nosuchluck

hi guys
i have had shingles this past week and didn't even know i had it! went to the doc today as it was the earlies appt. i could get, booked it last Wednesday, thats the NHS for you! anyway turns out i am getting over a mild case of shingles!
my bp is always high, has been for about a year so i am on tablets, but the 'locum' i saw today things i may have an underlying problem as im too young (thats a first at 37!) to be on pills for the bp., so he is sending me for blood tests to rule out cholestral and diabetes!!!! just say that i do have either of these will it affect the medicals??? as if i'm not stressed enough now have this to worry about!
any advice?
rach

footie chick

Chill out my dear as you may have a long wait ahead of you and i am sure you want to be as fit as a fiddle for the meds when they are requested !!

You have you meet in Portsmouth to look forward and if it was as sucessful as the Brighton meet you will make some great new friends.

Take it easy girl !!

footie chick

markeh

Hi rach,
take a big breth and have a sit down.
As long as your blood pressure is under control than I don't think that they faily you for the medical.

It's good that they are looking for the underlying cause, but the bad news is that shingles is a virus, so they can't get rid of it, but just treat it. (That's what my mom tels me and she's had it in her eyes for a few years now. There must be some doctors out there whe can advise on this??)

I hope it goes down and remember it's all part of life's rich tapestry. (That's what I say to myself and I'm off work with stress!!!:scared: :scared: :scared: )

Bye
Markeh

nosuchluck

thanks for that hun!
i will try and chill! feel a girls night out coming on!
hugs
rach

nosuchluck

Thanks Markeh!
i thought that the doc might sign me off sick but he reckons im not contagious anymore so there's no point!
cheers for the advice and good luck with the stress - enjoy the time off work
regards
rach

yafm

Singles is the same virus as chicken pox so you probably got it from some child who was still catching

However blood pressure Stop the coffee, coke and salt in your diet and calm down Your blood pressure will drop amazingly. Colin got his down in 10 days from very high - due to his old age - Haha - He also took some extra exercise each day to get his heart pumping and this worked a treat The nurse who had to get three blood pressiure readings (after he failed his medical) was amazed and asked him what he was doing to get 'better' so quickly He goto onto the web and followed the American (Dash - I think) Hypertensium diet (or half of it or his would hav e exploded) He has also lost 1 and a half stone as well.

It is the salt and white bread that is the killer and of course watch the fats while you are trying to get the pressure down. Caffeinme and salt KILLERS :scared:

hevs

calmeth R!!!!
If the meds show it up you will have to sign a health undertaking which means that you have to go see a doc within a few weeks of your ozzie arrival. You could do all the suggested things for lowering the BP AND stop stressing about the PR stuff

chris hogan

Hi Rach about the only thing I can tell you about is shingles,I had that when I was 17 very very painful.I had it in the middle of my back and on my side.Apparentley it is caused by the same virus as chicken pox as was mentioned earlier,it attacks the nerve endings.I am now 42 no long term effects apart from slight scarring hardly noticable now,I have never had it since so maybe it is like chicken pox once you have had it ,that is it.Cholestral can be put down to diet salt etc as Yafm said ,diabetes can also be controlled by diet I reckon you have nothing to worry about.
Esspecially if you can show you have taken steps to sort out these problems.
Take a chill pill be happy

rumbletum

Hi Rach
Everyone of us has the potential to develop shingles (if we have had chickenpox in the past), so dont worry about it. It basically appears when the latent virus is reactivated, usually because you are run down or have had an illness which has laid you pretty low. Perhaps you have been stressed...arent we all, after all we are going through a major event in our lives...However the best thing you can do, is what everyone else has suggested. Try to get some quality time to yourself to just chill out a bit, try some relaxation exercises, perhaps some swimming or walking.
If its any consolation, my sister in law was recently told that she has high cholestrol (she is 38) but that she doesnt need to take any pills, just has to cut down on the fatty foods and quit smoking! Try not to worry, Im sure if you had diabetes, you would be showing other symptoms. Keep your chin up, and remember that even if the blood tests are positive, that these are manageable conditions.

Watt Dabney

That confirms my knowledge of shingles. I researched it quite thoroughly when my hubby had chicken pox 4 years ago and everyone kept saying its shingles and I had to keep putting them right.
You can only develop shingles if you have had chicken pox at some time in your life. You develop it if you are stressed or run down. Whilst you are contagious with shingles you can infect someone with chicken pox if they have not had it. If you have had chicken pox you will not 'catch' shingles off someone who has either chicken pox or shingles. You develop shingles through low immunity you don't catch it.

Paula