Karaoke Forums

Hi everyone. I was recently diagnosed with Shingles aka adult chicken pox and haved missed a few shows. My doctor said i probably got it from a sneeze or cough from someone carrying it.

It comes complete with cyst-like bumps on one side of your face, major headaches, and recently has swollen my left eye completely shut. It also has given me sharp pains in my hamstrings....weird.

The doctor says with medication the incubation period is 7-10 days. I have been prescribed acyclovir 800mg and hydroco/apap 500mg for pain.

i was curious if anyone else has encountered the Shingles, or besides getting colds or the flu from singers, what else is out there and what experiences have you had?
Thanks You. Aloha! J.R.

I am so sorry you've got this. I've heard that it is definitely not fun. My mom was down with it for 3 months -- she dealt mostly with the pain. I'm hoping it's not going to be that bad for you and that you'll recover quickly.

I use separate host mic so I don't have to share too many germs. I have to give it out every once in a while, but for the most part, I keep it separate.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

birdofsong

I know how it feel like, I got it a few years back. The very few time I need pain killer.

_________________
I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

Birdofsong- thank you for the reply and the well wishes- i appreciate it. Wow...3 months of THIS i can't imagine. Your mom must've endured a lot of pain.

Other than the terrible headaches, not too much pain fortunatley. I am going to buy a seperate mic and force myself to not share it, after this experience. I do clean my mics after each show with either lysol spray, or use clorox wipes if they've been exposed to greasy fingers.

Jian- Thanks also. How long did your bout last and what did you do to ease the pain? I've been sleeping almost non-stop for 48 hours- waking to take pills every 4, eating, and of course using the restroom. Did it affect your face as well? J.R.

Oh yikes.... sorry to hear about that. It's so hard not to get icky things when you work and play in public. I finally caught the cold/flu that's been going around here for months. I thought I was avoiding it pretty well, but I came down with it last week. I'm blaming my boss, he had it first;) Of course, he's blaming me for his.... Lol

Hope you're well soon. I've never seen an adult get shingles. I had CP as a kid of about 9, and recall them well. Blech, mom put socks on my arms at night so I wouldn't scratch them and leave scars:)

(good ol' home remedies)

Hang in there, it will go 'way soon I'm sure.

_________________
♥ Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain. Cherish the memories, ignore the pain. Love and learn, forget and forgive. Because you only have one life to live. ♥

I was down for almost a week. You should be able to normal work if you are on pain killer. Just make sure you don't spread it around other people.

_________________
I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

Actually, Shingles is fairly common for adults to get. It can occur usually after you've crossed the age of 50. After you get Chicken Pox as a child, the cells remain dormant in your body. Stress is a common thing that can trigger cells to act up. My Mother got it when she was about 75 years old. She was suffering back pains for over a week, and when she went to her Doctor, she found out that she had had Shingles. The Doctor injected her rash (it was on her back), and she took about 3 weeks to recoupperate (sp?). From what I've heard, Shingles can be highly contagious (especially if you never had Chicken Pox).

JR, I hope you get better quickly.

Shingles is transmitted through contact, not airborne as I recall. My mate had it, and I was fine, and were quite close.

It ain't nice though - hope you sort it soon bud.

Then we can all have a shing-shong

I had shingles as a teen. I thought the doctor told me that I probably got from a gym towel or something of contact like that. But that was awhile back.

But I do remember that I had blister sores over my left torso for several weeks. And yeah they hurt. This was before the FDA allowed more powerful narcotics like what's in Vicodin and Oxycontin for general pain prescriptions. I might have had some codene but that was it.

Watch those pain pills Jay. But that's just the recovering alcoholic/addict in me. The pain of those sores is less than the pain of narcotic withdrawal.

I've been through both.

I'm with you on prescription painkillers. When I broke my jaw into 4 pieces, I was on temazepan and codeine. I found myself taking it out of habbit, and almost craving it.

I got VERY antsy when my better half locked it away...

I have a relative that had shingles. I've heard the key is getting it treated right away. The literature on the web says shingles is just the chicken pox virus you had as a kid resurfacing.

As far as colds or flus from singers...I don't worry too much. You can just as easily get a cold at the supermarket checkout stand, at the movie theater, work, school, the list goes on...

The other day I stopped at McDonalds. The lady serving me sounded all stuffed up and had a cough. This was the person putting the lid on my coffee, returning my change, and talking to me... A few days later and I still don't have a cold. Now maybe if McDonalds had karaoke I'd be sick as a dog! You never know!

Hope you are feeling better soon!

Thank you all for the well wishes and for the heads-up on the painkillers. I was reluctant to try the hydroco but the nurse said it's not addictive unless you've been on it awhile. It certainly has eased the headaches and strange weird electric-shocks in my hamstrings.

I don't believe i ever had chicken pox Cue, but did have the measles at 8 years old.

Thanks Bill, i'm kinda hyper sensitive to all addictions since father was an alcoholic suicide and stepfather indulged in all kinds of drugs. It tore my mom up. I grew up never experimenting with drugs and only have about 10 beers a year.

The past couple of days, the 9 bumps on my head/face have opened up making me very contageous, but they ARE beginning to heal. Nausea has set in and it's difficult to hold in the very drugs that are supposed to be helping me!

I am reduced to eating just bananas and pedialiyte for now.

I've never taken my health for granted and have been "almost-vegatarian" for more than 2 years, with the occasional need for beef! Dairy is almost out, but TOTAL cereal keeps me hooked.

Goes to show. One minute you're perfectly healthy, the next..some weird affliction hits you and makes you realize your immortality.

Sounds like you're on top of the situation Jay.

You probably know this, but if you aren't used to narcotics like hydrocodone they do make you nauseous at first.

But you get used to them real fast.

You have more problems with your shingles than I had with mine. Best of luck.

Thanks Bill. you made me realize the the nausea was probably coming from the pain meds, so i switched over to Advil 800mg and have been able to hold onto lunch..so far.

The left eye re-opened and the anti-viral meds are doing their job. The doc says i'm contageous for the next 48 hours so it's a good time to hibernate.

Hope you feel better, JR. About the only good thing about shingles is that you only get it once! I'm not looking forward to my case.

You are right to be careful with those meds. I am too, but I try to remember that in many cases I need them to recover. If I put up with too much pain, I can do things which will hinder recovery. So keep yourself at least somewhat comfortable -- as long as you take only what is prescribed you should be OK.

My wife has had a couple of surgeries, and gives me custody of any narcotic pills (which I never have -- yet -- had a problem with). I give them to her as prescribed so that she can be certain she isn't abusing them.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Airborne or bodily contact I think the best advice for KJ's is to keep your mic for your self ONLY. I have done now since my cold in Jan which ruined my hols.

Get well soon JR

_________________
[font=Fantasy][/font] "Travellin' at the speed of light"

Not sure about this Cue...

I have had Chicken Pox as a kid and was told even recently by doctors that my chances for a Shingles occurence is almost nil because of that. They didn't rule it out completely ( gotta love the CYA attitude) , but said that my previous exposure would work AGAINST it.

Then again, I have a weird immune system. I am old enough to have had brothers who had German Measles. Mumps, and other more serious illnesses, lived in close proximity, and yet never actually developed the symptoms. I was told later that I COULD have passed them on, ( anyone remember Quarantines?). Though I might get a normal cold once or twice per year, they never last more than a day- tops.
My big downfall is influenza. Though very tough for me to get, if I do, it is HORRENDOUS. High fever, delerium, gallons of sweats, weight loss of like 15-20 lbs, and hangs in.

As for Shingles, the duration time and susceptibility seems to be linked to the individual AND his/her personality. Stress IS a huge factor, and a type A seems to be the bigger target.

_________________
"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

I have had shingles and believe me they are not fun.

This is straight from WebMD.

Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a viral infection caused by the chickenpox virus. Symptoms include pain and a rash on one side of the body. Shingles most commonly affects older adults and people with weak immune systems.

Shingles is a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, a type of herpes virus that causes chickenpox. After you have had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in your nerve roots and remains inactive until, in some people, it flares up again. When the virus becomes active again, you get shingles instead of chickenpox.

Anyone who has had even a mild case of chickenpox can get shingles. People who have a weak immune system are vulnerable to reactivation of the virus that causes shingles. Many factors can weaken your immune system, including aging, injury, and illness. Some medicines slow down the immune system. For example, medicines that destroy cancer cells (chemotherapy) can interfere with the immune system.

_________________
Mongo ain't exactly a "who," he's more of a "what".

Thanks mcjyj- i am a bit paranoid on narcotic addiction and decided to dump them down the toilet, as ADvil is doing me better without nausea.

Thanks Mr. F.- i sent the wife to costco to buy large quantities of Airborne and vitamin c tablets.

Joe is correct on different states of immune systems. The ER Doc said some people are more succeptible to certain infections and viruses, while others completely pass them by and aren't affected by them. Age and health of immune system + a genetic role factors in risk.

Mongo- pretty much the same info i got from the doctor. sounds about right.

Retracing my steps the past 2 weeks lead me to the weakening of my immune system.

1. went to Jimmy Buffet pre-concert party and then concert consuming 10 coronas the whole day. I usually have 10 per year total. Dancing and sweating profusely as i haven't been dancing for 6 months or so. this was on a cold night.

2. 2 days later ran a karaoke show that had 3 birthday parties that night, and between keeping and acknowledging all 4 groups between dancing, singing, and limbo/cupid shuffle dances, i felt STRESSED that evening. granted- i've been doing parties for almost 12 years but THIS NIGHT stressed me out.

3. a couple days later i went out club dancing and was handed 4 coronas and 1 vodka/cranberry which i drank over 4 hours of intense dancing, and teaching my other friends how to dance certain moves.

4. the next day i woke up with LARGE donald duck bump in the middle of my forehead and swollen lymphnodes on my neck. the following 3 days 1 bump turned into 9 bumps and my left eye closed.

5. i missed the 48 hour window to start treatment because doc #1 misdiagnosed and gave me antibiotics. 2 days later ER Doc gave me anti-viral meds.

6. i'm into day seven and the eye has reopened, the open-wounds (bumps) are closed now and i'm no longer contageous. I'm still UGLY as ever, .

First chance out i'm gonna buy my own personal wireless mic, forego any drinking of alcohol, try to take my karaoke business less-seriously, and load up on vitamins and immune-strengthening foods and liquids.

I can't reduce the stress factor that much..as i just ordered a laptop and Compuhost this week and get heavily consumed in learning the basics. Thanks for reading. Aloha! J.R. or Jay or John

You HAD to have the Chicken pox at some point in order to get shingles. It's caused by the same virus. You could have had it and not even known. It happened to my daughter. Her older sister had it so I was watching the younger one vigilantly. She developed a low-grade fever for a few hours one day. After searching her entire body, I found ONE spot on her side. Took her to the doctor who confirmed it. And guess what? she got it AGAIN a year later. DOc said she didn't get it bad enough first time. SO you CAN get it twice.




Not exactly, Joe. The ONLY way you get shingles is by having Chicken pox first, so the theory that it helps prevent you from getting shingles really doesn't work, does it?
Getting chicken pox is the primary CAUSE of shingles, not a vaccine against it.
Having said that, even though it's not uncommon as these things go, when you compare the number of people who carry the virus with the number of people who actually develop shingles, the ratio is really quite low.
Yes, stress is often a big trigger to set it off, but it's not the only factor, nor is it the deciding factor.

PS: I hope you feel better soon.