Shingles Support Group

Herpes zoster, colloquially known as shingles, is the reactivation of varicella zoster virus, leading to a crop of painful blisters over the area of a dermatome. It occurs very rarely in children and adults, but its incidence is high in the elderly (over 60), as well as in any age group of immunocompromised patients.

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Infectious Diseases
/ Shingles Support Group

Returning to work after shingles

aprilb42
aprilb42
I was diagnosed with shingles a little over two months ago and I am still having pain. Most of the rash is gone although my eyebrow still has a little red in it and is sore. The problem is that I am still in pain. I have a burning pain in my eyebrow and right above it. It is constant and seems like nothing helps it. I take percocet and that barely does anything but makes me feel drugged out. I am currenlty on Neurontin but only 600 milligrams and my doctor said that I need to be on 900 milligrams for pain relief, so we will see but so far no pain relief. I am supposed to return to work, but don't feel I am able to do to the pain. I keep postponing returning to work because I feel unable to work right now. The people at work don't understand the pain I am in. I was wondering how long it took for other people to be able to return to work? I just can't see returning till I have the pain under better control. I am so depressed right now as the pain is unbearable at times it just burns so bad and it is hard for people to understand that haven't been through it. One day I was perfectly healthy and active and now I feel completely disabled due to this. Sometimes I just break down in tears as I feel the pain is so bad. The doctors don't know anything either. They say the pain can last months or longer and they don't know why some people get the post shingles pain and others don't. I thought I did everything I could like getting to the doctor pretty quickly and taking the Antivirals. In fact I took antivirals for two weeks by my choice. Anyways thanks for letting me vent.

April
deleted_user
deleted_user
So how was your day!
deleted_user
deleted_user
The doctors really don't know much about shingles. I too took the antiviral medication as soon as I was diagnosed, Dec. 2006, and I suffer from PHN. Don't blame yourself. It is nothing you did or didn't do to cause this. I found there is a lot of blaming around this illness. For a long time, I didn't tell anyone I had it, because they blamed me saying "what did you DO to get that?" I told them I had chicken pox in childhood, that's what I DID to get it. There is a lot of ignorance around this disease, even among health care professionals. The pain and fatigue are intense. I was off work 4 months and still get pain and fatigue. You cannot work until your condition improves.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Yes I am very tired too. still and itchy sometimes. Lucky for me there is not pain and
the nurse told me I was burning the candle at both ends. I started to cry at that point because I am working long hours and need to. I can not stay home from work or I would be out on the street and have creditors after
me.
aprilb42
aprilb42
Yes, I have run out of sick time and have used all my vacation time. I was out for 2 and a half months. I went back last week for two days and it was agony. Unfortunately, money wise I have to go back. People were very supportive at work though. Thank you rebetzin for the supportive words and you are right I should not blame myself, and I agree there is alot of blaming around this disease.