I have been laid low by shingles. I have had a 1 week course of anti-virals (which the GP told me cost £100!) but 12 days later I am still feeling poorly, though the rash has subsided. I'd like to know if anyone else has had shingles, and how long it took to get back to running or even proper walking.
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Penguin's mate at workOriginally Posted by Alexandra
Thanks for the link. I did run a search using the word "shingles" but with no success. I wonder whether there is a danger of damage to the heart if one runs when fighting a virus.
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I have had it too often when run down (had it at least 6 times!). Sorry to say but I've always had it quite mild and don't even have the day off usually. Am on Aciclovir at the moment as had an attack last week. Im just recovering from an op, so didnt stop exercising (am not doing anything strenuous so not an issue).
Re exercising if recovering from a bad viral attack, I would not advise anything strenuous, as I know one runner who did and it knocked him back running wise quite badly, okay at first but then slowly got worse until he just had to stop for a period of time to recuperate.
Shingles affects everyone differently. I've had it three times, once was mild and I carried on working but not running. The last two knocked me off my feet. It sounds as if you have had a particularly bad episode. Your body is fighting hard to get well so if you put yourself under more pressure with running your body will put a stop to it!! Rest and plan stuff for when you are back in top form. :-). Get well soon x
Sorry to hear you have had Shingles. I can only comment as a professional observer - I saw many patients with this - some did not bat an eyelid, others were knocked for six and became so weak they needed to be admitted to a place of care - usually a hospital - to be looked after. Clearly you fall somewhere in the middle.
Antivirals are almost always used but the evidence they help is poor except in those with a recognized cause of immune suppression such as chemotherapy or leukaemia.
Recurrent Shingles (the virus is called Herpes Zoster) is unusual - though recurrent Herpes Simplex does occur on the skin and looks similar.
The main problem with Shingles is post herpetic neuralgia but as you have not mentioned it presumably pain is not an ongoing problem.
As to running I would wait until you feel back to your normal self before re-starting. Unfortunately this may take a month or two.
Good luck!
Thanks, all, for support & good advice. It's hard to tell the difference between post viral fatigue & my normal reluctance to do anything other than read my library book. However, at one point my resting morning HR was back to normal, so I planned a little jog round the park. Luckily I always warm up on my cross trainer first, and doing that my HR was jumping around more than it should, so I returned to inactivity! Most days I walk 2-3 miles to shop, which feels OK.
I read on the Internet that myocarditis can ensue if one exercises vigorously after some viruses. I'm not sure if herpes zoster is one of them, but I feel like being very careful as I already have AF and am on daily Flecainide for that. Unfortunately the worst patch of rash was just over my heart, leading to continuing pains there which would be impossible to distinguish from heart pains.
Mike, I do have some unpleasant neuralgia but it is intermittent and never severe enough to warrant pain killers. (Rather discouragingly, the emergency Dr who prescribed the anti-virals also prescribed strong Co-codamol tablets, but I haven't taken one.) Curiously, I have suffered almost no itching so far, and now the rash is almot gone. Fatigue is by far the worst problem.
As usual, I have learned more about shingles management when it is almost too late to be of use. Particularly, that the balance between the amino acids arginine & lysine in one's diet is important. It seems that the herpes virus needs arginine, and arginine & lysine are antagonists, so that the more lysine one consumes the less arginine is available for the herpes. For a semi-vegetarian like me, this means reducing consumption of nuts, seed & grains and increasing milk, cheese & fish. Mangoes, apples, pears, stone fruits eg apricots, beetroot, tomatoes, pineapple also have a good ratio of lysine to arginine, but the amounts of both are much smaller than in the higher protein foods. There is a useful table of arginine / lysine ratios HERE. This is not a diet to follow for life, just when one feels an attack imminent or one is in the throes. Lysine tablets are available in the body building section of eg Holland & Barrett.
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I had shingles about 4 years ago, on my back. Unfortunately it was well established by the time I went to the GP and asked him what this bloody rash was! So too late for anti virals. I was lucky that although quite tender and painfull (when leaning back in car/chair) I didn't take a day off work - so not a really bad dose. I know I would have stopped running for a week or so but don't recall feeling too dreadfull or for very long, it takes people different ways and I was a lucky one in the great scheme of things.
Good luck, I would go with how you feel but be cautious.
Don't roll with a pig in poo. You get covered in poo and the pig likes it.
Thanks, Mole.
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My fried had the similar problem of shingles but his condition was not so complicated and shingles were dried up after few days of using antibiotic. I think shingles dried up even if you don't use any thing for treating them but only cleanliness. Its my own thinking and I don't thing shingles are dangerous..
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