Hello Everyone. I have never done anything like this but I'm feeling a bit lost lately.
I have postherpetic neuralgia (from shingles). I've had PHN since April 2000. While it has gotten better, it still keeps me home anytime I don't HAVE to go somewhere. It's on my left shoulder and I cannot stand to have clothing, or anything, on my shoulder. I'm looking for new info., support, treatments, anything to help. Validation is so important w/something like this, isn't it? I just want people in my life to know that I'm not crazy, I'm not making this up and the pain is in my shoulder, not my head!
I've tried Neurontin twice, antidepressants, Lidocaine patch,( what a clever idea that was for a person who cannot stand the sensation of even a light breeze!), accupuncture (which helped somewhat), I even went so far as to get ganglion blocks w/o the benefit of anesthesia. The worst experience by far. A huge needle thru the front of the neck, which felt a lot like suffocation!
I haven't tried anything since the blocks cuz of the futility of it all. I don't have any hope for Lyrica (or any pill) and after reading the side effects, I do not believe it would be worth it even to try it.
I did hear years ago about patients having nerves surgically severed and was wondering if I could find any info about such a procedure.
I Thank everyone of you who took time to read this tome. Looking forward to feedback .

Nice to meet you moon and stars,
Sorry for the reason though- I hope you will find some ideas and answers here.
I'm sure you will find listening ears { or should I say reading eyes?}, empathy and many friends here.

Hi Moon and Stars and welcome. I'm so sorry to heart about your pain. A friend of mine on the forums just had her husband go through shingles last year or so. It's a terrible thing to have to go through.

I hope you find support here for it. There are a lot of great people to meet.

I'm so glad you found our forums. And I hope you find enough advice and information here to help you with your problem. It sounds very frustrating and painful. And yes, validation is VERY important in an illness like yours. I've been waiting five years for a diagnosis, and know how lonely it can be when people don't believe in you. I wish you all the best, and hope you get to the root of your problem soon.

Idealist

hi everyone

i am new to this site (obviously) me and several of my family members have had lots of trouble with doctors and finding out correct medical information for different issues. i have resorted to using the internet and have found it to be a wonderful site. i am excited to be part of this group. i am married with 3 children. i suffer from fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, carpal tunnel, and some pretty bad arthritis and bone spurs in my spine. i am falling apart huh? well i won't go easy that is for sure!

Sheryl,

Hello and welcome to NeuroTalk. Great to see you have come to be with us. You will find a great number of caring, supporting members here willing to help each other as they can.

Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around.

Darlene

Hi Moon & Stars...I just found your intro. Here is the link to our Shingles forum...

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=91

I'm so sorry you're having to endure this awful pain.