occular shingles and the pain was excruciating for her. I would guess that his doctor probably put him on Acyclovir - it works well. After George gets over this, have him discuss with his doctor about getting the shingles vaccine, because just having shingles does not give a person immunity from them.

Tell George I think jazmynsmom has a good idea! The best to you two.
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anneliese_32
12 years ago
So sorry that George has to put up with that pain. Every year I think about getting the shot and then don't. Since I never had any of the childhood sicknesses, I always keep my fingers crossed that nothing catches up with me in my old age. I guess I talk to my doctor during my next visit.
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petaloid
12 years ago
They probably gave him acyclovir. It slows down the virus.

Shingles are common with cancer patients. I'm a survivor, and I still get them on one arm sometimes -- not fun. Hope he feels better soon.
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lilod
12 years ago
If it isn't one thing, it's another,isn't it? Between compromised immune systems and side effects and vulnerability to everything that comes around, it gets very difficult at times.
I am glad you dragged him to the doctor and I am glad there are medications available - hang in there, George!
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meldy_nva
12 years ago
I'm so glad you got him to the doctor. And even more glad they have medicines for it. If one has to come down with something, it's nice to have a good treatment available.

Both you and the doc deserve an extra thanks for taking care of it so promptly.
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mawheel
12 years ago
My sympathy to George; shingles are awful! I got them over ten years ago, and clearly remember the discomfort and pain which lasted way too long --mostly b/c my doctor thought it was an insect bite and didn't decide it was shingles till it really had a hold on me. By that time, the medicine wasn't too effective; they just had to run their course.

Hope George's won't last too long.
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User
12 years ago
George, hope this passes and you are back to your normal self soon.
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Lisa_H OK
12 years ago
Ouch, George. I hope the meds kick in soon. I had them right above my left eye several years ago. Every time I moved my forehead I could feel sensation racing through my nerves. I never realized how many times I move my forehead until then!

Within a few days I could feel the nerves all the way across my skull, and I was scheduled to leave town. I put an emergency call in to my doc and he knew immediately what it was. I'm glad I didn't wait, he said I could have lost my vision it was so close to my eye.

It took a while for the nerve sensations to pass, but they did eventually. I never had the sores, thank goodness.

Lisa
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rob333 (zone 7b)
12 years ago
Get really well, really fast Geroge! And he doesn't have to "man up" for this one. Shingles are incredibly painful. He can complain if he wants.

I like Michelle's suggestions.
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gandle
Original Author
12 years ago
They do smart don't they. Nothing seems to help except keeping as busy as I can. Pruned a bunch of shrubs, mowed the lawn and worked in my shop. Hurts but you don't think about it all the time. In the shop with no shirt on, even the weight of the shirt is very painful. Doc says it could be a lot worse, on the face like lisa or in the genital area.
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