Community Chat

[Winifred]

I got it this past January - wanted to get it last year but I hit the donut hole. LOL. Not a lot cheaper even with a co pay. I had chicken pox as a young one and with my shot, had absolutely no trouble at all. I knew I had to get it as my Mother got shingles 6 months before she passed away. She went downhill from the day she became ill with it - they had nothing but creams to rub over the pain then. So sad she passed in 1994 - do not believe they had shots then either.

[AnotherView2]

My husband and I will be getting the shingles shot soon, insurance coverage or not.  We discussed this only recently...

We both had shingles in our late 30's.  He had it all in his armpits and was MISERABLE for a couple of weeks.  I had it in a "belt" pattern around my lower back and upper rear area and it was PAINFUL.  Both of us went to the doc and got Acyclovir capsules to take which abated the symptoms somewhat but we were both a little late in getting diagnosed because we were "too young" at the time and there is a "that couldn't happen to me" mentality.

If you don't get the shot and get shingles, go to the doc and get a scrip for Acyclovir STAT!  You will still have a lot of pain but the Acyclovir lessens the length and severity of the reaction. 

Shingles is nothing to mess with.  It's a minimum of 2 or more weeks of misery and possibly even latent shingles reactions that will contiue to pop up again and again.  My husbands uncle had a stressful life and he had many reactions over the years (pre vaccine).

Stress is typically what makes the latent disease in your body pop up later in life after having had chicken pox as a youth.  I even knew of a kid in late teens who got shingles after having been burned by a fire.  He had pox when he was young and the burns were stressful enough on his body he got chicken pox after being burned on his legs. Then the medical personnel where dealing with both issues.

[Nataliesgramma]

My hubby got it but I am not going to........Had a school friend die from a reaction to a flu shot. 

[AnotherView2]

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@Nataliesgramma wrote:

My hubby got it but I am not going to........Had a school friend die from a reaction to a flu shot. 

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According to the Washington Post, GSK's "HZ/su" vaccine reduced the risk of shingles by more than 97 percent in adults 50 and older

I can't find anywhere on Google that you can die from a shingles shot so I am not sure why you equated a flu shot to your refusal to get vaccinated for shingles... 

But, according to the NHS in the UK,  if you get shingles, 1) you can get encephalitis which you can die from, or be stricken with 2) postherpetic neuralgia (also called PHN which can affect you for the rest of your life), 3) opthalmic singles which can blind you 4) Ramsay Hunt syndrome which affects the nerves in the head (hearing loss, etc).

Shingles is rarely life threatening, but complications such as those mentioned above mean that around 1 in every 1,000 cases in adults over the age of 70 is fatal. 

[ECBG]

I asked my dr., and was told it's a one time shot so I should wait until I'm older.

[sunshine&rainbows]

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@AnotherView2 wrote:

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@Nataliesgramma wrote:

My hubby got it but I am not going to........Had a school friend die from a reaction to a flu shot. 

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According to the Washington Post, GSK's "HZ/su" vaccine reduced the risk of shingles by more than 97 percent in adults 50 and older

I can't find anywhere on Google that you can die from a shingles shot so I am not sure why you equated a flu shot to your refusal to get vaccinated for shingles... 

But, according to the NHS in the UK,  if you get shingles, 1) you can get encephalitis which you can die from, or be stricken with 2) postherpetic neuralgia (also called PHN which can affect you for the rest of your life), 3) opthalmic singles which can blind you 4) Ramsay Hunt syndrome which affects the nerves in the head (hearing loss, etc).

Shingles is rarely life threatening, but complications such as those mentioned above mean that around 1 in every 1,000 cases in adults over the age of 70 is fatal. 

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I suffered with shingles a few years ago, and had it on the left side of my face and in my eye, almost lost sight in my left eye.

I suffer with PHN from having shingles.

I went to the ER 3 days in a row with it, I was suffering so bad.

The 3rd day they gave me percocete and I could finally eat a little bit and get a little relief from the horrible pain.

I wondered since I had shingles if I had immunity from it, so I asked my Doctor about this, she didn't know and she didn't know if should get the shingle shot or not.

I wonder if I should get the shot if I already had shingles?

My Doctor did not seem to be concerned about it when I asked her.

I hope and pray I never suffer like that again.

Take care of yourself so you can take care of others.

sunshine&rainbows

[shamalamadingdong4]

ihubby and I had one several years ago with absolutely no side effects.  It didn't even hurt.  My pneumonia shot was a different story. 😩

Spoiler

[lulu2]

ABSOLUTELY, GET THE SHOT. (yes, I'm shouting)

I've had shingles and it was more painful than childbirth. (the pain of childbirth ends with a bundle of joy)  Shingles last for weeks and after the rash is gone, your nerve endings continue screaming.

Do not wait.

[sunshine&rainbows]

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@lulu2 wrote:

ABSOLUTELY, GET THE SHOT. (yes, I'm shouting)

I've had shingles and it was more painful than childbirth. (the pain of childbirth ends with a bundle of joy)  Shingles last for weeks and after the rash is gone, your nerve endings continue screaming.

Do not wait.

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@lulu2

My Doctor did not know the answer to my question "since I had shingles if I should receive the shot or not?"

Did you read my earlier post on this? I am so confused, I will ask my Doctor again, I am of afraid of it recurring in my eye!

Thank you for your reply!

Take care of yourself so you can take care of others ~

sunshine&rainbows

[lulu2]

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@Sunshine&rainbows wrote:

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@lulu2

My Doctor did not know the answer to my question "since I had shingles if I should receive the shot or not?"

Did you read my earlier post on this? I am so confused, I will ask my Doctor again, I am of afraid of it recurring in my eye!

Thank you for your reply!

Take care of yourself so you can take care of others ~

sunshine&rainbows

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sunshine&rainbows, I did get the shot even though I've already had shingles. There was never a discussion about me NOT getting it.