My mom has a bad case of shingles. It's all over her back, chest and right leg. It started out as just extreme pain in her right leg and a few days ago and Dr said its sciatica. Yesterday, she developed huge red welts all over back, chest and leg. She went to a walk in clinic today and the dr there said its shingles and gave her antibiotics. I do not want her to end up with nerve damage and I want to heal as quickly as possible. What can she do or take to help his heal?

Treatment of shingles involves an antiviral like Valtrex.

Antibiotics are not given unless there is secondary infections of the lesions, or a cellulitis present.

English is my moms second language and she often misunderstands things. I wouldn't be surprised if it was an anti viral and not an antibiotic. She said the doc said there was fluid in the welts, does that indicate a secondary infection?

Is the doc wrong if it is indeed an anti biotic that was prescribed? Should she see another doc? I don't have much trust in walk in clinic docs...maybe she should see another? What do u think?

Yes, some shingles develop fluid, and when that fluid drains out,
it can infect others and give chicken pox, who haven't had it yet. But the fluid will not cause shingles in others. Not all the lesions however, grow blisters. Some do and some don't.
Type in "shingles" to Google images and you can see the various types of presentations.

The lesions get infected easily as the immune system is busy with the virus, so any germs on the skin can take over and cause secondary infections.

Covering the draining lesions with sterile gauze is a good idea to prevent further infections. You can make hydrogen peroxide compresses to clean them. Don't rub, but just pat the areas and keep the compress on them for a few minutes. Let air dry before covering with gauze dressings.

Canagirl, are you feeling better?

Yes and no....
Since my diagnosis in June i think I'm mentally ( most days) doing better because I know I'm not crazy and I'm not doing this to myself ( as six neuros had told me! I had been told that I was extremely stressed and anxious and as a result my brain was "making up" these feelings). That sent me crazy... I had never been stressed anxious or depressed. I had never been on meds in my life for anything! I never went to the doc and was a very laid back person. Anyway, mentally I learning to deal and heal slowly.

I'm still I pain all day everyday but the levels have come down ( I was going crazy before and don't know how long I could have stuck around ). I Am not onmeds anymore and my pain levels are the same as when I was on the meds, so I'm assuming some healing has happened.

My insane vibrations and twutching and tingling etc in all parts of my body all at the same time remain and don't show signs of going away. But, Im learning to live with them and know they will never go away because I have sfn. As much as that sucks to have, it's been sooo helpful to me in learning to accept this and trying to find a way to keep going. I know that I'm. Not causing this!!! Knowing that helpsy stress levels enormously. I still have days when I can't cope and breakdown but they are becoming less and less.

I am back to work after taking a couple of months off and I am so much more focused at work than than when I was undiagnosed.