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

[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?