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  • shingles

    hi, all! i have a question...6 weeks ago i had a bout of shingles that erupted in the lumbar region of my back. it has been a good 20 years since i had shingles; could this event be related to the surgery? or is it more likely this was caused by taking prednisone for asthma? i've had pretty severe leg pain (in my "good" leg!) since then; it is the leg that is on the same side as the shingles....i'd be interested to hear what you all have to say on the subject. thanks!
    Sue


    Milwaukee Brace from ages 8 - 16
    T36 degrees/L56 degrees Pre-Op
    Fused T3 - S1
    Surgery done Sept. 15, 2004
    Dr. Robert G. Viere
    North Texas Spine Care @ Baylor

  • #2
    shingles

    Hi Sue,
    I'm so sorry for your condition, I also had a bout with shingles about 3 months post-op. My PCM said it can be triggered by stress, and heaven only knows scoliosis surgery is pretty stressful on the body as well as the mind and emotions. She put me on Valtrex and we just weathered the storm. Bless your heart ~ I wish you a speedy recovery, it isn't as if we don't have enough to get over. Take care~ Gayle
    Gayle


    November 4, 2004, 57 yo
    Instrumented Spinal Fusion ~ T 10 -S1

    Comment


    • #3
      hi, gayle...it sounds like we had our outbreaks at about the same time. i took valtrex, too, and i'm sure it helped quite a bit; still, it's been a month and a half now and i'm not back to where i was (which was pain free!). i had a ct scan on wed. to rule out loose hardware, but i'm becoming increasingly suspicious this leg pain is the result of shingles. are you completely well by now? how are you doing in general; are you out of your brace?
      Sue


      Milwaukee Brace from ages 8 - 16
      T36 degrees/L56 degrees Pre-Op
      Fused T3 - S1
      Surgery done Sept. 15, 2004
      Dr. Robert G. Viere
      North Texas Spine Care @ Baylor

      Comment


      • #4
        Sue

        Hi again,
        I am still experiencing some residual discomfort from the shingles; however, I am still doing O.K., I have been in more pain since the outbreak than I was before it occured. Was nearly completely off pain meds at the 2 month mark, but back to 2-3 a day again. I try to keep a positive attitude and recognize this as just a bump in the road, even though we all know how difficult that can be. My surgeon gave me the O.K. to begin weaning myself from my brace about 8 weeks ago, it was so liberating, but not as easy as I had thought, went through a good bit of growning pains, so to speak. We made a 100 mile day trip last week, I wore my brace and I didn´t seem as worn down as I have been in the past day outings. In spite of the set backs I think I´m in relatively good shape ´considering´.
        Take care,
        Gayle
        Gayle


        November 4, 2004, 57 yo
        Instrumented Spinal Fusion ~ T 10 -S1

        Comment


        • #5
          hi, gayle...it sounds like our experiences are nearly identical...i was completely off pain meds before the outbreak and now i take one or two darvocet a day to keep things manageable. thanks for sharing your story...it's nice to know i have company...i suppose if this pain is from shingles that is far better than having it be from loose hardware! glad to hear you're coming along so well; that weaning thing was the hardest part of the recovery for me so far!
          Sue


          Milwaukee Brace from ages 8 - 16
          T36 degrees/L56 degrees Pre-Op
          Fused T3 - S1
          Surgery done Sept. 15, 2004
          Dr. Robert G. Viere
          North Texas Spine Care @ Baylor

          Comment

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