Have you had chicken pox?

[cjbrooksjc]

Out of simple curiosity I am interested in knowing if those statinized to any meaningful degree HAVE ALSO HAD CHICKEN POX. BTW - If you wake in the morning and know something is still wrong with your body, you are statinized to the degree I envision. If this is you, would you please post here? Also, I've yet been able to correctly activate a POLL (Mea Culpa). If this attempt also fails, please post a 'YES' or 'NO' reply to the question.

Latent chicken pox presentations (shingles, herpes simplex) are neurological affectations. I am simply interested in knowing if there is any possible connection between C.P. and our susceptibility to Statins' side effects.

Thanks,

Brooks

[Brian C.]

I had chicken pox the winter I first developed angina, 22 years ago.

Brian.

[cjbrooksjc]

I'm not sure I was clear in my request here. I'm afraid some or all of our group may think I ONLY want to count those of us who DID HAVE chicken pox. Not so. I also want to know if you DID NOT have C.P. So far out of 6 respondents, ALL have had C.P.

If those of us who are statinzed respond ONLY if they DID have C.P., I'll have a great numbers (100%) - but poll results about as useful as a Big Pharma study. (

Best,

BRooks

[cinbad]

Sorry this is a bit off topic Brooks but I have a question for you and Brian C. as you both seem to be most active on this site. Do either of you suffer from peripheral neuropathy as I do? If so do you know why the foot pain is at it's worst at bedtime. By the way I answered yes to your poll.

[cjbrooksjc]

cinbad: My foot experiences were limited to pain in the ankle (joint) and balls of the feet and a burning sensation from mid-calf to toes. I did not get the "lumps" or stabbing pain in the feet so many have reported. My residual pain is in my upper glut muscles (bottom), neck, and torso. The inability to perform physically is my most bothersome reminder of statins - I feel as though I have the flu all the time and it grows much worse if I overdo. The burning sensation has almost completely gone as well as the queer sensation of mild, low-level, total body vibration (felt most keenly at night). Thanks for taking the poll (which is still at 100%). Sorry I couldn't have given you a more useful answer.

[Brian C.]

Hello cinbad. I haven't shown any peripheral neuropathy symptoms, only myopathies (so far, touch wood) but there are many who visit here who share your pain.

Brian.

[Allen1]

Hi there Brooks,

sorry to break the 100% level but I have never had chicken pox, measles or even mumps etc, and touch wood never a broken bone (other than chest surgery). Mind you colds, flu and sore throats have been had a plenty :)

All the best,

Allen :)

[valgators]

Hi Brooks,

I read your post with astonishment as you described the low-level whole body feeling of vibration!!! I have tried to describe this sensation to my primary dr many times, but he just didn't seem to understand it. WOW!
You're the first person that I've ever known that has experienced this sensation. It always occurs at bedtime....sometimes wakes me up or keeps me from falling asleep. I also have had years of foot/ankle problems as well has many bouts of tendonitis in the ankles, wrist, elbow, shoulder, etc.

This forum is the best! Helps us all!
Valgators

[Biologist]

cinbad,

Cortisol levels are lowest at bed time/night time. Cortisol is our natural "prednisone."

That may be the answer.

Bioloist

[cjbrooksjc]

Val: I know others have had this experience. I don't remember who it was. Years ago, my specialty in the Marines had me on board destroyers often, and the 'vibration' sensation caused by statins was a lot like the vibration I felt at night as we were under way and with the engines running. It was weird to feel that in a solid structure, and I initially got up to check the A/C unit to see if the fan was out of balance and somehow shaking the bed; then I realized it was just ME - vibrating.

Allen: Did you vote in the poll? I still have a 100% "YES" result. Could you, please, if you forgot initially? Thanks

Brooks

[Allen1]

Hi there Brooks,

I didn't realise you had managed to activate the Poll (I never looked since the first post on Saturday). I just did it now though ie "NO" in the Poll, someone mentioned the vibrating sensation as being akin to the sensation when your mobile phone goes off in your pocket and it is switched on to vibrate instead of ring. I would agree with that or more closely to the sensation when you are so cold your body does a similar thing to keep warm, but without the added shakes.

This stuff has certainly done us some serious harm, its as good as 2 years since I stopped taking statins and although a lot of the problems have faded, they still come back to haunt you, I am going through a phase of forgetting peoples names again and I don't know why.

All the best,

Allen

[cjbrooksjc]

Allen: Thanks for the poll entry. I agree we have unpredictable recurrances of our problems at undetermined levels. I am currently having trouble with saying something other than I intend (Bearnaise instead of Hollandaise; branch instead of trunk). Although it sounds like early onset Alzheimer's, I know it will go away because it always does.

The problem I have with feeling "pretty good" one day to feeling "Like sh##" the next is that I can't determine a cause. The stuff we take may have varying term effectiveness, like an oscilloscope sign wave that varies in length. The greatest effectiveness comes at the top pf the sign wave and the least comes at the bottom. Since we take so much crap; each with potentially varying sign wave-like lengths, how can we predict what to take when, so that the meds work together at the peak of their effectiveness... it's so damned potentially complicated ! Also I, like so many others, may pop some odd little addition now and then (mannose, idebinone, etc.) which may have an effect in three days, and I never make the connection. What is needed is a clinic where this "illness" can be studied and managed professionally, though none of us would likely be able to afford it.

OK, RANT! I know. Still, today is what I have come to call an "OUCHY" one - euphemistic description; I know, BUT - it sounds less threatening, the people I care about want to hear me say I feel well, and I feel like grousing a bit. Just another fringe benefit of this forum!

Brooks

[harley2ride]

I had chicken pox when I was a young lad..

[ronni]

I had chicken pox as a small child, around 6 or 7 I think.

[Cat Mom2]

Vibrations!!! OMG! I have had this and never associated it to the statin drug. I live in hurricane alley and thought we were having a earth quake one day! Then I realized nothing was shaking but ME! I still feel it often, just not that bad anymore. Man OH man!

I have had the CP but as a child and don't remember having them so I must have been pretty small. That was back in the day when people let the kids catch it before they started school.

cj, I have had the ankle problem, mainly in my right foot, had the odd lumps, burning sensations as they spread that I saw 4 different doctors for and none could tell me what it was or how to stop it from spreading. I describe the ankle problem as a sudden grabbing pain so bad that it would about throw me to the ground. Recenlty I am having pain in my right hip and lower back to add to the problems in my right shoulder. Does it EVER end?

[valgators]

Cat Mom2

It looks like a number of us enjoy the shaking vibrations! I used to wake up and think the bed was shaking or I was, but no, everything was still except I felt like something was streaking through my veins or body!

I don't remember this happening until maybe 15 years ago and thankfully it doesn't happen all the time.

My first statin episode (as I call it) occurred in the left foot and ankle and then started spreading all over with bouts of tendonitis, muscle spasms, soreness, achiness, pain, etc. Never put it together with statins until it was too late. Now I just hobble along!

Valgators

[valgators]

Brooks,
Do you think there might be a difference in the possible correlation depending on when one had chicken pox? My CP occurred as a young child at age 7 or 8 or thereabouts. I had no particular problems except the itching and a few small scars.

Valgators

[cjbrooksjc]

catmom. I DID HAVE had the stabbing pains in my ankles (like something caught between the ends of the ankle joint) that seem to cause the foot to fail to support me; it's a weird feeling, but it doesn't happen too often now. And the pain in my lower back and hips (esp on rising) still persists. When I think back on my worst days under statin therapy, I feel fortunate I don't hurt to that degree any longer, but I still have very bad days now and then. It took five years to reduce me from an athlete to a cripple, and I'm hoping the recovery takes as long - otherwise, I fear I'm not going to recover anything close to my former health.

Val: No, it doesn't matter WHEN you had the POX. The residual effect is potentially threatening as a latent result no matter when; the bug just stays in your body like Malaria. I'm just trying to gather information as I suspect, in my simple layman's view, a potential correlation between Statin side effects and C.P. as the latent C.P. effects are neurological in nature.

Thanks for taking the poll,

Brooks

[catspjs]

chicken pox when I was a kid and plagued with shingles from time to time now for the past 9 years...incidentally, the shingles started when I was so sick from statins.....shows statins knocks your immune system down, wouldn't you think?

[cjbrooksjc]

Catspjs: Yes, I would get sick just by looking at someone with a cold (it seemed) when on statins; so, I've no doubt they severely lower your resistance. And though I never had a shingles episode before, I have, this past year, felt the tingling fingers of something on my left side, mid-back; no breakout yet though - fingers crossed.

Brooks