Hi there
Muscle pain and tenderness over the area where the Shingles once were is very common (and very painful).
She probably needs something like Neurontin for the pain. This is available by prescription only but would probably help her a great deal.
For the fever from Influenza, the Tylenol or Motrin would be fine.
If you are interested in Swine Flu treatment, Relenza or Tamiflu is being used for Swine Flu but needs to be given within the first 48 hours of the onset of symptoms to help with the severity and duration of the illness.
Reply back if more info is needed
PLEASE NOTE: The $$$ that you have put down as a deposit will not go to me until you click "ACCEPT" after reading your answer. Otherwise, it will be held by JustAnswer.com and I will not receive credit for my time and efforts.
Please ask for clarification if needed.
alright, thank you.
besides the prescription for the muscle pain is there anything otc or home remedies i can do? i would hate to have to take her to the doctors office yet again.
and so this means her fever is from the influenza?
what is the period of sickness with these two, and judging by her timeline of symptoms, any estimate on how long this will go for and when will the muscle ache cease and is there a different symptom to come after this goes away like the itching?
(is the muscle ache from the body fighting the infection in the muscle?)
You may not have to take her in....you can just call the office and let them know about her muscle pain in the same area of the shingles and they might just go ahead and phone her something in.
As far as home remedies, there is nothing that will help with the muscle pain/nerve pain of shingles....and of course, nothing will help with viral infections either (such as influenza).
Without a nasal swab for influenza, there is no way to know if she has influenza or not. Flu symptoms will generally be high fever, body aches (generalized muscle pain-not in just one particular area), dry cough, runny/stuffy nose, chills, and fatigue. Muscle pain could be from influenza, but it is generally all over body aches and not in just one area.
Shingle pain can last upwards of 4-5 weeks after the initial breakout. The pain in the muscles around where the shingles were is nerve pain because of the involvement of the virus following a path of nerves.
Nurse
17 years exp. in all areas of nursing including emergency medicine, hospital, and private practice.