Shingles!

Hi all, has anyone ever had shingles? It started off about 6 weeks ago, on the cornea of my right eye then went onto my eyelid, eyebrow, forehead and scalp. Never been through as much pain in my life.
The trouble I'm having now is with my cornea as it doesn't appear to be healing. Been to see an eye specialist 6 times already and am due to go back next Wednesday. I've got permanent blurred vision in that eye now and haven't been able to go into work as I work on a PC all day and it's too much like hard work for my left eye which is very weak. Anyone else had this problem?

not had it myself but my dad and brother had it I wish you a speedy recovery from it.

had it once very bad pain in my back ,big scratch mark on my back ,after about 2months eased off,hope it soon goes for you

Thanks graneyjoseph and h churnside for your replies. Glad to hear you're ok now and your brother. Just worried about my eye. The Consultant seems a bit confused and even got his colleague to have a look at me. Apparently when they look through the slit lamp at my eye they can see swirls and hundreds of tiny dots and they don't know if its the huge amount of steroid and antibiotic drops I've had to use or the shingles itself or a combination of the two. Anyway, back next Wednesday to see him and then a week on Saturday I'm off to Liverpool Royal Hospital to see my own Consultant as I have glaucoma also. Fingers crossed.

I have had them round my waist and down to the top of my leg ..... very painful.
hope your soon over them.

my daugter had shingles in her eye ,very painful it was ,thankgod she made a full recovery .hope yours will soon be over

That sounds really painful kayleigh. Hope you're ok now. Just a bit of advice for anyone on here who is 70 or over....there is an injection that you can have at your doctors. You do have to be over 70 though, which I think is ridiculous.

I bet that worried you, ecmdj. So glad your daughter made a full recovery, and thanks for the good wishes xxx

It may not be that easy to get the shingles injection done at 70, we went for our flu jab last week and asked about it as we are both 74 we were told they wasn't doing that age group yet but would get back to us about it,

I've had shingles twice so don't think you only get it once

Who can have the shingles vaccination? (www.nhs.uk)

Between Sept 2014 and Sept 2015, the shingles vaccine is offered routinely as part of the NHS vaccination programme for people aged 70, 78 or 79. You become eligible for the vaccine on the first day of Sept 2014 after you've turned 70, 78 or 79 and remains so until the last day of August the following year.

Hope you're soon fully over the illness, AngieL64, and your eye makes a good recovery.

Thanks for the link jo-anne,I've printed page two off to give to receptionist saying we would like the shingles injection if we don't hear from them soon

Wow, just read this. Thanks for the info jo anne and dougie that's a great idea of yours to show it to the receptionist. My mother in law had the injection done last week and it caused her to have a bit of a high temperature that night but she is recovered now and no other symptoms have showed themselves as yet.
Good luck, dougie. Tell them your rights.

I had the shingles on my head and face 2 yrs ago and still suffering cannot stand bright lights or funny enough bright colours either MY EYES WERE CLOSED FOR ABOUT 5 WEEKS SAW A SPECALIST whowasnt very helpful but th I still suffer mostly behind my ears but again still cannot stand bright lights and sunshine is a disasrter and my eyes are not as good as they were , it does sound all doom and gloom but it will inprove I am sure best of luck and by the way dont leave the innoculation to long as they do not do it after 79 so if you have had German measles get it done

Wow, Elizabeth it sounds like you had a bad time of it. So sorry. I'm not too happy with the two specialists I've seen either, both seemed confused and couldn't really tell me what the prognosis is. I'm the same with bright lights too, can't stand the sunshine coming into the room and have to close the curtains. I worse sunglasses for about the first 3 weeks of having this. So sorry to hear you still suffer from the illness after this long period. Hang in there and I'm sure you will improve given more time xxx

I had strange feeling in my head then eyelid and forehead then small blisters on eyelid, but head itching like crazy I went to chemist as we were in blackpool the chemist told me to go straight to walk in centre, they were brilliant, after examining me they said they thought I had opthalmic shingles and rang hospital in blackpooll and spoke to eye consultant he prescribed medication which I needed to start immediately, and follow up appointment with him two days later, he told me the meds needs to start immediately before hits nerve in eye he told me I was lucky and there was no damage to nerve, took week for pain in head to go but all was well and touch wood it hasn't come back.

Some Shingles.

Not very funny at all tonker. Thanks for the info process. It sounds like you had well deserved early treatment there. When I originally went to my local doctors he hadn't got a clue even though I told him about my scalp problem.....didn't even look or examine me. I told him I had the herpes simplex virus (cold sore virus) a few years ago and he actually asked me what I was prescribed. I said I couldn't remember as it was about 30 years ago and then he said he probably prescribed you this, which was a type of Zovirax which you put in your eye. That's all he said and didn't seem interested. When I went back a week later I saw a different GP who said ~well I can't keep you off work because of the scabs you have all over your face~ so I told her about the problem with my eye and she then referred me to Boston House on Frog Lane. Since then I've seen 2 different consultants there who seem baffled to me. I will feel happier when I see my usual consultant at Liverpool next week.

Hi all. Just an update here. Thanks so much for all the kind replies. Am going to see Mr Natha at Boston House tomorrow. No change, I'm afraid, with my vision. Am going to Liverpool Royal University Hospital on Saturday as well as they are my regular consultants who I regularly see because of the glaucoma I have. Hopefully something can be done but I am living in hope. Thanks for all your great support. You are a lovely set of people and I'm proud to be in touch with you xxxxx

i am under dr natha ,but going to liverpool royal they did more for me concerning my eye ,great hospital .good luck

Hi ecmdj. I went to see Mr Natha yesterday and he said he was going to refer me to Liverpool Royal. I told him I already had an appointment there on Saturday so he wrote Prof Kaye's and Mr Batterbury's names on the back of the letter I had received from Liverpool and he said to tell them that he said he wants me referring to one of those specialists. Would you mind telling me who you saw at Liverpool and what treatment they offered you? He doesn't think he can help me anymore and that Liverpool has the best specialists known and that they are world wide renowned. So glad they could help you.