[Tech1] Shingles

[David Newbitt]

Hi Sara,

Those like yourself who have been through the experience seem mostly to have had a pretty hard time of it, sadly compounded in your case by seeing your daughter go down with chicken pox. As to your poor granddaughter that’s the earliest age I’ve heard of for a shingles attack.

Paracetamol and NSAIDs in my case don’t even touch the pain which really is excruciating. I’ve now had a third night in the semi upright position with barely any sleep and so I need to pursue the pain relief idea asap. NICE recommend amitriptyline so I rang the Minor Injuries Unit at the local commmunity hospital who had diagnosed me and given me a course of anti-virals to see if they could provide. Apparently the drug is outside the unit’s remit so 111 is the only route. I’m sure many have experienced the torture chamber that leads you into. I fully understand that the service is not staffed by health professionals but in my experience as they often can’t interpret answers you provide to their questions you get bogged down in attempts to define and describe the symptoms. This time the person didn’t know what Shingles is; last time, when my wife had been taken ill and I mentioned in response to one question her being a Migraine sufferer, the responder didn’t know what migraine was and I had to spell it for him.

So an hour ago I went through the 111 mill. I’ve just answered a number-withheld call thinking “that beats the 6 hours it took last time” but was brought back to earth when the caller explained he wasn’t a doctor but just calling to say there’d be some delay before it would be a doctor. 

Even in my reduced state I have every sympathy for over-stretched NHS professionals. I just wonder if some of the money that has been spent on fire-fighting measures like 111 to compensate for GP and hospital shortages might have more directly gone to front line mainstream care.

Thank you for writing Sara,

Dave Newbitt

From: Sara Newman 
Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2021 8:19 AM
To: David Newbitt 
Cc: tech1 at tech-ops.co.uk ; patheigham 
Subject: Re: [Tech1] Shingles

Hi I got shingles at the beginning of Covid when there was no definitive symptoms list. I was immediately given antivirus medication for three weeks and told to get on top of the pain This I did with paracetamol and ibruprofen- the doctor told me that if I did not, the pain would carry on for months , as the nerves would “learn” the pain.  It was all over my scalp into my eye They also gave me drops for this as this is a serious area for it to develop. I totally sympathise. It’s awful My daughter never had chickenpox  and I unfortunately gave it to her. Later that summer my granddaughter aged 8 at the time got shingles too It’s not nice Take care and get well soon Sarax


Sent from my iPhone


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