Child has shingles

[rhianna_s]

Hi, my seven year old was experiencing neck and shoulder pain, yesterday she woke up with a rash and the doctor has diagnosed her with shingles. Prior to this she’s been in good health, rarely gets sick and if she does she bounces back pretty quickly. She’s too young to take any anti viral meds but she’s in so much pain and nurofen/Panadol aren’t working. I’m also so worried. Her rash started in the centre of her back just below her neck and has spread out to her left shoulder. How rare are complications? I’m worried about encephalitis and meningitis. She’s woken up crying and in lots of pain and won’t move much because it hurts so bad. Does anyone know much about this sh*tty illness or had any experience with their kids having it? I rang the health Hotline tonight and the nurse said they don’t advise putting any topical creams on the rash as it can cause infection. I just feel so helpless watching her suffer :(

[ErinKC]

I’m so sorry! That sounds awful. I don’t have any personal experience, but several of my friends have had it and say it’s just very unpleasant. I don’t know anyone who has had complications from it. I hope the pain passes for her quickly!

[alpacagirl]

Sorry no experience with it in kids but my husband had a bad bout of shingles last year. He got relief from lidocaine patches ( but probably another thing that isn't suitable for kids :weep: ) and once the rash was gone he used a tens machine which really helped with the nerve pain. He also found showers helped and his pain was less when he was walking around. His was a bad case though as he has issues with his immune system. Hopefully your daughter will bounce back quickly from it. It's awful to see your kids in pain.

[rhianna_s]

Thanks for the replies 🤍 Had a really rough night last night but she was pretty comfortable during the day. Seems to flare up more at night and is harder to manage with painkillers. Had hoped she’d have a more restful sleep tonight but she woke an hour after giving nurofen crying and not being able to get comfortable. Won’t let me give her any Panadol. She’s managed to fall asleep though so hopefully she gets a decent chunk of rest. X

[rhianna_s]

Sorry no experience with it in kids but my husband had a bad bout of shingles last year. He got relief from lidocaine patches ( but probably another thing that isn't suitable for kids :weep: ) and once the rash was gone he used a tens machine which really helped with the nerve pain. He also found showers helped and his pain was less when he was walking around. His was a bad case though as he has issues with his immune system. Hopefully your daughter will bounce back quickly from it. It's awful to see your kids in pain..

Can I ask, how long did your husband experience pain after the rash went away? I’m so worried this will happen to her, it’s so cruel.

[alpacagirl]

His pain lasted around 6 months, then it was more of an itchy/crawly sensation for a few more months. If he has a lot of work stress or when his dad died he would have pain again for a few days in that area. But his was postherpetic neuralgia triggered by the shingles. It's rare and he was at higher risk because he's on immune suppressant drugs. Kids bounce back from these things much quicker so please don't think the worst. He gets everything 10x worse than the rest of us. We'll have a sniffle and he'll be in bed with a fever for days. So his experience isn't typical of how shingles plays out. When my mum had shingles it lasted about 4 weeks and then she was fine ( and that was without antivirals). Her pain was nothing like what my husband had and the worst of it was gone after about 2 weeks.

[rhianna_s]

His pain lasted around 6 months, then it was more of an itchy/crawly sensation for a few more months. If he has a lot of work stress or when his dad died he would have pain again for a few days in that area. But his was postherpetic neuralgia triggered by the shingles. It's rare and he was at higher risk because he's on immune suppressant drugs. Kids bounce back from these things much quicker so please don't think the worst. He gets everything 10x worse than the rest of us. We'll have a sniffle and he'll be in bed with a fever for days. So his experience isn't typical of how shingles plays out. When my mum had shingles it lasted about 4 weeks and then she was fine ( and that was without antivirals). Her pain was nothing like what my husband had and the worst of it was gone after about 2 weeks.

Thanks so much for the reassurance. She is doing so much better already. The rash on her neck is starting to weep a little bit but the pain is much more manageable now. Hopefully on the road to recovery! 🤞🏽

[alpacagirl]

I'm so glad she's doing better. Kids are amazing how quickly they bounce back from things.