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Pain management clinics for shingles

17 years ago

What can a pain management doctor give me for shingles. Ive had since july 2008? I don't have the pain, just irritation of the skin. I cant put on my shirt cause my side tightens so much from the shingles. I have tried all the medicines that my regular doctor prescribed and no luck. So he referred me to the pain medicine doc. Will this pain management doc work?

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Comments (4)

agnespuffin
17 years ago
He might, He might not. It will be worth your while to give someone that specializes in pain, a try. It certainly won't make things worse. Just don't expect overnight improvement. It is a problem concerning the nerve endings. Nerves take a looooong time to heal.

Shingles is a hard disease to endure. It just seems as if it never will get better. A good pain management program could make it easier to cope with it.
popeda
17 years ago
My father had terrible shingle pain, so horrible he could barely keep from crying. I did some research and even contacted people who had done studies on shingles. What you learn from that is pretty depressing. I went right out and had the vaccine even though my insurance would not pay. Everyone should do the same as they move toward 60; believe me, you don't want to risk the shingles pain.

Lyrica would control my dad's pain to the point where he could stand it; it also had some side effects that were problematic.

One thing I learned in the research is that by a year (I know you can't imagine having this that long)97% are pain-free. My dad was an exception, and he passed away in January still with shingle pain (died of other causes).

You should pursue every avenue of dealing with shingles and my prayer for you is that it turns out short-lived.
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vieja_gw
17 years ago
A relative had the worst case of shingles the Drs. had ever seen after he had a kidney transplant;even Methadone didn't help! I had heard about capsaicin ointment (I use Zostrix brand)& he bought a tube & tried it on his shingles & it worked! He asked his Dr. about it & his surgeon laughed & kind of brushed it off! When he told the Dr. about it later after he had tried it & it worked, the Dr. asked him how to spell it & the relative said: "you laughed & didn't want to know about it when I mentioned it before so now ... forget it!" Ha

I have mentioned it to others with shingles pain & most have said it really did help ... just be sure not to get it into one's eyes ... it has the 'heat' ingredient of chili peppers in it! Wonder if any one else has tried this remedy & did it work?
popeda
17 years ago
My father tried the capsaicin cream and it did not help. I have used it for many years for various arthritis flare-ups and have had some success with it so I often recommend it.

You really have to watch how much you use, start with a tiny dab. I use a baggy on my hand to spread it around, and also wash my hands. Not something you want to get in your eyes or other sensitive areas. LOL

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