Shingles afterpains (post-herpetic neuralgia) in DD

[jennys79]

My DD aged 3 had shingles approx 3 months ago. She was prescribed acyclovir at the time of the outbreak, but the course was probably started too late to have any effect.

Since having shingles, whenever DD is poorly (with unrelated illnesses), she gets pains in the original shingles site.

Has anyone else experienced shingles with their children? If so, how long did the afterpains last for? Is there anything you did to help relieve the pain?

Thanks in advance

[KurriKurri]

Hi Jennys - sorry your little girl is suffering with this, - I've got post herpetic pain after several bouts of shingles, and it is horrible

My real advice is to go back to the doctor and see what they can offer for the pain - the usual thing for adults is amitriptyline which I take, I also have high dose codeine. But obviously with your DD being so little these are probably not appropriate - but I think there will be something they can give her, - I have heard of people having some kind of local anaesthetic patches which you can put onto the sore area.

Other than that I would go for the usual range of pain killers available for her age group, and use something to cool the area - a cool pack wrapped in a cloth for a short period (but don't let it touch her skin) a cold hot water bottle, have a fan on if she's feeling hot, and have her in loose cotton clothing if possible (if she has the sore places on her trunk, wearing t-shirts inside out will help prevent the seams irritating her skin).

It is possible she may need another dose of acyclovir, and you can also get acyclovir cream which can be applied topically.

Other than that - I've tried to boost my immune system as much as possible with healthy diet, fresh air, vitamins etc, because as you say it is when you get run down that the pain returns.

I hope Gp can do something to help, PH pain is miserable, poor wee soul - I hope she feels better soon

[jennys79]

KurriKurri,

Thanks ever so much for your post. I am going to book up an appointment with our doctor.

Last time she was ill with an ear infection, I mentioned the fact that her shingles were giving her problems. He basically said that it was just "one of unfortunate those things" and didn't say there was anything he could actually do.

Thanks for all your practical advice - I've got lots of things I can try now. She tends to writhe around when her back is hurting, and I can't really get much sense from her afterwards. She has only just turned 3, and as her speech isn't brilliant, she has problems articulating how she is feeling.

Kind Regards
Jenny