I’ve had shingles. Get the vaccination. It’s the most pain I’ve ever had.
I’m 45. Last year I noticed a small patch of rash on my each of my shins. It didn’t hurt, hardly even itched. It didn’t go away, though. Then, a week or so later, I realized that I had a “sensitive” patch of skin up on my thigh. It was weird- it didn’t hurt, it was just that everything I felt there was just a bit more… intense.
I looked up the symptoms and realized I had shingles, so I went to the doctor. I told her I had shingles, but she looked at the rash and said she didn’t think that was what it was. When I told her about the weird area on my upper thigh, though, she said, “Oh, yeah, I guess it really is shingles.” She’d never seen such a mild case.
She gave me a prescription, and in three days everything was gone. I figure I got incredibly lucky.
I read the pages at the CDC and I’m not clear on this. I’ve had chicken pox. Does this mean that being vaccinated wouldn’t do me any good?
No, it means that the vaccination will help prevent shingles outbreaks or lessen the severity if you should have one.
If you’ve had chickenpox, the virus still resides in your body. If it becomes active again, it’s an occurrence of shingles.
If you haven’t had chickenpox, the shingles vaccine will not help you. Though, you might look into getting the chickenpox vaccine, because coming down with chickenpox as a grown up is a miserable experience.
Had it, wouldn’t wish it on anybody. Nearly blinded my aunt.
If I had an option I would consider it a priority for my health to get the vaccine.
Does shingles have anything to do with shins? I was under the impression that shingles is so named because it (the virus) travels along your spinal column and when it flares up it follows the nerves to your back creating patches that look like shingles (house shingles).
I had a super-very mild case in my 20’s. It basically consisted of a very itchy region on my back (nearly a perfect rectangle on my left side and only about 2 inches thick). Anyway, that’s why I thought its named shingles. Or at least that’s why my doctor told me he knew it was shingles. I’m glad my case was mild, but now I’m worried. I had no idea shingles was so terribly bad. I guess that’s why my doctor was so concerned when I described it to him. He said, next time come in as soon as I encounter symptoms. :eek:
I am over 60, have not had shingles, have not gotten the vaccination.
Doc said I shouldn’t. I’m on meds that depress the immune system, not a good thing for me to do.
I had shingles when I was 31. It was incredibly painful. Then, the blisters got infected. The doctor wanted a culture to see what kind of bacteria we were dealing with, and she was able to slide a cotton swab just under my skin and three inches to the side. She called it “tunneling.”
Get vaccinated.
I’m under sixty, have not gotten the vaccine, and I don’t remember if I’ve had chickenpox or not.
Based on this thread, I just called my doctor to ask to come in and get the vaccine. I was told that my doctor wouldn’t “write a scrip” for it unless I was over sixty. They might have been confused that I was more worried that my insurance wouldn’t cover it unless I was over sixty. The cost is not a concern - if it costs $200, then I’ll claim it back on my flexplan.
Can I just walk into a drugstore and ask for the vaccine? Or are they going to want to see evidence that I was lab-tested to see if I had chickenpox as a child?
I had it when I was 37ish. My 60-something parents happened to be visiting when I came down with it. They got vaccinated as soon as they got home.
I had it around my optic nerve. How bad was it? It was so bad that after three days on meds, when I was feeling a good deal better, when I arrived at the ophthomologist’s office, a sweet little old lady with a walker asked me if I wanted to take her seat. I really did want to sit, but fortunately there were other chairs available.
I’m mid-50s, never had shingles, and did get the vaccination. My doctor only grudgingly agreed to give me the vaccination, and repeatedly warned me my insurance would not pay for it. My insurance did pay for it.
I worked in ophthalmology in my last job and did encounter patients who’d had their vision permanently damaged by shingles. My father-in-law was apparently in agony when he had it. In some patients, the pain can last for years.
I’m only in my 40s but I am going to get the goddamned vaccine as early and as often as they’ll let me.
I plan to get the vaccine on my 50th birthday. Had shingles at 40ish, hospitalized, nearly lost an eye. My dad had it 3 times so far, at 23, 40ish, and 77ish.
Horrible pain and itching that responds to no medicine, facial scarring, still not normal feeling on my temple. Feels numb. It’s been 4 years since I had it.
I’m 38. I had shingles when I was 32. I wasn’t vaccinated and I still don’t get vaccinated for it.
It was excruciating, even more painful than more than 33 hours of unmedicated active labor with my son. That said, getting lanced by a stingray was actually more painful (if not quite as long lived).
Mine was in and around my right eye, so the ER doc who saw me put me on an antiviral given the direction the shingles was headed. I do have damage on my cornea, but it didn’t damage my optic nerve.
making the decision is a game of playing the odds. To me, it was easy-dramatically decreasing the chance of extreme pain vs $200. No brainer for me.
But it is a question of the odds. I have had shingles 3 times. Blisters, irritated spots, but thankfully no pain. I am told that it is a matter of luck-and most people aren’t that lucky. And few are lucky all the time. Unless you a) don’t mind a lot of pain, b) feel lucky now and forever, c) have to be very careful with money, get the vaccine.
BTW, the anti-viral meds aren’t taken to stop the shingles. They are to reduce the chance of secondary infections-and give the doctor something to do when the patient comes in half-crazy. A vaccine is the only highly effective way to fight a viral infection.
My doctor says it wouldn’t hurt for me to get one (I had shingles when I was a kid) but given the cost and the fact that it’s only effective about 65% of the time, he’s not pushing his patients to get it.
I’m 56, haven’t had either shingles or the vaccination. However I know one person who’s had it once (and had the vaccination since) and another person who has had it several times. I know it can be incredibly painful.
It’s that bad? Hmmm. I’ll ask my doctor next time I go. It’s never occurred to me to even think about it before. I thought it was something that only people with compromised immune systems got, or people who have a history of allergies, cold sores and frequent immune/stress issues get. Is that incorrect? (I haven’t googled it quite yet.)
the post-herpetic neuralgia mentioned is where the nerves stay in pain due to damage from shingles.
from
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/shingles/vacc-need-know.htm
In a clinical trial involving thousands of adults 60 years old or older, Zostavax reduced the risk of shingles by about half (51%) and the risk of post-herpetic neuralgia by 67%. While the vaccine was most effective in people 60-69 years old it also provided some protection for older groups.
‘’‘’’
Anyone 60 years of age or older should get the shingles vaccine, regardless of whether they recall having had chickenpox or not. Studies show that more than 99% of Americans ages 40 and older have had chickenpox, even if they don’t remember getting the disease.
I had my first shingles outbreak when I was 40, and it was on my face and into my ear. It was horrific. I didn’t get the feeling completely back in some spots for over a year.
I have a spot on my back that starts to tingle periodically, and I immediately get out the Tagamet. So far I’ve been lucky, and it hasn’t progressed to blister stage. I notice it only happens when I’m either ill from something else, or extremely stressed.
I have a few years to go until I reach 60, but I will get the vaccine. I don’t understand why doctors seem so rigid regarding the guidelines, yet hand out antibiotics willy-nilly.