# So I Have Shingles **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 12, 2024, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448 "2024-05-12T15:32:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/1 "2024-05-12T15:32:30Z")
I’m 53. My doctor told me, when I turned 50, that I should consider the singles vaccine if I had chicken pox as a child. The thing is, I didn’t know if I actually had chicken pox (I do now, of course), and Mamahomie didn’t either. The pharmacist told me to get it anyway, as the worst it could do is nothing. But I kept putting it off. Big mistake. I _think_ we caught it early enough that antivirals will help and this won’t last a month, like it can when it’s untreated. I’m taking Acyclovir as prescribed and I’ve gone through all my gabapentin, and as for now I’m treating the pain with cannabis sativa. I don’t want to jinx it but I think I got a mild case (as mild cases go) – the rash is localized to one area and it’s not so bad that even touching it with clothing makes it agonizing. If you’re over 50 and you had chicken pox as a child (or if you’re not sure), get the damned shingles vaccine. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/2 "2024-05-12T15:35:00Z")
Yeah, I put it off because I heard stories about how bad reactions can be, and I also couldn’t remember having had chicken pox (still not sure). Finally got it a couple of years ago (in my early 70’s), and the worst I had was a little sore arm for a couple of days. My slightly hypochondriac husband complained for about a day of feeling achy all over, but even that was worth it. Get the frickin’ shot, people. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/3 "2024-05-12T15:40:08Z")
The Shingrix shots are among the worst, but still so much better than Shingles. I did have a 36 hour flu-like symptoms and a fever that got over 103°f. Both times. It hits a lot of people hard. But everyone describes shingles as one of the worst temporary things you can get. So it is well worth getting the shots. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/4 "2024-05-12T15:56:29Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > But everyone describes shingles as one of the worst temporary things you can get. So it is well worth getting the shots. QTF. I got a case of shingles when my wife passed. Triggered by stress, obviously. Had a “bandoleer” of rash from my left shoulder diagonally across to my right hip. Because of other things going on, I didn’t get to the doc until it was too late to medicate its severity. So I just suffered. Never again. The Shingrex shots hurt like a mofo, but not as much as the disease. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/5 "2024-05-12T17:54:31Z")
How does one catch Shingles? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/6 "2024-05-12T17:58:36Z")
If you’ve had chickenpox, you’re carrying the virus. (varicella zoster) Later in life, typically over 50 with the chance increasing as your immune system weakens, the virus flares up as Shingles. Stress/distress as mentioned by @silenus can cause your immune system to function poorly. It is pretty common in senior homes with elderly residents. I think pre-vaccine, they estimated that 1 in 3 people that live to 90 would get shingles. Honestly, I don’t think I can cite that last part. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/7 "2024-05-12T17:59:38Z")
Shingles is unpleasant. But ten percent or so get post-herpetic nerve pain, which is much more so. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/8 "2024-05-12T18:02:54Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I’m 53. My doctor told me, when I turned 50, that I should consider the singles vaccine if I had chicken pox as a child. The thing is, I didn’t know if I actually had chicken pox My doctors told me to assume (judging by my age) that I had. No harm in the vaccine if I hadn’t; considerable probable good if I had; and a very good chance that I have had it. My mother had a terrible case that landed her in the hospital and had lifelong repurcussions. Shingles is not a good thing to take chances with. – my sister, many years later, and vaccinated with the earlier vaccine (the newer one wasn’t out yet), had a mild case that didn’t cause her serious problems. I’ve had both the earlier and the currently advised shingles vaccines. The reaction wasn’t all that bad; and even if it had been, would still have been worth it. > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Shingles is unpleasant. But ten percent or so get post-herpetic nerve pain, which is much more so. In my mother’s case, it attacked nerves in her face and ear. She had temporary paralysis on one side of her face, which gradually went away until finally only she noticed (if she looked in a mirror) her slightly lopsided smile. But she also had disturbance of her sense of balance; which improved significantly, but the problem never went away entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/9 "2024-05-12T18:07:43Z")
I _know_ I had chicken pox because I was in college at the time. I woke up to what I thought was acne all over my face and body so I went to the infirmary. When the nurse saw me, she said I had chicken pox and had to stay there in quarantine until I was no longer infectious. She wouldn’t even let me return to my dorm for pajamas or anything. (I called friends, threw my keys out the window to them and they retrieved my stuff.) And my father had shingles, so I knew they were painful, so I got the Shingrix vaccine early. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/10 "2024-05-12T18:11:49Z")
I got chicken pox at work from an idiot cow-worker and just barely recovered in time for the birth of my first child. She brought her sick child in so she wouldn’t miss work and never checked if anyone in the office hadn’t had chickenpox. It was kind of funny, the job had a lot of older workers and as the young guy very actively prepping for the event, they were ready to string the cow-worker up if I missed the birth. * * * * * * @HeyHomie, do they recommend oatmeal baths or the like for shingles? I recall it helped with the pox. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/11 "2024-05-12T18:30:16Z")
AFAIK Shingles is not contagious but apparently contact with fluid from the blisters can cause chickenpox in people who never had it or were never vaccinated for chickenpox. And even with the shingles vax there are occurrences of breakthrough infections but less severe. I think I’m dealing with that now. Not fun. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/12 "2024-05-12T18:32:03Z")
My wife got shingles before she was able to get the vaccine. But getting the vaccine after getting shingles still gives you additional protections. I was vaccinated and haven’t had it, thank Og. It’s a rough disease. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/13 "2024-05-12T18:33:29Z")
I think they said in the next few years a better and easier vaccine is expected, but if you’re over 50, you probably **shouldn’t** wait. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/14 "2024-05-12T18:46:08Z")
> [@chela](#): > > AFAIK Shingles is not contagious but apparently contact with fluid from the blisters can cause chickenpox… Shingles is contagious. It doesn’t cause shingles, as that’s something you only get after a chicken pox infection. But if you have shingles, your chicken pox has reactivated, and you can give people chicken pox. That’s consistent with what you said, but i think it’s confusing to describe that as “not contagious”. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/15 "2024-05-12T19:06:32Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Shingles is contagious. It doesn’t cause shingles, as that’s something you only get after a chicken pox infection. But if you have shingles, your chicken pox has reactivated, and you can give people chicken pox. The CDC agrees…and I agree the process can be confusing. > **[Cause and Transmission | CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/shingles/about/transmission.html)** > > The virus that causes shingles, the varicella zoster virus, is spread through direct contact with fluid from the rash blisters. As a retired nurse I can assure everyone shingles are very very worth avoiding, even if the vaccine can be a bother for a day or two. Shingles can be excruciating for weeks. The vaccine is a very good bet. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/16 "2024-05-12T19:27:02Z")
I had shingles, probably just at the end of my immunosuppression (to manage colitis) in my late 50s. I had it on my forehead - I thought I must have been stung by an insect. I guess I was lucky; it wasn’t painful (just a little annoying), and there was no issue with contact pain afterwards. It was close enough to my eyes to bother the docs, so I was checked out/monitored for that. Lucky once does not mean I’ll be lucky twice - I had the shot as soon as it was offered. Not pleasant, but I didn’t think it was as bad as the stories I’d heard. j ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/17 "2024-05-12T19:28:20Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > But ten percent or so get post-herpetic nerve pain, which is much more so My father had this the last few years of his life, it didn’t make things easier for him. I had my shingles shots when I was 50. It left me with a sore shoulder but nothing overly unpleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/18 "2024-05-12T19:58:51Z")
Sorry for you. Get well soon. Some docs will prescribe opiates if the pain is severe. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/19 "2024-05-12T19:59:21Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > The Shingrix shots are among the worst, but still so much better than Shingles. > I did have a 36 hour flu-like symptoms and a fever that got over 103°f. Both times. It hits a lot of people hard. I had chills for about half a day. Not fun, but way WAY better than shingles. Boomers- assume you had Chicken Pox. Likely Xers also. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2024, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448/20 "2024-05-12T20:03:27Z")
Having known enough people who’ve had shingles, I got my first dose on my 50th birthday and the second dose back in January The reactions to the vaccines absolutely sucked, I’m not kidding anyone about that. But I’d do much rather have dealt with those 2 day reactions than shingles. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-have-shingles/1001448.md?page=2)