shingles and swelling in eye

[clouds z]

my eye is swollen and i have shingles on face

apple cider vingar seemed to helpfor skin
i need a folk remedy to get swelling down
i dont trust the prednisone
otherwise i guess i feel better than yesterday except for the eye

[Wittesea]

couldsz,

Sorry to hear about the shingles, that must be quite painful.

I don't know any folk remedies for swelling, but I can offer my opinion and experience with prednisone....

I have been taking low-dose prednisone every day for well over a year. I usually take 5mg a day, but sometimes more (up to 10mg) depending on how I am feeling. The reason I take it is for my connective tissue disease (an autoimmune dysfunction that causes body-wide inflamation). The prednisone helps the inflamation/swelling.

My husband has asthma and a ton of allergies, and a few times a year he has to take high-dose prednisone to improve his breathing. When this happens he takes 80mg for 5 days, then 60mg for 4 days, 40mg for 3 days, 20mg for 3 days, 10mg for 5 days, then stops. It really really helps him, and by taking the prednisone he is able to avoid having to be admitted to the hospital. He also uses an Advair inhaler daily which contains steroids.

He also had experience with another steroid called dexamethasone during his chemotherapy. It was given in his IV before his chemo everyday as a way to reduce nausea. He also had pills at home to take as neded for the nausea, and that helped a lot also.

Anyway, I know you said that you did not trust the prednisone, but I thought I would offer my positive experiences with it. Neither my husband or myself ever had any side effects or negative consequences from any of the steroids we take/took.

I hope that your shingles pain and inflamation subsides soon.

Take care,
Liz

[clouds z]

* Steroids - cortisone prescriptions such as Prednisone are the most damaging drugs to the eyes of any prescription drugs. If you must take any of these drugs, be sure to supplement your diet with anti-oxidants such as vitamins E and C, and beta-carotene. Ask your doctor if you can replace Prednisone with a natural cortisone such as hydrocortisone.

http://www.healthherbs.com/conditionitem.php?id=105

[annelb]

Sorry to hear about getting shingles - that is painful. :(

If it is around your eye I would suggest that you see an ophthalmologist immediately - herpes can cause severe damage to the eye. A lesion on the tip of the nose is a sure sign that the eyeball is involved because of the way the nerves are distributed.

It is more likely they will start you on an antiviral not prednisone but sometimes both are used. Antivirals work best at reducing pain and duration if started within 72 hours. The possibility of less pain is another reason to get medical help quickly. http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000415/2437.html

Here are two sites on home care http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/47/115.cfm
http://www.healingwithnutrition.com/sdisease/shingles/pplan.html

LEF's take on Herpes - I am surprised that B12 is not mentioned: http://www.lef.org/protocols/infections/herpes_shingles_01.htm

One question to consider is what is going on with your immune system that would allow an outbreak of herpes zoster? What can you do to lessen the possibility of another outbreak.

Please have your eye examined immediately - although the offices are closed the eye doctor is on call.
Anne

[KTM5665]

I was going to mention acyclovir as one way to get them down fast. My 15 yr old had her first shingles attack just beofe christmas. Luckily, her eye wasnt affected...it broke out on her back. It then turned into a staph infection. they treated her with acylovir, and sugested to use again at the first sighn of another outbreak.

[Curious]

awww cloudz :( i'm so sorry you are going through this. i don't have any advice, since i don't have family with shingles.

just want you to know i care and that i hope it goes away soon. get well hon.

((((((((hugs)))))))))))

[Kitt]

Sorry to hear about the shingles. They are very painful. You definitely should see an opthamologist as it can raise havoc with the eye. I had a cousin where this happened. Hope you get better fast.

Kitt

[clouds z]

im still screwed with shingles but at last used a prednisone-i couldnt take it anymore

[monarchbutterfly]

im still screwed with shingles but at last used a prednisone-i couldnt take it anymore


I had shingles on the side of my body (from my underarm down, first one side then the other). I was in my teens- the antivirals weren't out yet.

It was very painful for a long time. :(

Doesn't the vinager sting? I forgot what helped- I suspect nothing helped... :rolleyes:

What about soaking a facecloth or gauze in lots of cold water and then holding it over the shingles. It would at least cool down your skin.

[clouds z]

last 4 days were hell i guess

[Curious]

((((cloudz))))) i was going to email you tonight. i was worried when you didn't post.i'm glad you posted. are you getting better? how are you?

[clouds z]

((((cloudz))))) i was going to email you tonight. i was worried when you didn't post.i'm glad you posted. are you getting better? how are you?

thanks for caring

im 70% better and i guess on way to heal-have a way to go though

[clouds z]

http://www.filmsandtv.com/celebnews.php?cns=Cary%20Grant

May 31, 2006
Robert Sterling: I'm old enough to remember the actor fun 1950s television series Topper, based on the hit 1937 comedy film with Cary Grant and Constance Bennett as the ghostly Kerby couple and Roland Young as Cosmo Topper. The CBS version of the movie starred Sterling and his wife, Anne Jeffreys, as the Kerbys and the marvelous Leo G. Carroll as their human pal, Cosmo Topper. Sterling died on Tuesday at his home in Brentwood, California. His son told reporters that the 88-year-old actor had been struggling with shingles for a decade. He died of natural causes. On a side note, the FDA approved a shingles vaccine this month and Merck plans to start shipping the medicine as soon as physicians place their orders. Sterling is survived by his wife, daughter Tisha Sterling (from his marriage to Ann Southern), three sons and six grandchildren. No funeral or memorial information was released to the press.

he had shingles for ten years

sounds like fun

[clouds z]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlighthealth/2003-10-21-mcclanahan_x.htm

[Curious]

(((((cloudz)))))

how are you??? i just saw your post on the tourettes forum that you have been in the hospital. :eek: did they get the eye infection cleared up? how is the shingles doing?

i hope you are on the mend.

[clouds z]

hello

iwas in hospital yes but now im out and better

i look and feel more normal

[Curious]

:D i'm glad to hear it!!!

i was worried when i hadn't seen any posts from you in a few days.

[clouds z]

ok thanks for caring

[annelb]

Glad to hear that you got some help. Glad to hear that you are feeling better. I hope the healing goes well.
Anne

[hannahbanana]

Sorry you weren't feeling well clouds z. Glad you're improving.

Take care of yourself, okay?

[Doody]

Cloudz, you were in the hospital!!!??? Oi vey!

I stumbled in here when I saw the shingles post. Alffe's husband had that not long ago, very badly.

I just had a couple things to say about prednisone. I'm a prednisone veteran as well, having had to take it for a couple years at a time off and on throughout my life for ulcerative colitis. That long term use is nasty.

But you can also get the short burst and taper method with prednisone, where you take it for about 10 days. Start off on a large dose and each day wean off it. It's not as bad as coming off it when you've been on it long term. And your life depends on it.

I couldn't wean off it the first time very easily at all. As soon as I'd get down to a bazillionth of a milligram, the ulcerative colitis would flare back up. Took forever, that plus a sulfa drug (azulfidine).

I'm glad you are better!

[clouds z]

i guess i healed more but i get tired all of a sudden and then fluid will drip from eyebrow and its swollen

i heard stress causes it

maybe i should blame the damn doctor who refused me meds unless i took a high dose and others

i dont even want to go out much lately

it itches

ill take predinose now if persribed -i was a fool i guess to ignore them

im just on eye drops now

[orthomolecular]

If you don't use any enzymes now you may want to consider adding them to your supplements. Shingles is one problem that has been studied with regards to enzymes being effective.

http://home.bluegrass.net/~jclark/enzyme_purpose.htm

In 1964, Dr. Robert Dorrer of the Prien Hospital tested 24 patients suffering from shingles with oral enzymes. Within three days the pain ceased and the blisters started healing. A German medical journal reported his impressive success.

I take enzymes with meals, but also take them on an empty stomach. I reduced the amount I take on an empty stomach and after a couple of days didn't feel like myself. I find that sometimes it is good to stop using something to see if it really helping me.

After a certain age your pancreas may not be able to produce all the enzymes your body needs. If you have shingles you should research how enzymes, both digestive and systemic (systemic means taking them on an empty stomach) can help.

[Chemar]

Hi
not sure if someone has already mentioned this so forgive me if I am repeating

The amino acid L-Lysine inhibits the herpes virus' reproduction and so can be very helpful in shingles

[clouds z]

enzmes whats that? amino acid? from what?

l-lysine?

[clouds z]

http://www.google.com/search?hs=wiE&hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=l-lysine+shingles&btnG=Search

[clouds z]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysine

[clouds z]

then to top it all off i got a black dot on penis and thought it was flesheating disease!!!

doctor said it was a bruise- i guess from the meds -all my skin was screwed up from meds i took i guess