Notice***If you've had Chicken Pox...

[MiHale]

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215869473

Reading through the responses in this post I had to share this information about shingles.
Oh, no another vaccine to help us stay healthy!

A reactivation of the chickenpox virus in the body, causing a painful rash.
Anyone who's had chickenpox may develop shingles. It isn't known what reactivates the virus.
Shingles causes a painful rash that may appear as a stripe of blisters on the trunk of the body. Pain can persist even after the rash is gone (this is called postherpetic neuralgia).
Treatments include pain relief and antiviral medications such as acyclovir or valacyclovir. A chickenpox vaccine in childhood or a shingles vaccine as an adult can minimize the risk of developing shingles.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Having had chickenpox at age 26, I would recommend getting the Shingles Shot

ASAP.

I was miserable. Pox everywhere, and I mean everywhere.

Worse, I've heard that shingles makes CP feel like a kindergarten birthday party by comparison.

[Demovictory9]

81. got shingles shot 2 weeks ago

[brewens]

2. I don't think I had chickenpox, but no one can prove it. My sister doesn't remember for sure,

but we both only remember me having measles. So I got the shingles vax anyway. If it's possible to get my little kid medical records for 55 plus years ago, it wasn't worth the effort, and the shots were free.

[Scrivener7]

4. I think they can check for titers.

I had chicken pox at 29, so it was a bad case. But for some reason, I don't show the titers. Then I got a vaccine and a while after that I STILL didn't show the titers. It's bizarre.

[Tree-Hugger]

38. They can, but....

....I never had the chicken pox as a child. That is common on both sides of my family. I was exposed a bunch of times due to friends/classmates, but never get them. As an adult, I had a titre drawn twice at different times. It was positive and may doctors told me to assume I had been exposed at some point and built immunity despite never getting actual pox.

Fast forward to age 34 or 35, I got chicken pox. I wouldn't say it was a bad case. I got the actual pox rash - very dramatic on my face and rudely on my derreriere. I felt like manageable shit with a fever for a day. It all went fast....it hit me like a ton of bricks, the pox showed up quick, and I was fully recovered, skin clear, within a week. So, maybe I did have partial immunity and it helped keep it from being severe. I was scared because it's usually harsh in adults and I have heart issues. I was lucky.

So, titres can be drawn, but a positive titre isn't guarantee you'll never get it.

[AllyCat]

49. I have never heard of anything like this!

Wow. Glad you are okay. You can still get shingles.

[Scrivener7]

3. I have asked my doc for it, but she has told me I am not old enough.

[jimfields33]

5. Doctor is probably right.

I asked every year for 7 years for the shingles vaccine and finally he said ok. Age is a qualifier. I have second shot october 20. It’s a two shot vaccine like covid. I’ve been shot up this year. Lol.

[wnylib]

48. I don't understand why age is a qualifier.

My husband got shingles when he was in his 30s. I would think that anyone who knows they have had chicken pox would be eligible.

[phylny]

52. I could be wrong, but I think it's an insurance issue. n/t

[maxsolomon]

59. If you've had shingles (I have, twice), then your age doesn't matter.

I got my jabs as soon as they were available.

[wnylib]

61. Yes, but my point is that

since shingles occurs in younger people, why not vaccinate people at a younger age to prevent them from getting shingles even once?

[maxsolomon]

62. They do. Kids don't get Chicken Pox anymore.

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/varicella/public/index.html

[wnylib]

68. What about the children who get chicken pox

because their parents refused the vaccine? If they reject their parents' views on vaccines and want a vaccination against shingles, why make them wait until their senior years? There are not a lot of them because they would need to be home schooled, but there are some around.

And there are sometimes breakthrough infections, as with any vaccine. I just don't see the point of setting an arbitrary age. Seems more sensible to give the vaccine according to an individual's medical history.

[maxsolomon]

72. yes, i am aware of this.

i should have known to say MOST kids don't get Chicken Pox now. it was a general statement, not meant to be scientifically accurate.

i don't know why it was set at 55 other than scarcity - and i don't know if it still scarce.

[Sugarcoated]

64. You mean the Shingles vaccination

not the Chicken Pox vax?

[wnylib]

69. Yes, I am asking about the shingles vaccine.

There are not many people today who get chicken pox because of the vaccine, but for those who do get it, I don't see the point of making them wait until their senior years to be eligible for the shingles vaccine since you can get shingles at an earlier age.

[Sugarcoated]

78. I don't know if I was vaccinated for it but I got Chicken Pox when I was 14 or 15

I believe it was a rougher bout because I was a teenager. I'm 59, just shy of qualifying for Shingles vaccine but I've wanted it for years. I've seen quite a few of my friends and family suffer from Shingles

[wnylib]

80. I had chicken pox when I was about 5.

I am eligible by age for the shingles vaccine but haven't had the shot yet. My husband had shingles when he was 32. Said it was both itchy and painful at the same time. He took an antiviral med and had a salve to put on the rash. I think it was a corticosteroid. Since the rash was on his back, I had to put it on for him. He yelled each time I touched it.

All these posts have convinced me that I should get the shot. I have a routine medical appointment tomorrow so I will ask about it then.

[FakeNoose]

70. This happened to my sister a few years ago

We all grew up in the 50's and 60's when chickenpox was considered a "normal" childhood illness. It was something every kid caught from their school friends or some kid in the neighborhood. So we all had chickenpox early - before 12 as I recall.

My sister is now 65 and I'm 70. She developed a terrible case of shingles that was awful and painful, and her doctor told her it could happen again if she doesn't get the vaccine. I don't know if I'll ever get shingles, but I'd prefer the vaccination to taking the chance and finding out the hard way.

[smirkymonkey]

10. If you don't mind my asking, how old are you? I am a bit young for it, but I still managed

to convince my doctor to prescribe the Shingrix vaccine for me, because I REALLY don't want to get shingles (I got the shot at 55).

I was exposed to all my siblings as a child who had chicken pox, but I never really came down with a full case of it. I only had about two or three bumps and that was it. I have always been afraid that I could get it again or get a bad case of shingles because I wasn't hit hard as a child.

I will still get another round when I am a little older, but I wanted to be as pro-active as possible.

[Maru Kitteh]

79. It's now a 2-shot series recommended for 50+

[csziggy]

12. I think the recommendation is over 50

I had the old shingles vaccination but my doctor last week recommended getting the Shingrix two shot one. I had chicken pox as a child and also have a related herpes infection that lives in the nerves of my left hand. It acts just like shingles but is confined to just a small location and flares up especially when I am under stress.

[Midnight Writer]

27. My doctor said 50 for the shingles shot, 65 for the pneumonia vaccine.

[phylny]

53. I am 63 and has the pneumonia vaccine

several years ago, probably because I had pneumonia one year.

[csziggy]

65. I'm not sure when I got the pneumonia vaccine first

But while at my doctor's last week I checked and both my husband and I got it again in 2019 in preparation for our trip abroad. Plus we got one of the hepatitis vaccinations - I think B, but I don't remember. When I go back for the first Shingrix shot, I'm going to ask for a list of my current vaccinations and those of my husband.

One vax I always have to request is the tetanus shot - usually it's given when there is an injury but I ran a farm and still live on one. I get cuts and stuff all the time and wouldn't run into the doctor's office every time. So I have been getting one about every ten years or less - but doctors do not expect patients to ask for one as a precaution and it's always a discussion about why.

[smirkymonkey]

55. I managed to get the pneumonia vax at 56 too.

I'm not sure why I am able to get these vaccines at such a young age - before they are recommended. Maybe because it's Boston and health care is so advance here.

I don't have any pre-existing conditions other than a thyroid issue which is managed w thyroid hormone and I am otherwise pretty healthy. I think it might be because I am the "worried well" and I inquire about it, so they give it to me because I am in an acceptable age range.

[Johonny]

56. It is, unfortunately I had it in my early 40s

Luckily I caught it early and went on anti-virals before it spread too far. Still sucked.

[Boomerproud]

45. I didn't have chicken pox but got the shingles vax last

week. I'm 65 and it was reccomended. I also got my yearly flu vax. The pharmacist was a jabber and my arm hurt for days.

[Ilsa]

75. Shingrix is the one to get. Much higher effectiveness than

previous shingles vaccine.

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. I got shingles acter Covid shots.

There are lots of reports of that happening.

That was months ago and the pain is still there. They say to wait a year before getting shingles shots.

I don't know what to do about a booster.

[MiHale]

7. Booster shot?

If I had to take one every week…sign me up!

[multigraincracker]

24. I just got my second shingles shot a month ago.

That was several months after my second covid shot. I didn't have any reactions to any of the shots. Not even a soar arm. After any vaccine shot, I have always rubbed the area of the shot vigorously for a few minutes and they have never hurt after doing that.
I'll get the booster a little later on.

[yardwork]

29. I took my first shingles shot a few months after my second COVID vaccine.

No side effects from the shingles shot.

[LeftInTX]

57. Did you get a shingles shot or case of shingles?

[leftyladyfrommo]

73. I got shingles after my Covid vaccine. I haven't gotten

the shingles shot. I am supposed to wait a year.

Shingles can be horrible. The pain can be excruciating and it can last for years. My case wasn't really bad but 7 months later and I still have pain.

I am afraid to get a booster because I could end up with an awful case of shingles.

[LeftInTX]

77. Aw shucks!

I have not gotten my shingles vaccine. This is due to red tape.

[captain queeg]

8. They seem to not want to give the shingles vaccine till you are at least 60

I wanted to get it sooner. I’ve known people who had shingles and it looks pretty rough. When I turned 60 I asked again. My doc said all they have in house was the old single shot vaccine. He recommended I try to find the new version at a pharmacy. Seemed like everywhere had a waiting list so it took me quite awhile to get it.

[csziggy]

15. Now they are saying 50

Who Should Get Shingrix?

Healthy adults 50 years and older should get two doses of Shingrix, separated by 2 to 6 months. You should get Shingrix even if in the past you:

had shingles
received Zostavax*
are not sure if you had chickenpox

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/shingles/public/shingrix/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fvaccines%2Fvpd%2Fshingles%2Fpublic%2Findex.html

[ToxMarz]

36. It used to be 60 with old vaccine which wasn't as effective

The new vaccine they use is supposed to much better and they got it approved for 50 years and older a few years ago. I got it a couple years ago late 50's. But you may have to insist as the doctors don't seem to all be aware of this. I asked my doctor for it and he said no I wasn't old enough, then I redid my research to be sure I was correct that it was now 50 and up. Next time I went to the doctor I asked him again and had him check and sure enough I was correct that they had changed the age recommendation. He learned something new that day.

I think they also recommend people who got the old vaccine should get revaccinated with the new one. My mother had the old vaccine but still got shingles, but fairly mild case. She got revaccinated after.

[Lovie777]

9. I was told I never had chickenpox and there was no medical records saying otherwise . .....

as an adult for several years, approximately every three to four months I would get horrible sharp pains around my body, head, sides, arms, etc. and after taking Tylenol for some days, the pain would go away. One day I realized I had a bite, rash on the right side of my spinal cord mid back. Thinking I was bitten by a insect I continued to self treat. Tylenol stop relieving the pain. The noticeable bite/rash got larger and the pain became unbearable. The only pain medication that somewhat helped was Aleve. So one day I took myself to ER Kaiser. It took less than a second for the ER doctor to come to a conclusion. Shingles.

I said doc but but I never had chickenpox and he said yes you have, probably as a toddler, but an extreme mild case of it.

My current doctor told me that once you have had Shingles the odds that you will never get it again. I still insist on taking the two Shingles shots for precaution.

[MiHale]

11. I saw what shingles did...

to my father-in-law years and years ago…don’t ever want that problem.

[LeftInTX]

60. I'm pretty sure you can get shingles again!

Shingles is a type of herpes. It's always there.
It sits there just waiting for the right time to show itself.

BTW: Chickenpox is also a herpes virus. You get a case of chickenpox and just like genital herpes it never goes away. It remains latent
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varicella_zoster_virus

In about a third of cases, VZV reactivates later in life, producing a disease known as shingles or herpes zoster. VZV can also infect the central nervous system, with a 2013 article reporting an incidence rate of 1.02 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Switzerland, and an annual incidence rate of 1.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Sweden.[7]

(Gotta admit, I have no idea how shingles vaccines work, but glad there is a vaccine. I had shingles when I was pregnant and all they would give me was Benadryl. It was awful. I already was super sick with a high risk pregnancy and then freak'n shingles shows up. They now give acylovir to pregnant women, but they refused to give it to me)

[airmid]

13. I have had shingles. Get the shot. It will save you loads of pain and misery.

[AllyCat]

51. This

I have never felt such pain. It is inescapable. Got it after asking for the vaccine and being told there was a shortage. The pain took about 6 months to go away. Face tingles all the time. Get the shot.

[Pinback]

14. Got that shot as soon as I was eligible.

I had chicken pox, and I know two people who've had shingles. I didn't want one minute of that misery. The vaccine is not hard to get and should be on everybody's calendar for the day they become eligible.

[lkinwi]

16. I got my Shingles vaccine a couple years ago.

Check with your insurance before you get one. Mine paid in full if I went to one of their approved places.

[tavernier]

17. As a retired nurse I've seen a lot of shingles patients

and the horrors of that disease.
I had my two shingrix vaccines. For some reason I had a bad reaction on my left arm and six months later it still aches and sometimes it hurts just to move it.
Would I get the shots again?
You bet.

[twodogsbarking]

18. You get to experience a whole new type of pain with shingles.

And you can get them on your genitals. If you start to get the rash go to the
doc at once. The meds they give you slow it down if you get them within three days
of first symptoms. Nerve pain is an experience.

[luvs2sing]

19. I've never had chicken pox.

My doc didn’t believe me, so he did an antibody test that confirmed it. I got the chicken pox vaccine when I was about forty. I also got the Shingrix vaccine two years ago. I want to take zero chances on shingles. I saw how they destroyed my grandfather’s quality of life in his last years.

[Raven]

20. I had shingles and it can be a nightmare.

I got shingles after my son came home from college with chickenpox. I think I also had chickenpox as a kid in the early 50's. I got the cervical kind which attacks the neck and the face. It is like having burns and an itchy rash at the same time. Back when I got Shingles, there was nothing to stop it once it started and mine got right to the edge of my left eye. My Doc was worried that it might impair my sight. It was all over the left side of my face and neck. Then it stopped...like a switch went "off". It dried up and went away. It took about 6 week for all of this and the pain was awful.

All of this is to say: GET THE SHOTS!!! YOU DONT WANT TO GET THIS!

Shingles is just a very bad memory to me now, but some people do lose their sight and some people have painful nerve damage that never goes away.

[twodogsbarking]

23. Well stated. Hope people listen.

[The Jungle 1]

21. You do not want to get singles.

I kept forgetting to ask the doctor for the shot and I paid with weeks of pain.

[Dukkha]

22. Many people here are old enough to remember "Pox parties"

Where children were gathered at a home of a child infected with Chicken pox so they could also be infected. The ration being it was better they got it young and got it over with and be immune their adult lives. Imagine if this happened in the age of rampant social media disinformation.

I got it in the 70s from my brother I was home quarantined for a week. Fortunately no shingles side effects for me. My brother's reaction was very severe and had to be hospitalized with large sores. His case was so unique CDC specialists were flown in to photograph his outbreak sores and document his case.

The following year was when the swine flu pandemic hit. I recall my parents going to a mall where lots of adults stood in line to get their inoculation. It left a large scar on their shoulders, much like the smallpox eradication scars.

[LeftInTX]

63. Trust me, the shingles is there. It's just latent.

I had chickenpox in 1962, but got shingles when I was pregnant in 1989.
I haven't had shingles again, but it's like genital herpes. Always there and ready to rear it's ugly head.

Chickenpox is literally a herpes virus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varicella_zoster_virus

There really wasn't much of an option for "childhood diseases" prior to vaccines, except to have these parties. It's a lot like when George Washington innoculated his troops with smallpox. He literally gave his troops smallpox, but they used a small scratch of smallpox pus, kinda like cowpox, but it was smallpox. Usually the case was mild, but his troops would be sick for several weeks as opposed to cowpox which lasted several days.

[mackdaddy]

25. My father had shingles on the side of his head and face. He went through hell.

It was bad initially, but it damages the nerves in the skin so that it was painful for him for all of the final 5 years of his life.

He would constantly touch the area and it affected his eye of that side too. I do not know if it was from the nerve damage or him touching the area constantly, but his eyelid inverted (flipped inside out) and he got an ongoing infection and his eye was eventually completely removed.

My sister had shingles across her side in her early 50s. I see no need to wait until after 60 to get the shot. I was about 60 when I got the newer shot that is much more effective. (90+ effective vs about 60% for the original). The information I read is that even people who got the older shingle vaccine should get the newer one.

This is another one of those hell on earth things that you can prevent with a simple two shot sequence. Where have we heard that recently?

[AllyCat]

54. And it is contagious while the sufferer has open blisters.

Can give chicken pox to the vulnerable like BABIES who can’t be vaccinated yet.

[Glorfindel]

26. I've had both chicken pox and shingles

I got the vaccine as soon as I could. Everyone should.

[KarenS]

28. I got the vaccine a few years ago,,,,

I know some folks that had shingles. I did not want it.

[Farmer-Rick]

30. Thanks for posting this.

You do not ever want to live through shingles. It can leave behind reoccurring bouts of pain that are debilitating.

Thanks for letting everyone know to get their vaccines.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

31. If you think you have a case, get doc to prescribe antiviral. I got one

I noticed bumps on my hand and within 24 hours was taking a prescription antiviral. It didn't get worse and went away in a couple of days. Very effective. Got it before there was any pain.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

32. Got my shingles vaccine earlier this year.

[arlyellowdog]

33. I got the old shingles shot at 60, then in got the new one

Obviously, I’m not a doctor, but a new shingles shot came out in the last few years. I was going to start chemo in my late 60s so I was advised to get the new shot. Of all the crap I’ve been through in life, my small pox, polio, shingles, flu, pneumonia, Covid, etc, vaccines are not any problem. I’m currently without major health issues. Id like to stay that way.

[Old Okie]

34. Shingles

Definitely recommend the new two shot vaccine; I had a bad case around 70 (it starts out as a rash that quickly spreads and is very painful). I took the old vaccine and it was good for 5 years, then I had a new case which we treated with antivirals and kept it from getting too bad. It can appear anywhere on the body and can cause sensitivity for long periods. Have now received the newer vaccine. If anyone got the old vaccine more than 5 years ago, definitely need to get the new one.

[TuxedoKat]

35. Just got my Shingrix shot this week

after calling my insurance company to make sure they paid for it as a few years back you had to be 65. Apparently in 2019, due to Obama Care, the law changed to cover adults 50 years old and older. Whish I'd known that two years ago. Fortunately, I've never had Shingles, and just need to get the booster after two months and before six months.

[INdemo]

37. I had shingles and I can tell you they are very painful

that lasted about 3 weeks in 2019
I still have scar tissue and occasional itching in that area.
Got my first phase of a shingles shot from the VA just recently
I didn't think I had chickenpox but my Dr. mentioned that I probably had a mild case/or rash that was mistaken for something else.
I agree that if anyone is in doubt get the shingles vaccination because its worth not going through the pain and the itching.

[Mimi Susi]

42. Age 71---Got mine!

I was born in 1949. When I was a child, my parents' son got chicken pox. My parents took me to their house and put me in the playpen with him so I could catch them. I did catch them! That was apparently the mind-set then. It was long before we had most vaccines. I got my shingles shots this year doing a balancing act with COVID, Shingrix, weekly allergy shots, and senior flu shots.

Thankfully, during my childhood years the polio vaccine was developed, but not before some of our friends got it.

[WinstonSmith4740]

43. I have to admit I was hesitant about this one.

I was one of those rare kids who had chicken pox twice, so I didn't know if I had some kind of a "special" relationship with this particular virus. I know how vaccines work, so common sense was telling me there wouldn't be a problem, but I did sit down with the pharmacist and spoke to him for a while before I went ahead a got it. "Personal" research, right? Anyway, he did reassure me that childhood ecperiences aside, chances were excellent there would be no problem, and I did NOT want to get shingles.

So follow MiHale's advice...as we get older, our immune system gets less efficient. If you're over 65, chances are you had chicken pox before the vaccine was developed, so that virus is in you, it's just dormant. Go get the shot.

[LiberalFighter]

44. You are more likely to get Shingles.

I never had chickenpox and got a mild case of shingles.

[Hawaii Hiker]

46. I'm in process of getting Shingles vaccine

I got the first shot in Aug, next shot is Oct.....The first Shingles vaccine shot was far worse than the COVID vaccine.....I was so tired for about a day, then was fine day after.....I had no reaction other than slight sore arm with the COVID vaccine....

[I_UndergroundPanther]

58. Getting my second shingles

Shot today.

[UTUSN]

66. E.R. couldn't diagnose mine. Meds need to start almost before it's known.

I had my first bout, mild, a few months after retiring, is said that stress is one trigger, in this case "letting go" into retirement? It travels along a nerve, that time down my arm ending up in my right thumb & have had a little neuropathy in the thumb ever since (years). It started with a patch of water blisters at the top of the shoulder.

Years later I suddenly had a giant PAIN *inside* at the right side upper abdomen. I thought some kind of organ was giving out. Pain sort of lessened went away in the next day or two. Then came back. Then went away. Thought about going to my doctor, but would need lab, take a couple of days. Finally decided to go to the E.R. All day of in and out for tests, expensive machinery, and waiting in the waiting room. Finally the results from a puzzled doctor were that I had an inguinal hernia. I was also puzzled, asked why the pain was "up here" not down there? Puzzled doc said things can move around. Referred me to a surgeon to see about hernia repair.

Couple of days later saw the surgeon who searched down there and completely recommended against hernia surgery that would take five or more months recovery plus worse pain than now. I asked again why the pain was UP HERE not down there? And I picked up my shirt tail to point to the pain place. This is the first time the skin was exposed/SEEN by all these medics with all the fancy expensive equipment. The surgeon YELLED YOU. HAVE. SHINGLES!

There were THREE DOTS in a row along the right side waist line. I had only heard of shingles as being a "painful RASH." My thing was not a rash and not a SURFACE PAIN. The surgeon said it was too late for meds, that the only option was to ride it out for a couple or more weeks. He said the meds have to start almost BEFORE THE ONSET, when you don't even know you've got anything or what it is.

Later with my primary doctor, was told to wait a month or two and get the shingles vax, which I did. I think it's permanent? Haven't had a peep of that since. All that fancy machinery and nobody thought to look at the skin.

[AwakeAtLast]

67. I have a doctor appointment next week

And I'm 51, so I will ask for it, thanks for the reminder!

My Mom has had Shingles, so I know how bad it is!

[mcar]

71. Had shingles at age 50, 12 years ago

I just got my first shingles shot. Don't want to go through that again.

[leftyladyfrommo]

74. Thus doesn't describe just how painful it can be.

The pain can be excruciating. Pain killers often aren't effective abd the pain can last for years.

It can be a really serious condition. It can be life threatening.

[nolabear]

76. Shingles was the most horrific pain I've ever had.

I didn’t develop the tiny little patch that broke out for days so they weren’t sure what it was. It was HORRIBLE. I likened it to being shot (torso) and having the wound blowtorched.

I still have to get the damn vaccine. God, the things stacked up this past year that I need to do…