My daughter just keeps getting the short end of the stick!
She has a history of asthma & cronic ear infections, then we discover the celiac, NOW... shingles? I didnt even know that children could get them...
Does anyone have advice? We have been doing the benadril & advil every 6 hours and the calamine lotion a lot to help dry things. The pain seems to be what we cant get under control. I also hear the pain for last for years! HELP!1 I just want this baby girl to feel better..
K.
just wanted to send a thank you to all that offered advice. Oh, and to answer the questions out there, My daughter had chicken pox when she was about 8 months old, which from what I understand, makes her prone to shingles.
We had actually gone to the Dr and thats who gave us a shingles diagnosis, however, they would not give her an anti viral meds, nor pain meds because they said we had to catch it beore it turned into shingles... *eye roll* whatever. They also did not recomend a Tens unit in a child, whiuch was greek to me since I work with spinal cord injury patients of all ages and all use a Tens. We took things into our own hands and mixed both Easter and Western medicine.
What worked AWESOME for us was to make a tea with Horsetail root and let is cool enough to use a rag as a compress on the infected area 2 times a day for 30 minutes each, changing out the cloth several times in the 30 minutes. She loves the way if feels, as it is very soothing, We use calamine lotion during the day, Oatmeal baths at night. We have been giving her Echinacea ea and 1/2 a clove of garlic everyday to boost her immune system. The few times after starting this treatment she actually had any pain or itching, we did Advil and Benadril. The Horse tooth really has done wonders and she is virtually pain free and the affected area is almost completly gone and we just started all this on Friday and its only Tuesday!!! Everything I read and have heard, this is way early for healing!! She says she is vertually pain free!! We will continue the Horsetooth until all leasions are heals and the garlic & echinacea for 2 weeks after just to make sure her imune system is high.
I guess I was stressed and didnt clerify her asthma and ear infections. Until she was 3, we could not get the ear infections under control and were faced with tubes in her ears, we moved her from a day care center and I uit working so I could be home with the kids and she gets 1 at the most a year now. The asthma... it doesnt flare up until she gets a cold, at which point its a critcal thing. We have inhalers and a nebulizer on hand in case of emergency. The celiac... wekll that we have no control of, she follows a gluten free diet with digestive enzimes & also takes DGL (licorice) and Aloe Vera Juice to keep the stomach & small intestine protected from accidention exposure. Her Celiac levels have dropped to where it doesnt show on her blood test anymore.
Thank you again for everything & I hope maybe some of our treatments may help others out there,
K. & Kids
I really feel for you. My mom has the shingles. At times it is so bad that she can hardly take it. But they come and go. She hasn't suffered from them in about a year.
K.,
The pain won't' last for years! But you can't control the pain because shingles grow right on her nerve endings. When I had them, no OTC pain meds helped,and probably no prescription (I didn't try that.) Then they just went away after a few weeks. But the pain was only bad for a few days when I had them.
Hope this helps,
Marci
The pain from shingles is horrible. Adults use pain medications for this. Did they put her on an antiviral medication? That is now the standard of care. Shingles can happen at any age but more commonly in people who are immunocompromised which would include your daughter with her many health issues.
Hi K.-Can I ask you if your daughter got the chicken pox vaccination? I heard a speech from a pediatrician who said he was seeing increasing shingles in children (which was almost unheard of in the past) after children got the chicken pox vaccination. I'm trying to plan ahead with what we'll do. I'm so sorry you and your daughter have to go through this. In terms of the celiac disease, have you ever heard of NAET? It seems really strange--it's sort of a version of accupressure/accupuncture from India dealing with allergies. We have had several friends who have gone to an NAET practitioner--which is based on eliminating allergies, and who literally have been able to eat diary and wheat again after being completely allergic. My husband is going to go soon for his allergy to cats. It seems weird, but several friends, who normally go to regular doctors, have gone with their children & it's been amazing to watch. Celiac disease may be a little different, but if it could help, it may be worth trying. If you are in the Boulder/Denver area, I can give you the name of the practioner several families we know have tried. For more info: http://www.naet.com. Best of luck!
Dear K.,
I was talking to a friend of mine about a tens unit for the residule pain still suffered by my husband who had shingles almost a year ago. I then thought of your little girl and asked Brandy if I could send you her phone number. I will let her explain what a tens unit does as I am not knowledgable other than knowing it has helped my grandson's (10 yrs.) neck pain. Best of luck to you and your family. K.
Brandy ###-###-####
oh K. your poor girl! if tylenol and advil is not working you need to talk to the pediatrician right away. Many people are reluctant to give thier kids something stronger but trust me when pain is so severe, pain medication is metabolized differently in the body,and when used correctly,you do not have to worry about addiction.Also, shingles causes neuropathic pain which can be tricky to treat. its one of the harder kinds to handle. I am a hospice/ geriatric RN, so Im not sure if you can use this for children but neurontin has been very effective with pain caused by shingles. You take that child back to the dr and ask them to review a different treatment. Take care A. Jones
yes ditto onthe previos posts...get her to the dr..i had shingles when i was 24, and my dr said it was stress related....i had my 6 wk old inthe hospital for rsv the month prior.....it was hard cause i couldnt be around my baby while i had them.......but the docs will prescribe antibiotics and creams....
I am so sorry to hear about all the stuff your daughter is going through. MY GOODNESS.......Please Please contact me. I know for an absolute fact something that will help her, it is an whole food liquid and it would help her so much. I know one person for each of those things you mentioned. And they have been helped. I can't believe the pain your daughter is going through.
Please contact me. ____@____.com me your phone number and I will call you immediately.
K.--
Many many blessings to you and your daughter! Wow...
Yes! By all means treat her discomfort and your doc should be a good resource for that. They are great at treating SYMPTOMS...not so great at PREVENTION.
Here are some things to truly consider for all of her history. They are all interrelated.
1)Digestive/immune support. I belive the best things to consider would boost her immune system. Much of our immune process comes from our digestive tract. Something not normally focused on. Find a good enzyme-based, whole-food Total Flora supplement. This will help SO MUCH with her celiac disease as well.
2)Environmental quality--Asthma and chronic ear infections. How miserable for her!
Some things to consider would be, certainly boosting her immune system but take a look at her indoor environment. Especially indoor air pollution. Sounds as if her little immune system has A LOT to deal with or is being barraged to the point of illness. Find ways to negate the level of attack!
My daughter, 13, suffered with allergies galore and reactive airway/asthma. She was on 2 oral allergy meds, a nasal steroid, rescue albuterol as well as nebulizer treatments and we still needed to treat w/ Benedryl from time to time. It was no way to live...certainly no way to be ultimately healthy. Once again, the doctors were treating the SYMPTOMS! Sheeeeeeesh!
Well, about 2 years ago, we got her on some AMAZING whole-food supplements and started using an air-PURIFICAITON system in our home. I am happy to say that within two weeks of this, she was no longer on ANY medication. Still isn't. And is ASTHMA FREE!
Long story short, K.--boost her immune system and take a close look at her environment!
I am SO HAPPY to help! I have MANY resources I can get to you.
Supplements: www.infinity2.com/amyc
Environmental: www.tryfreshair.com/amyc
Let me know how I may be of service, K.. It takes a village!
Much love,
A.
My sister had shingles about 3 or 4 months ago. She and my bro-in-law were getting ready to move to Michigan which my sister didn't want to and it caused a very high level of stress for my sister. She was in so much pain, and was constantly itchy. She went to the doctor who took one look at it and knew what it was. She was given a strong pain medication and a cream to put on it. Although after a few days, the rash started going away, the pain was still there. I don't know about the pain lasting for years but it can stick around long after the rash is gone.
I would call or take her into the dr to see if you can get an RX for a stronger pain med. Since this is related to the chicken pox, kids who had them are at a higher risk of getting shingles and it can happen more than once. Alot of things can bring it out but in most cases its stress. Try to get your daughter to relax (I know that its not going to be easy). My sisters pain eventually went away and so now she is doing her best not to stress out. Good luck and just know that although she is in a lot of pain, it won't last forever.
Good luck
check out dr mercola's website -- lots of natural things that work
Hi K.,
Sorry to respond so late...
Long term, tonic treatment may be the best option for your daughter. I am a clinical herbalist and work regularly with children. Your options with herbal remedies are broad spectrum which is nice when getting children to take their herbs. Yummy immune boosting teas. Syrups that support her skin production and calm the pain and irritation. You can even make customized lotions and creams. Adding oils to her diet is the first most basic step, and then targeting specific remedies to support her body. Please feel free to contact me either through MAMAsource or you can call my herbal pharmacy Holistic Pathways at ###-###-####. L. Golub.
Hello,
I am a stay at home mom,and a district manager with Arbonne International. Which is a health and wellness company. We have a remarkable body set that would help heal your daughters skin condition. If you are interested please let me know. We could meet or I could mail you a sample.
L. O.
Ditto. She needs an RX for that pain, poor thing.
Get to the doctor if you haven't already! My sister had them when she was 14 & in high school. She was out of school for 3 weeks. My great-grandmother used to get them all the time; except hers was under the skin. And, no joke here, I actually have them now. I'm serious. The pain is horrible, I'd say worse than childbirth. Anyone can get them, esp. if your immunity is down already. And you can get them more than once. My hip hurt for 3 days before the rash appeared, and it took almost 2 weeks to blister and crust over. Supposedly once the crusting starts than you are not contag. anymore. Just have her stay away form preg women, newborns or anyone on chemo, etc. or anyone who hasn't had the chicken pox or the chickenpox vaccine. They say that, but really the only way you can spread it is when someone touches it. And have her keep it covered. If you look it up on mayoclinic.com than it should answer any questions; it's a really good site for this. She needs to be on Famvir (it's better than Zovirax and Valtrex) to stop the spreading. If she has over 21 sores than she can so on prednisone. This is more for preventative measures (to prevent postherpetic neuralgia: the pain that you are referring to later in life). I had 41 sores, and chose not to go on the prednisone because I was too worried about the side effects. They also might want to give her meds for the pain. Over the last 2 weeks I have been extremely weak and tired; just laying around w my ice pack. For what it's worth, my sister-now in her mid 30's has never had any pain @ or around the shingles site. Good luck.
I had them about that age. The good thing was it was during the two week vacation of winter holiday. i wore a satin nightgown all day and no undies. Then I had Calamine Lotion and warm oatmeal bathes. It took maybe a week on the medication form the doctor and then another to full heal the soars. But I remember it hurt horribly.
Hi - Definitely get to the Doctor. Lysine pills help tremendously with shingles. Also cortisone cream helps the itch. Sounds like your daughter has some major allergy stuff going on, that may all be related. Follow some of the advice people here have given you. She needs a really thorough work up by someone who is familiar with allergy and immune issues. Good luck my dear, and blessings and healing to your poor little girl.
C.
When I got them I was put on a steroid treatment for four days. It helped tremendously! I have never heard of benadril or advil doing the trick. Get her into the DR!
Shingles is the chicken pox virus, so if she has had the virus it can lay dormant in her system. A number of things can trigger it to come about. Mine was from lack of sleep and stress (just had a baby then). Did she have her chicken pox vaccine? They are trying to come up with a shingle vaccine which I think would be a miracle as older adults getting them it can be very painful and damaging.
I have never heard of a young person get them, but if she has had the chicken pox she can get shingles and can get them again too.
Have you talked to your Dr about steroid treatment? It healed mine in a matter of days and made it much more bareable. I had it down my left thigh and couldn't even wear pants or anything touching it.
Hugs, God Bless!
I had shingles when I was 16,due to twisting my ankle and being stressed and over doing life,even tho I was in great shape, being a gymnast.I still got shingles. I am now 41 and they couldn't belive someone so young could get shingles. I was not given any meds or steroides like they give now days. The pain was bad but warm baths with wash cloth on the areas with an oatmeal bath helped. The only time it gets resl scary is when the path of shingles gets close to the eye. I also heard it can run in famlies. My sister had it @14 and my dad latter in life. We have had no pain in the following years. yet, a year after I did feel some small shooting pain in some areas of the nurves. The pain is bad, but not unbarable (for me at least) Good Luck and just let your daughter know she will get through it. Let her get lots of sleep and drink lots of water.
Yes, I agree with the previous post. My hubby had them when he was 33 and really stressed at work. Please see a doc. They will give you meds for the pain and Valtrex (my hubby got Valtrex). Maybe there is something else on the market like the previous poster said.
