Shingles=Ouch

bgrafsr

bgrafsr

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About 5 or 6 years ago I got the Shingles vaccine. Well, for the past couple of weeks my right upper back and arm pit have been hurting, but my wife could not see anything on the skin in those areas.
A few days ago, she looked again and, lo and behold, I have a rash on the upper back. She says it's Shingles. Now tonight, the right side of my chest and stomach are beginning to hurt also.
I will be calling my Dr. in the morning to see what they can do. Perhaps an injection of Zostavax and some steroids will get rid of it quickly. I sure hope so.
 
I got a full attack several years ago, and a couple of suspicious rashes that may have been incipient recurrent episodes in the years since, despite the shingles vaccination.

Since the last one, my doctor, who is a very practical type, has me keep a set of antiviral drugs (Valtrex) and a supply of Prednisone at home so I can nip any recurrence in the bud.

At my last visit last month, he also told me there is a new vaccine out which everybody is currently out of, but which is supposed to be much more effective and he recommends I get it when they get it back in. I will even if I have to pay myself. A couple hundred bucks are nothing compared to shingles. Hate those.
 
At my last visit last month, he also told me there is a new vaccine out which everybody is currently out of, but which is supposed to be much more effective and he recommends I get it when they get it back in. I will even if I have to pay myself. A couple hundred bucks are nothing compared to shingles. Hate those.[/QUOTE]

I got the first one (two injections 2-3 months apart ) last week of the new vaccine. One of the new features is that it's approved for people who just don't know if they ever had chicken pox. That's me, and I never got the first vaccine because of that.
 
When I was in college I actually wrote a term paper on Shingles

I have had Shingle (Herpes Varicella Zoster) twice. I'm not old enough to get the vaccine but I can promise you you DO. NOT. EVER want to go through an outbreak not on the shortest day of your life. THIS IS MY OPINION but Based on my experience I think stress is a primary factor in having an outbreak

Shingles does not ever encircle the body. It occurs along a single dermatome and only affects on side of the body.

Depending on where you get it Shingles absolutely can blind you. If it gets into your eyes it can damage your sight for life it it gets into your auditory nerves it can make you deaf.

Shingles normally resolves in 3 to 5 weeks BUT if you're older (65+) you can develop a condition called postherpatic neuralgia that can last for an indefinite period of time.

Bottom line if you can get the vaccine you should
 
Shingles victim here as well. Five years ago; the classic "band" from the left side of my spine around to my belly button just above my waist line. I wouldn't describe my pain as excruciating, but more of an annoyance 24-7 for two months.:eek: BTW, my GP told me he had shingles twice, even after the vaccination, but still recommended the shot because it lessens your chances, and the severity:confused::)
 
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I'd suppose.....

OLDSTER said:
Shingles victim here as well. Five years ago; the classic "band" from the left side of my spine around to my belly button just above my waist line. I wouldn't describe my pain as excruciating, but more of an annoyance 24-7 for two months.:eek:
Click to expand...

I suppose that there are different intensities among different people depending on the strength of the affliction and the make up of the person affected. Like some kids with polio recovered with only minor damage while other were affected much more severely. Like my friend Steve.
 
Absalom said:
I got a full attack several years ago, and a couple of suspicious rashes that may have been incipient recurrent episodes in the years since, despite the shingles vaccination.

Since the last one, my doctor, who is a very practical type, has me keep a set of antiviral drugs (Valtrex) and a supply of Prednisone at home so I can nip any recurrence in the bud.

At my last visit last month, he also told me there is a new vaccine out which everybody is currently out of, but which is supposed to be much more effective and he recommends I get it when they get it back in. I will even if I have to pay myself. A couple hundred bucks are nothing compared to shingles. Hate those.
Click to expand...

I have had shingles and for a fact its not good. I have good health insurance and they pay for the shots.

I got the shot a couple years after I had shingles. (that was the way it was done back then, the shot came out later after I had the attack.)

FWIW get the shot even if you have to pay for it yourself. I had to take TYLENO3s just to be able to get some sleep.
 
The older shot was considered about 50% effective. The newer shot, (two required at about $270 each, two months apart) is supposed to be more than 90% effective. I got the original about five years ago and the new ones recently. Either shot claims to lesson severity if it doesn't completely eliminate the illness. The new one is definitely better but it is costly if you don't have some form of insurance. My wife and I both had it done. I've known a few people that had shingles with the complications and it wasn't pretty.
 
Got the first shot of the new two shot vaccine.
Now they ran out of juice, can’t get the second shot.
What’s a Mother to do?
 
The information we were told was that the second of the two shots should be at least two months after the first and by 6 months after the first so you have quite a range. Our pharmacy had 10 shots when we went in last week.
 
I had the old shot in 2012, my doctor recommended that I now get the new shot(s). I went in last Friday and was informed my insurance co-pay would be $165 per shot, and two were required. Had to pass....too many other bills due right now. How can a few cc's of liquid be so expensive? What is the actual cost of the drug and how much profit is the drug company making off of the poor public? Sad that health care is becoming a luxury only the rich can afford.
 
I had gone to get the shot last fall, and the Pharmacist told me the "New" vaccine would be out after Jan 1, and he would recommend I wait as the old is 50% effective ant the new stuff is 90%+ effective. Come Jan I was right there and got the inj, and I think a 2nd one 60 or 90 days later.
 
Smoke said:
When I was in college I actually wrote a term paper on Shingles

I have had Shingle (Herpes Varicella Zoster) twice. I'm not old enough to get the vaccine but I can promise you you DO. NOT. EVER want to go through an outbreak not on the shortest day of your life. THIS IS MY OPINION but Based on my experience I think stress is a primary factor in having an outbreak

Shingles does not ever encircle the body. It occurs along a single dermatome and only affects on side of the body.

Depending on where you get it Shingles absolutely can blind you. If it gets into your eyes it can damage your sight for life it it gets into your auditory nerves it can make you deaf.

Shingles normally resolves in 3 to 5 weeks BUT if you're older (65+) you can develop a condition called postherpatic neuralgia that can last for an indefinite period of time.

Bottom line if you can get the vaccine you should
Click to expand...

Smoke, did you get it in the same place both times?
 
After seeing what shingles did to my late father, I was a believer. I got the old zostavax shots as soon as they came out. The thing is, the protection, partial as it is, declines with age to where it’s minimal. The new “shingrix” immunization is supposed to be much better but not covered by my health plan. I got it anyway.

My son, who is 40 came down with shingles when I was visiting him. We jumped right on it but it was nip and tuck. His Dr. advised that they are starting to see younger people coming down with it. Stress???

Bottom line is that it’s nothing to fool with. I’d get the new shot, whatever it costs, and save money somewhere else.
 
Went to the VA this morning to get my new hearing aids, and asked if I could get checked for the Shingles. I was told to call my local VA Clinic and check with my Primary Dr. there.
Got an appt. for 8AM tomorrow morning, but a short time later they called me and said an opening came up at 2PM today. Saw the VA Dr. who said since I had it for about a week I would have to wait for it to subside, and then come in and get the new vaccine (Shingrix), which consists of 2 injections within 2 to 6 months.
She said if the pain became intolerable, she would prescribe medication for the pain. Hopefully I don't need it.
 
bgrafsr said:
Went to the VA this morning to get my new hearing aids, and asked if I could get checked for the Shingles. I was told to call my local VA Clinic and check with my Primary Dr. there.
Got an appt. for 8AM tomorrow morning, but a short time later they called me and said an opening came up at 2PM today. Saw the VA Dr. who said since I had it for about a week I would have to wait for it to subside, and then come in and get the new vaccine (Shingrix), which consists of 2 injections within 2 to 6 months.
She said if the pain became intolerable, she would prescribe medication for the pain. Hopefully I don't need it.
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^^^^^^^^^ SHINGRIX^^^ This!!:D:D

I'm waiting to get my second shot...
 
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I got the shot a short while back. After seeing what my mother went through when it id enter the eyes it was horrible. Nothing to mess with!
 
Bill: 3 years ago I got the vaccine. 2 years ago I got shingles of the ear. It didn't get to my eyes and I've recovered my hearing but still the right side of my mouth is somewhat paralyzed part of my mouth. I still have a pretty good amount of pain.
 
NYlakesider said:
According to my doc the older you are the worse it can be. If your a male and the problem goes low you can then have some very serious problems.

Like I said before get the shots even if you have to pay for it yourself.:eek:
Click to expand...

About five years ago I got shingles from my butt to where no man should ever have shingles. I have since had the original shot and intend to get the new shots. I still have some residual pain in the butt, or maybe I'm just grumpy. Get the shot!
 
My Wife and I got Shingles vaccinations 4 years ago however they told us at the time it was only about 50% effective. I also heard there is now a better version so I might talk to my Doctor about it next week when I see him for my annual check-up. After seeing both my parents and many friends go through Shingles, I do not want any part of it!!!
 
I had a severe adverse reaction to the Shingrix shot. I was unable to move my legs or arms and fell to the floor. Have had shingles and the old shingles shot in the past. Went to what turned out to be one of the worlds most incompetent ERs but that’s a different story. The incredibly stupid doc dx it as “ weakness “ even though I had explicitly described the adverse reaction symptoms. The doctor is supposed to report adverse reactions to the CDC but he wouldn’t so I did. My guess is that these reactions are under reported.
No second shot for me.
 
Also here is what I meant when I said the ER was incompetent. When I got there my legs were shaking uncontrollably but I was put in a wheel chair in the waiting room for 3 or 4 hours. My fellow waiters included a man in a wheel chair whose calves were several times larger than what they should have been. It looked like what I had seen in the hospital where I worked and was dx as congestive heart failure. There was a woman who had uncontrolable vomiting and also was placed in a wheel chair and given a vomit bucket. They were both still there when I got in.

When the doc in the ER started to do a stroke rule out routine I turned to my wife and daughter and told them not to worry that I was not having a stroke. I had worked 30 years in a hospital and had a number of classes on stroke detection. The doc stopped his exam to chew me out saying there was no way I could say that and went on to say that other docs come in as pts and they can't tell if they are having a stroke. Disrespectful.

Then a nurse came in and hooked up an IV. By then I was already getting better on my own. An hour later my daughter noticed that the bag wasn't emptying and so I pushed the red alert button which as it turned out wasn't functioning. My daughter had to hunt down a nurse to turn the IV on. After 5 or so hours under their care I asked to use the rest room and they said they would be back to unhook my IV but didn't come back for another 45 minutes.

Interestingly they had left the door open to the nurses area which was supposed to be closed to protect pt confidentiality. It happened to be nurses week and we saw the doc throwing little candies at the nurses who were giggling like teenagers.

Amazing place.
 
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I hate to admit it but I thought I was a tough hombre.

In January of 2017 I came down with a severe headache. Felt like I was drowning headache. Couldn't walk a straight line headache. And a fever of 103. I never ever run a fever.

The back of my scalp was on fire. Couldn't move my neck. I started to panic and went to an urgent care place that night. I was afraid I was getting meningitis. I've never been this sick before.

Thank God the little foreign physician knew what he was doing. I only had a small amount of the pimples on my rear scalp. He said "I am so eghfraid that you must ave shingles. I vill give you Valtrex and lessen zee impact as we have disorganised this in earliest stage. You should vee very tankful."

I went home and took the Valtrex. I was up all night. Then the break-out began. All over the left rear of my scalp and neck and my throat. I was able to see my regular physician that afternoon.

He prescribed narcotics and steroids. He said that I was lucky to have started the Valtrex at the initial onset or it would be much worse.

I spent the following seven or so days propped up in bed. The pain was so severe I couldn't rest my head on anything. My hair hurt. I could feel my hair growing on my scalp. No foolin!

I stayed pumped-up on the painkillers and rode it out. They only took the edge off it. I was pitiful. Never faced anything like it.

My doctor gave me the shingles shot after the rash disappeared.

About a year later, the rash returned on my scalp for a week or so, but (thank God) no pain this time.

That's my story.
 
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