Recurring Shingles
I'm 21 and have had recurring shingles since I was 9... I used to get it about once a year but have had it 7 times in the last 2 years. It used to knock me for six for about 3 weeks but I'm getting better at recognising the early symptoms so that I can have my acyclovir prescription ready and waiting for when the spots come out! The first thing I notice is that I find it uncomfortable to wear my bra (I always get shingles on my side) and then I get that distinct "been hit by a bus" feeling... Absolutely knackered, deep muscle aches and a little nauseous. And then joy of joy, the shooting pains begin! This is the part I find most difficult to cope with, I get really sharp pains drilling down my side and a dull pins and needles like feeling that is continuous. I don't get alot of blisters, just one or two, but they are always inside a mottled rash about the size of a side plate.
I have seen numerous doctors about this who have all said that it's rare, esp for my age, but that's about it. I guess there's nothing that can be done.
The only advice I can give about recurring shingles is just try and get good at recognising it early! And then try and chill until it goes. Useless, I know, but that's all I've got.
If anyone's got some better advice it would be greatly appreciated!
How Long Does Pleurisy Last?
I'm 19 years old and every summer for 4 years i've been working with my brother in law painting houses (for the most I wore a mask while painting) a year ago I graduated from high school and decided to keep working in the painting business also on december I started smoking, I wasn't a heavy smoker maybe 12 cigarettes a week on may I reduced the amount to 6 a week then 3 on may 27 I smoked my last cigarette and 3 days later I went to the ER because I had pressure on my chest ,back pain, and I was coughing,(I also experience night sweats) they took some xrays and everything was clear and I was diagnosed with pleurisy well it's been a month now and I'm still experiencing the same symptoms.
How long does pleurisy last?
Could it be lung cancer? Or is it just the nicotine withdrawals combine with the infection that's causing all this symptoms.
Pleurisy Due To Smoking
any idea gave up smoking two months ago been ill two weeks doc said chest infection and pleurisy finished all antibiotics and painkillers still got pain in left shoulder and side doc said its because i gave up smoking and i am prone to infection anybody else been told this also got pain in left calf and down my left arm anybody got the same help me
View 1 RepliesCOPD :: Pleurisy
I am a carer for my Hubby, who has Pleurisy at the moment. I am his carer & I am meant to be going into Hospital for a hip operation. I am full of acute Anxiety myself as I need to get my Husband better. He is on antibiotics and strong painkillers as well. He also suffers from arthritis and also is deaf & severely sighted.. I am giving him hot fluids as much as possible.
View 1 RepliesCostochondritis :: Flu And Then Pleurisy
Just wanted to share my experience, the weekend before Easter I had to go home from work on the Thursday with Flu like symtoms, I returned to work the following Wednesday, still feeling under the whether, coughing but thought to myself that I have a long weekend to come so I would rest and recover. After the Easter break I returned to work still not up to par and still coughing but also had a pain in my lower rib cage as if someone had sharply elbowed me. These symptoms continued onto the weekend and on the Saturday became worse, I had to pick my daughter up and the cold wind hit my lungs and it took my breath away. On returning to the car I couldn't fill my lungs up the pain was so excruciating, after the car warmed up the pain subsided enough to enable me to drive home. On returning home the situation became worse and I waited for my husband to come home and he had to take me to accident and emergency where I was admitted straight away. They had to administer morphine for the pain to enable me to breath more easily, it was as if I were being stabbed with a thousand knives. The doctor, after blood tests and x-ray diagnosed pleurisy and I went home with Ibuprofen, codeine and paracetamol which I took to the maximum daily dosage!
1 week later I was at my own GP who gave me another sick note, I saw him again the following week and after examination he said that the pleurisy had gone but I had had a double whammy as I was also suffering with costochondritis and it could take a while, just to rest and keep taking the tablets.
It is now 28th April and the symptoms on some days have now subsided enough to the enable me to do very light duties and on other days I can't do much at all. The doctor hasn't really given me much indication as to how much I should or shouldn't be doing, feeling very frustrated, the mind is willing but the body isn't. He said that, "many people don't realise that more people die in a year from influenza than meningitis and I had to be patient". Being a full time working Mum who is usually house proud and very busy, is now living with a basket full of ironing and dust that I can write my name in. My employer has been very understanding and great about it all but not sure how long they will be patient and my work will no doubt be building up there too.
No Treatment For Pleurisy At All?
I've felt so frustrated for many years. I too was told muscular/skeletal. While experiencing short breath, extremely tired, pain that shoots like a spear on left side from upper rib cage, center of left breast through to back.
In 2012 after hours of waiting, the blood clot I guess hit me hard, I was out, woke in room with heparin drip. Then told blood clot in upper lobe of lung and pleurisy.
After doctor visit Thursday my pain got so unbearable, and cough, husband drove me to ER this past Sunday. Again sat for hours. Then x-rays, and told had pleurisy. Sent home, told to take tylenol and bed rest.
My pain is off the chart now, I can't take NSAIDS since on coumadin.
I'm feeling very spacey, lightheaded.
I can't drive myself anywhere.
I need to work around husbands very long work hours.
And, if do go, what do they do, say, "more bed rest and stay hydrated"?
I don't have money to burn, for such non-sense.
Is there not any treatment for pleurisy at all?
Pleurisy Or Cracked Rib?
I wrote a couple months ago after a Pleurisy diagnosis following chest x-rays. As it turns out, it was a cracked rib that I had, NOT viral Pleurisy as the Dr had suspected. The cracked rib did not show on the chest x-rays, but I was told they don't always show. It took about 5 weeks for the pain to go away. Sometimes I can still feel it slightly when I do certain things. Just wanted to follow up in case anyone else had the same misdiagnosis.
View 4 RepliesPleurisy Only On The Backside?
4 weeks ago, I had a lot of pressure in my chest. It eventually worked it's way up and I had a nasty cough. My husband kept urging me to go to the dr. but as I like my body to fight off ailments, I was stubborn. I FINALLY went because I am nursing a 5 month old baby and started fearing pneumonia. I was diagnosed with a mycoplasma bacterial infection - no fluid in the lungs - and like many others, was prescribed clarithromycin and sulfate albuterol with a nebulizer.
On my 5th day of antibiotics, I got an extreme pain in my back, however, I could tell it was internal. I researched it and self-diagnosed as pleurisy. 2 days later I went in, and my GP agreed it was pleurisy w/o effusion and told me to take anti-inflammatories and cough suppressant. The pain has become worse and brings me to my knees when I cough. My cough is almost gone but it is very raspy and trying to come out, but I am hesitant to cough because it hurts so bad!
A few questions - has anyone experienced pleurisy only on the backside? My parents are urging me to get a lung x-ray but I have no reason to think there is a clot, or fluid - any suggestions on that? And last, the million dollar question - is this ever going to go away?????? Will I ever be able to return to a normal gym routine, lifting weights?
Recurring Cases Of Impetigo
I'm 17, and have been getting impetigo from the age of 5 years old, the doctor believed at the time that it was from face paint. I've been getting recurring outbreaks every year since then, normally up to three times a year. However, as I got older I believed I had "grew out of it" (if that's possible) yet I severely burnt my lips on holiday and I felt the tingling feeling straight away after not having an outburst for about a year and a half. One thing I can tell you all is that as soon as you think you can feel the first symptoms of having it use the antibiotic cream (fucidin cream) asap, this will reduce the spreading of impetigo immediately. I've recently just had another outbreak just for being run down and so I now know I definitely will still be getting it. But there is hope, I was given a leaflet about this when I last got the cream from the doctor and it stated that you can get a swab taken from the inside of your nose and sent off to the lab where they will find out if you have the bacteria that causes impetigo living up there. This doesn't mean it will appear around your nose but when you get impetigo due to whatever reasons- mine normally being from stress, being run down, change in the weather etc.- then it will trigger it and appear in the usual place. I researched it some more and it said that your whole family that live in the same house should be checked as they could have it and that's what could trigger you off even if they've never had an outburst of impetigo. I had a swab sent off yesterday and I'm hoping that this is true as they will then give me a cream to kill it from up my nose and supposedly it won't come back. However, when I had this done my doctor seemed to know very little about it and I've never heard of it until now, I don't know why this is so I shall see if it works out. I just wanted to share this all with you as I know how horrendous impetigo is, I hate going out with it and as soon as I feel it coming up I know I'll have it all over my lip for a while.
View 1 RepliesRecurring Impetigo Or Shingles?
I took this disastrous trip to Greece (I was completely healthy before the trip) and upon my return last April within a few days I started having this sore growing larger everyday on my chin. Somewhat yellowish and had a 40 C temperature for a week and very sick for another week. I took Doxy for two weeks which apparently did not eradicate the bacteria.
Two weeks later while a big red spot remained on my chin I started having another sore on my back but the doctor diagnosed (by observation) that this sore was shingles (i had shingles on my leg 4 years ago) so prescribed me Valtrex.
Then I started having another yellowish sore on my lower back last month which is likely a return of impetigo since it itches a lot with no pain and the doctor prescribed me 250 mg twice a day erythromycin for 3 months. I have been taking it for 2 weeks now and the sore appears healing however as a result (of likely my immune system weaken by impetigo) I came down with a second shingle in less than a month!!!. Not to mention chest infection last week too on the top of everything else So it appears I am now in a cycle of impetigo and shingles. How I can get out of this vicious cycle I have no idea. I have never been in a similar situation. is returning impetigo (followed by returning shingles, third or fourth in 4 years and second or third in a month) a norm. I asked my doctor to give me higher dose of antibiotics or a stronger one but he refused. What are my options to end this vicious cycle.
Recurring Yeast Infection? Or Something Else?
Hi, everyone. I've been part of the community for a few weeks now but wanted to introduce myself and maybe ask for some help with a problem I'm having.
I'm 33 years old and I have a problem with chronic vaginal yeast infections. I used to get them all the time. I'm talking 1-2x per month, like clockwork. The more frequently I got them, the worse they became and the harder they were to treat.
I started working with an OBGYN who had given me a great list of things to do. I started washing my clothes differently. I switched to a natural lubricant (sweet almond oil). I changed some of my hygiene products. I also gave up soaking in the tub at the end of a long day at work (I have a pretty physical job). She also gave me a prescription for a cream similar to Monistat to use; but the instruction was to just use one tube immediately upon feeling symptoms (itching, etc). It got to the point where I could do one treatment and not have to do any others. The only time this didn't work was when I took antibiotics, which was a separate nightmare altogether, as I'm sure most of you know. Over time, I started to have my infections less frequently.
Last year, they started to come back more frequently. I also started to feel really tired and I had some dry patches on my arms and legs. I also developed an itchier fungal rash in my inner thigh. I saw another OBGYN and she had me use some topical antifungal creams. The rashes would clear up but then they'd come back a few weeks later.
I did some research online and found Dr Eric Bakker ND and his site on yeast infections. I started to follow a Candida diet protocol and I actually began to feel a LOT better. I followed the entire regime for about 9 months and I weeded out all of the glutenous and sugary foods my body has mild allergic reactions to.
My problem now is that I seem to have another yeast infection. I mean, that's normal, thanks to hormones. I didn't expect I'd never get a vaginal YI ever again in my life. The problem is that after a course of treatment, I don't have discharge or itching any longer (the itching lasted a while, though), but I do still have some irritation and redness.
Is it possible this time I don't have a yeast infection at all? Up until this point, it seemed exactly like the type of infection I've had in the past. I'm not 100% sure how to move forward at this point. I wonder if I should just use the topical cream that came in the kit for a while longer; start another treatment; see if it's BV instead? I ended the treatment about a week ago.
Pleurisy :: Five Day Course Of Antibiotics And Ibuprofen
Had the symptoms for over a week, went to the doctors to be diagnosed with pleurisy. been given a five day course of antibiotics and ibuprofen. How long does it normally last for before the symptoms ease off. Also can going to work make my condition worse? sorry if this has been asked before , new to this site.
View 2 RepliesPleurisy - Coughed Up Some Blood
I saw my GP yesterday following sharp stabbing chest pain which had gradually gotten worse. Yesterday morning I coughed up some blood which made me decide to see the doctor. He immediately rang the hospital and I had to get there asap as he suspected a P.E. Fortunately it was not that but I have been diagnosed with pleurisy. I have been given antibiotics but have to go back to the hospital next week for a further x ray to check and also to "rule out blood clots". This has left me a little worried. Does anyone know if blood clots and pleurisy are connected?
View 1 RepliesPleurisy :: Pain In Right Shoulder And Rib
I had pleurisy in December, started with pain in my right shoulder blade and my right rib. Six weeks on I am still suffering with extreme pain, I have had a chest Xray and all is clear but the pain hasn't got any easier. I am constantly out of breath and very tired all the time. The pain is still constant around my right shoulder blade and across my back and also under my armpit. I have been for an MRI Scan today to see if that shows anything but I have to wait another 2 weeks for the results. Its just nice to know I'm not the only one suffering
View 8 RepliesPleurisy :: Paracetamol And Ibuprofen
I Had been feeling a bit tried for a week and had to go home from work last thursday as had really bad headache,(something i don't really get)
last friday i was out of breath going up the stairs so went to the doctors (i've had pneumonia before so was worried it was back)i had a temp of 38 and was told it wa a viral infection,i was told to take paracetamol and ibuprofen and if not better to go back on Monday.Come monday the breathing was better but i was getting a stabbing pain in my chest which was shooting up my left shoulder and down my arm. i thought something was wrong with my heart.I saw the doctor in the morning he asked what i was doing when i left the doctors and i said i wa going to work, he just started laughing and said you're not you have pleurisy,you have to rest for at least a week.He gave me a prescription for codeine for the pain and said if it got worse go back asap.
Monday night i though i was having a heart attack and tues wasnt any better.wednesday i started to feel very sick aswell so called the docs, they told me to go there asap so i did and was sent for blood tests and also told the sickness was due to the codeine.I was given Naprosyn for the pain and told to go back again on friday if i wasnt better.today is Thursday and im no better so looks like im going back tomo.
I tried to fold a small amount of washing this morning and had to stop as it hurt too much,i'm so fed up now as want to go back to work and get better. i feel that i can't take anymore time off work as i don't feel they give much sympathy. but i can hardly move without feeling like i'm having a heart attack.I'm only 25 and fit and healthy normally i can't understand why i get all the illnesses that older people are meant to get.
I'm so glad there are other people feeling the same and to know that this pain is normal for pleurisy.
Shingles :: Recurring Every 4-5 Months
I have shingles, I am 33 years old, female, and shingles re occurs with me every 4-5 months. I do not have a lower immune system or anything else, my Doctor puts it down to stress related but I don't think I am stressed. It is really painful, and my skin is really sore to touch. It appears on my left side on my bum cheek and the pain is all down my left side. Each attack I get the pain gets worse. My doctor has now given me a repeat prescription for the antibiotics and I have codipar pain killers for the pain. I sympathise with anyone who has shingles. Roll on the day they find a cure.
View 2 RepliesProstate :: Recurring Non-specific UTI's - Possible BPH?
I'm 30 years old, and for the past 6 or 7 years I've been having problems when urinating. It first manifested as recurring non-specific urinary tract infections (which I'm told were the early symptoms of a bladder neck obstruction, probably caused by an enlarged prostate) which eventually settled into a long standing problem where it basically takes a very long time to finish. I'll feel as though I've emptied my bladder but if I wait long enough, more comes out (despite having no real sensation of still needing to go). I've found a couple of ways of encouraging further flow but it's still long-winded. If I get up and leave the bathroom too early I get dribbling, sometimes quite bad. It makes being intimate with my girlfriend kind of awkward because immediately after going to the bathroom I don't really want to risk her feeling anything.
I've tried both alfuzosin. At first it worked great, but eventually the effectiveness wore off and all it did was give me massive headaches. I then moved over to tamsulosin which again...wasn't terribly effective and resulted in retrograde ejaculation. Now I'm on Saw Palmetto which is reasonably effective but seems to wear off quite quickly. I basically have to choose at which time of the day I can afford to be in the toilet for 30-60 minutes.
So I guess my question is if there are any foods I should stay away from, or any other triggers that I might be able to address to get this under control? I don't drink. I'm a social smoker. Maybe 5 days out of the month. Apart from being partial to a good cup of tea/coffee I don't partake in any other substances.
Really desperate for some advice here. I recently cancelled an operation that I was scheduled for on the grounds that I was quoted a 50% chance of success, and the possibility of incontinence and reconstructive surgery if it goes wrong. Not what I want to be putting up with at 30!
Endometriosis :: With Recurring Cyst - Possible Pregnancy?
I am a 17 y/o girl. I am looking for some insight regarding possible endometriosis. I am sexually active, but last time anything happened was in September, and we used protection. I have since had 2 relatively normal menstrual periods. But, I have since had some weird symptoms, including irregular spotting in September between periods, (about a week after the last time we had sex), painful, noticeable veins (in chest, right side of abdomen, etc) some that radiate down from my pelvic area to my right leg (same side cyst is typically on), cramping, slight constipation/gas, and nipples slightly bigger than usual. About 5 years ago, I began having pretty localized right sided pelvic pain. Thinking this pain was possible appendicitis, I went to the ER. They did both a CT and ultrasound, and determined I had an ovarian cyst on my right ovary. Over the past few years, I've had relatively heavy, painful periods, sometimes irregular depending on the month. In Between periods I am generally in some type of pain, typically menstrual type cramps on my right side, radiating to the left. I had regularly experienced nausea alongside these cramps, pressure in pelvic area, and back pain. Every single time I have gone to the ER & gyn in the past 5 years, I have had a cyst on my right ovary. This last time I had an ultrasound done in August, a cyst was found again, but slightly bigger this time. My gyno also informed me that she was slightly confused by the cyst, since it was located slightly to the left of the cyst, and did not appear to be directly attached to it. I am curious if I possible have endometriosis, or a pregnancy is possible? I know I've had two periods on time since having sex, and we were protected. But, I am curious if endometriosis seems possible regarding the recurring cysts and symptoms, or if I am possibly pregnant, since I have never really experienced the radiating pain from the right side down my leg before.
View 1 RepliesHidradenitis Suppurativa :: Recurring Abscesses
I have a skin condition called hidradenitis suppurativa. I had 3 abscesses come up in my groin that were the size of a fist and had 6 operations within a few months. I was clear around 3 years and was told that I had recurring abscesses. Jan 2012 I have a another large abscess come up and had another 10 or more. This resulted in a further 3 operations. I finally was told that I did infact have hidradenitis suppurativa. Recently I have a smaller abscess that keeps on coming up and leaking then going down and coming back up. I am also experiencing severe pain in my groin. its like a hot poker and it is constant and radiates down my thigh. I have also bumps under the skin that are very small but painful and hot to touch. I don't have any abscess now just this pain.
View 1 Replies