Shingles pain brings woman to her knees

October 4, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 73-year-old female who is suffering from shingles night and day. This has gone on for about seven weeks now and I am really depressed and miserable. I was diagnosed early and was put on an anti-viral medication (Valtrex) within two days of the first pains. I have a red, blotchy band from the navel to the spine. It has gotten a lighter pink. A weird fact to anyone I’ve asked is, nobody seems to know why I have not had any blisters, just the red. The most painful spot is on my rib, right under my right breast.

I have tried several pain medications including Oxycodone, Tylenol Extra Strength, lidocaine patches which seemed to help a bit at first but irritate my skin now, ice cubes wrapped in a soft cloth, and amitriptyline. [Read more...]

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The buzz on bee sting therapy

September 17, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Do you have any information on “bee sting therapy” for the chronic pain of fibromyalgia?

DEAR READER: This therapy dates back more than 3,000 years in China and involves placing live bees on strategic pressure points of a patient’s body. It is similar to the needles used in acupuncture, but in this instance, the therapy uses the stingers to control the pain of diseases such as rheumatism, arthritis, shingles, lupus, herniated discs, MS, diabetes and fibromyalgia. The treatment relies mainly on the poison of the bees, which can help blood circulation, ease pain and reduce inflammation.

Following a sting, our adrenal glands produce cortisol, a natural hormone with anti-inflammatory properties. Supposedly the therapy jump-starts our immune systems to trigger the production of endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller. [Read more...]

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Fibromylagia diagnosed over Huntington’s

August 14, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have been told I have fibromyalgia. From the information I have found, it seems like this is a diagnosis when it isn’t known what is wrong. When I wake in the morning, I feel like I have been in an auto accident. I hurt from top to bottom. After I get moving, it gets a little better, but the muscles mostly in my legs, arms and hands hurt all the time. I have lots of headaches and sadness, and I just feel tired.

I was put on Lyrica, and after about two weeks I did have a few better days, but now not so many.

My dad and two of his sisters had Huntington’s disease. Not a lot is known about Huntington’s, and most doctors have never heard of it. I am 53. My father passed away at the age of 50, and both his sisters passed away in their late 60s to early 70s.
[Read more...]

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