shingles! (& vicodin question)

Yep, I got shingles. very sucky.
Started with a painful, itchy rash on my rear end of all places on Mon. I
had a PAP scheduled for today anyway, so I figured I'd have it checked then.
Yesterday I started getting very swollen and painful lymph nodes along my
groin area on that side. Today it's just gotten progressively worse.
Midwife agreed it was probably shingles, but sent me to my PCP just in case.
He agreed and gave me a prescription for Valtrex 1g three times a day and
Vicodin as needed.
The Vicodin is definitely needed, and I've looked it up on kellymom and it's
supposedly safe. I'm a little paranoid though, so any personal stories of
"yep, I took it and my baby kept breathing" would be helpful! (or advice
about how long to wait after taking it to breastfeed....I have a small stash
so I can have DH do a bottle for any bad times) Madi is now 14 wks old and
a healthy 12.5-13 lbs.
Any advice on helpful coping strategies for the shingles itself is also
appreciated. I would prefer to do the natural childbirth again over this!

Amy

No advice on the medication. I hope you feel better. I know shingles is
horrible. However, don't be surprised if your daughter gets chicken pox now.
Hubby got shingles and my then 6-week old got chicken pox and then in turn
gave them to my oldest daughter. Middle daughter managed to not get them
because she got the vaccination.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)

"V." wrote in message
...
Yep, I got shingles. very sucky.
Started with a painful, itchy rash on my rear end of all places on Mon. I
had a PAP scheduled for today anyway, so I figured I'd have it checked
then.
Yesterday I started getting very swollen and painful lymph nodes along my
groin area on that side. Today it's just gotten progressively worse.
Midwife agreed it was probably shingles, but sent me to my PCP just in
case.
He agreed and gave me a prescription for Valtrex 1g three times a day and
Vicodin as needed.
The Vicodin is definitely needed, and I've looked it up on kellymom and
it's
supposedly safe. I'm a little paranoid though, so any personal stories of
"yep, I took it and my baby kept breathing" would be helpful! (or advice
about how long to wait after taking it to breastfeed....I have a small
stash
so I can have DH do a bottle for any bad times) Madi is now 14 wks old
and
a healthy 12.5-13 lbs.
Any advice on helpful coping strategies for the shingles itself is also
appreciated. I would prefer to do the natural childbirth again over this!

Amy

"Sue" wrote in message
news:evSdnXLbfO7Bk4_ZnZ2dnUVZ_sidnZ2d@wideopenwest .com...
No advice on the medication. I hope you feel better. I know shingles is
horrible. However, don't be surprised if your daughter gets chicken pox
now.
Hubby got shingles and my then 6-week old got chicken pox and then in turn
gave them to my oldest daughter. Middle daughter managed to not get them
because she got the vaccination.


darn! The Dr. said I was unlikely to pass it on to anyone else unless they
came into direct skin to skin contact with the rash or if I didn't wash my
hands after touching the rash. Since the rash is on my rear end , it's
always covered by clothing and I can't accidentally touch it with my hands.
OK, I guess I have a new question now:
Anyone get shingles and be told to avoid places like daycare, work, etc so
they wouldn't infect others?

Amy

In article , "V."
wrote:

Any advice on helpful coping strategies for the shingles itself is also
appreciated. I would prefer to do the natural childbirth again over this!

I'm sorry -- my mom had it not long ago, and hoo boy, it sounds awful. I
know she was helped by acyclovir and neurontin, but I don't know if
they're prescription-only or OTC, or if they're safe for breastfeeding.
Basically I'm no help, am I?
--
Sara
accompanied by TK, due in April

Quoting, for users of Google Groups:
http://groups.google.com/support/bin...4213&topic=250

Ouch! I've never had shingles, but I've heard how miserable it can be.

Vicodin is compatible with b/fing. Many ob's prescribe it following a
c-section (I took it as needed after my section, and my DD had no problems).

Hope you're on the mend soon!

Mary
--
Mommy to Rayna 1/20/03
9w pg with twins!

"V." wrote in message
...
Yep, I got shingles. very sucky.
Started with a painful, itchy rash on my rear end of all places on Mon. I
had a PAP scheduled for today anyway, so I figured I'd have it checked
then. Yesterday I started getting very swollen and painful lymph nodes
along my groin area on that side. Today it's just gotten progressively
worse. Midwife agreed it was probably shingles, but sent me to my PCP just
in case. He agreed and gave me a prescription for Valtrex 1g three times a
day and Vicodin as needed.
The Vicodin is definitely needed, and I've looked it up on kellymom and
it's supposedly safe. I'm a little paranoid though, so any personal
stories of "yep, I took it and my baby kept breathing" would be helpful!
(or advice about how long to wait after taking it to breastfeed....I have
a small stash so I can have DH do a bottle for any bad times) Madi is now
14 wks old and a healthy 12.5-13 lbs.
Any advice on helpful coping strategies for the shingles itself is also
appreciated. I would prefer to do the natural childbirth again over this!

Amy

"V." wrote in message
darn! The Dr. said I was unlikely to pass it on to anyone else unless
they
came into direct skin to skin contact with the rash or if I didn't wash my
hands after touching the rash. Since the rash is on my rear end , it's
always covered by clothing and I can't accidentally touch it with my
hands.
OK, I guess I have a new question now:
Anyone get shingles and be told to avoid places like daycare, work, etc so
they wouldn't infect others?

You need to treat it like you have the chicken pox and be careful around
those who have not had the chicken pox and pregnant women, immunosuppressed
people. This is what I found on Medline:

If you have shingles you should stay away from other people until the
blisters have dried (usually about seven days), as there are virus particles
in the blister fluid. The risk is that people who have not had chickenpox
might catch that from you.
Those at particular risk are people whose immune system is not functioning
normally (who are immunocompromised), as for example in people on steroids,
chemotherapy for cancer or those with transplants or with AIDS, so do try to
avoid contact with people in these categories if you have shingles. --


Sue (mom to three girls)

had to look up the english name, I take something very very similar, it's
codeine rather than hydrocodone, honestly there is no symptoms at all in
Ada, I take is several times a day most days and have been doing for several
months. It is possible that she has slept more than she might have done, but
she's been alert rather than drowsy at other times, and no change when I
don't take the drugs so we think it's just her!

Anne

Anonymama wrote:

In article , "V."
wrote:


Any advice on helpful coping strategies for the shingles itself is also
appreciated. I would prefer to do the natural childbirth again over this!


I'm sorry -- my mom had it not long ago, and hoo boy, it sounds awful. I
know she was helped by acyclovir and neurontin, but I don't know if
they're prescription-only or OTC, or if they're safe for breastfeeding.
Basically I'm no help, am I?

They'd both be prescription only. The aciclovir is a similar type of
drug to valaciclovir, which is Valtrex, which Amy said she's already on.
The Gabapentin is a 'no information available' one, unfortunately.

Amy - Assuming that you yourself have no contraindications to
anti-inflammatories (Ibuprofen and related drugs), I would ask your
doctor for some Diclofenac. It can be taken with the Vicodin, and I've
just checked and apparently it's safe in breastfeeding as the amount
that gets into the milk is so small (this is from the British National
Formulary, which is conservative about medication in breastfeeding to
the point of frequently being highly unhelpful, so if they say it's safe
then I'd say that's highly reassuring).


All the best,

Sarah

that gets into the milk is so small (this is from the British National
Formulary, which is conservative about medication in breastfeeding to the
point of frequently being highly unhelpful, so if they say it's safe then
I'd say that's highly reassuring).

boy, am I glad to hear you say that, I'd rather be safe than sorry, but the
lack of information is so frustrating and can actually end up with being
given a worse drug, because the better one is made by a different
manufacturer and what is in the book is noncomittal, for example, I was
given Prozac, which according to Hale is the worst SSRI for breastfeeding,
as the first choice of drug, rather than the last.

Anne

"V." wrote in message
...

OK, I guess I have a new question now:
Anyone get shingles and be told to avoid places like daycare, work, etc so
they wouldn't infect others?

Yes. My mother had shingles and was told by her doctor to stay away from my
dd until her sores had crusted over. She was under 1 and had not been
vaccinated yet. I think I would stay away from daycare centers.

JennP.