About a month ago, I developed an unusual, extra-bad, but strangely focused headache. It seemed to be entirely in my left eyebrow, occasionally shooting up into my scalp. It kept getting worse. On day five, I started taking some of the Tylenol with codeine we had left over from my son’s broken arm. By then, however, I’d noticed the tiny red spot hiding in my eyebrow, remembered this thread, and decided that I probably had shingles. So, once I was convinced that I had an actual disease, hubby took me to the ER. It took the doctor about 10 seconds to diagnose me.
I had the bad luck of getting the shingles in one of those nerves around my eye. By the time I went to the ER, I really wanted to dig my eye out with a spork. However, a three-day percoset-assisted nap, a course of neurontin for nerve pain, and a steady diet of acyclovir have helped tremendously. My vision is still blurry (boo!), the affected areas of my face and scalp itch like mad, and that eye nerve still gives me the occasional twinge, but mostly I’m feeling better.
My takeaway lesson? The next time I have a really bad, unusual headache, I’m not going to wait five days to seek medical attention. Also, if it’s happened to anyone, it’s described somewhere on the SDMB.
Shingles do suck, horribly. At least today the newer antiviral’s work wonderfully against them. The first time I got shingles was, oh, about 25 years ago or so… UGH Horribly expensive, and mostly ineffective cream for a month. 15 years later, I got them again, and had a nice simple pill to take that cut the symptoms down to nothing in 3 or 4 days.
I can definitely sympathize. I had shingles in the same spot as the OP, only on my right eye. I still remember driving to the ER at 3 a.m., holding my right eye open because it was beginning to swell shut. After I was diagnosed, I still couldn’t take any pain meds until after I got home since it was so late and our then-19-month-old son was sleeping, so my husband couldn’t drive me. I looked like Quasimodo for about two weeks. It was hideous.
What was worse was that the doc in the ER and the pharmacist at the 24-hour Walgreens I went to both laughed at me. I made the mistake of saying, “I’m only 33. I didn’t think I could get shingles.” Apparently, with enough stress, anything is possible! Good luck, OP - I hope you have a quick recovery. Did your doc recommend that you see an opthamologist or optometrist next week to check your optic nerve?
I had mine checked a couple of times and apparently had some scarring on my cornea, but not optic nerve damage.
Overly, I’ve had a few visits with the ophthamologist. He’s frustrated that that nerve is still inflamed, so I’m still on the antivirals and eyedrops with steroids. But, it keeps improving. I don’t think there’s anything on my cornea, which just sounds so icky!
Rough stuff, shingles. I had 'em up my back and into my scalp. Seems like any exertion whatsoever would cause me to reel over in pain. I’m glad to hear there have been improvements in medicine because 30 years ago it didn’t seem like there was a whole lot they could do.
We knew some older folks in the past that had them for months on end, sometimes for a year or more. Are the elderly still having a tougher go of it or have the anti-virals corrected that too? Seemed horribly unjust and I remember hearing of some committing suicide because they tired of the unending pain.
My shingles wrapped around from my back to my lower ribcage and then down to my groin.
Just try wearing a belt. Hell, just try wearing pants. I’m glad I was a student and not gainfully employed at the time: “Yeah, I won’t be in for a while. I have to sit around half naked because of the scabs and blisters.”