Shingles PSA

[withm]

Yikes - I've joined the shingles club. This is the most painful thing I've ever experienced and I would not wish this on anyone. I'm on the appropriate medications but have a couple weeks of blisters and pain to get through.

There is a shingles vaccine out there and until recently it has been recommended only for people over 60. My Doctor said that it has been so successful that the CDC has recently lowered the age to 50.

Anyone who ever had chicken pox, whether as a child or an adult, harbors the dormant virus in their bodies forever. Then perhaps in times of stress, or exposure to chicken pox or shingles from a friend or family member, it awakens and socks you with the most unbearable pain and blisters that you can ever imagine.

And to add insult to injury, you can get shingles twice, or thrice, or more. Or its more virulent and rare derivative, Ramsey-Hunt syndrome which attacks your face and ears. My sister had that last year. Hence I was waiting to turn 60 in a few months so I could get the vaccine.

GET THE VACCINE. Yes, it is expensive, but some insurance plans may cover it. My Dr. said that Medicare does not cover it, so best to get it before you go on Medicare.

I'm quite sure that anyone you ask who has had shingles will agree that if there is a way to avoid it, to do so at any cost.

I have to wait to get the vaccine until I'm all cleared up but once that happens I will be running to the Dr. to get it.

GET THE SHINGLES VACCINE!

[Veronica]

I had shingles while I was touring Nova Scotia by bike in 2006. I went to a doctor in Canada when all I had was the really bad headache. A few days after the doctor visit the blisters appeared all over one side of my forehead. I had no idea what it was and just kept riding. My oldest sister kept insisting it was shingles every time I called her to check in. (She's such a worry wart; she wanted me to call her every day.) Of course geographically she was my emergency contact. I didn't think I had ever had chicken pox. None of my older siblings or my mom can recall me having them. I guess it was a mild case.

I never got any medicine for it. I just kept popping advil and riding my bike. Maybe those 60 - 80 mile days pulling a trailer scared them away.

I didn't know for sure it was shingles until I went for my annual eye exam and I had some additional scarring on my corneas and my eye doctor asked if I had had shingles since my last visit.

I hope you have a quick recovery.

Veronica

[maillotpois]

My training partner got shingles a few weeks ago - in the groin area - and it sounded so dreadful that I got a prescription from my doctor and shelled out the $200 for the vaccine. I had chicken pox in my 20's and never realized there was any increase in risk because of that until my friend got it.

[Pax]

The year after my dad died my mom had the worst case I've ever seen. It's been two years and she still looks like her ribs are covered in burn scars.

I will be getting the shot as soon as possible.

[Blueberry]

So can you get the vaccine before 50? Or not? I've known that it was something I wanted to avoid - but didn't realize the vaccine was available (or that it had age recommendations).

Hope you feel better soon!

[maillotpois]

You can get it under 50 or 60, but you need a prescription in order to do so.

[Sky King]

Thanks for the info, I wasn't sure if I could get the vaccine since I have had bouts of shingles and herpes outbreaks since I had knee surgery at 19. In reading, I have learned that the surgery irritated the nerves in my knee and triggered the outbreak. I have five areas (knee, hip,nose,forehead and back) of problems and note that stress and too much Sun are often behind the outbreaks.

[withm]

Well certainly you'd need to discuss with your Dr. if you are a candidate for the vaccine; there are some contraindications. I am on an antiviral drug for the shingles, and a nerve pain blocker for the nerve pain. It works pretty well and yesterday I had no pain at all and really had to remind myself that I was "sick" and should be resting more.

But last night's dose wore off around 6am this morning and the pain was suddenly very intense, like a dagger stabbing me in the back straight through to my front. I'm still waiting for the ache to go away. I can see that I have to stay ahead of the pain with the drugs otherwise I will not be able to work.

Shingles is evil.

[divingbiker]

Sorry to hear you got this, Martha, and thanks for letting us know.

I called Kaiser, and they said there's a shortage of the vaccine, and besides I don't meet the age guideline (60), so I guess I have to hope the shingles don't get me for 5 more years.

It sounds miserable.

[ny biker]

Sadly for Edvald Boasson Hagen, this thread can now be declared "cycling-related."

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boas...aps-endangered

I have a friend who was recently diagnosed with shingles, and I think he is in his mid-50s.

[starcloud]

When a relative came down with shingles, that inspired me to get tested to see if I had immunity to chicken pox. I found out that I didn't, even though there was another case in my household when I was a kid, and you can get CP from someone with an active case of shingles if you didn't have CP already. So I got the CP (varicella) vaccine. It takes two visits, since the shots have to be given 28 days apart.

So if you don't think you ever had CP or aren't sure, you might want to look into that. CP is worse for adults than kids usually, and if you can avoid CP, you should avoid shingles later on. The CDC's info on both vaccines is available here:

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/default.htm

[Biciclista]

I just tried to find a doctor to give me a shingles shot that is covered by my insurance - the insurance gave me a list:
Doctor #1 (in my area) works in a nursing home.
Doctor #2 and #3 do not give shingles shots.
the local pharmacy does not play well with my insurance. (but they give shingles shots)
so back to calling the insurance company.. (sigh)

[new2ride]

OMG - shingles is by far the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. I continue to have post-herpectic neurolgia. My outbreak occurred Christmas of '09. It was across my back, along the bra line, under the insdie of my left arm going down towards my elbow and across my left breast. My doctor prescribed Valtrex, gave me some pain patches and Lyrica. I don't know if the Valtrex helped or not, my outbreak was very bad and I remember crying for three weeks.

My PCP states that the likelihood of getting shingles a second time is not that great. He also said that since I had the shingles I couldn't get the vaccine.

I see the advetising signs at Walgreens all the time offering the vaccine. I am so tempted to go in and get the vaccine. I don't care if I have to pay for it myself -- I don't ever want to experience that kind of pain again.

The post herpetic neurolgia (PHN) is bad, but no where near as bad as the shingles pain. The PHN seems to flare up when I'm under stress.

If you can avoid this horrible outbreak, do so by getting the vaccine.

[Bethany1]

I had shingles when I was 25. Didn't know it until I had a doc appt for something else and he said the rash was shingles and was surprised I hadn't come in 3 weeks earlier. I just felt flu sick for a couple of days and then had the lesions for about 3 weeks. I just figured the rash would go away and since I had been clearing the nasty weeds behind my house I thought they were bug bites.

I'm grateful it was a small outbreak and just stayed above my hips.

[Catrin]

Sorry to hear you got this, Martha, and thanks for letting us know.

I called Kaiser, and they said there's a shortage of the vaccine, and besides I don't meet the age guideline (60), so I guess I have to hope the shingles don't get me for 5 more years.

It sounds miserable.

Is Kaiser your insurance company or the drug company? I guess guidelines have changed, and some insurance companies are covering it post-50... Perhaps you can check around?