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Where was your shingles located? Have you gotten the shingles vaccine yet?
The shingles showed up on the left side of my body (mostly chest and underarm, with some on the back). I do plan on getting the vaccine after this recovery settles down a bit more. Apparently one shouldn't get the vaccine while still being effected by the condition (recovering from the rashes at least)
I tried to get the vaccine at 50 because I have immune issues, I had a huge feeling that I would get shingles. They would not give me the vaccine, said I was too young.
That appears to be a problem, with them not mentioning or advising the vaccine until one enters their 60s. But it clearly happens earlier, such as in my case, while in my 50s. They seem to slowly be waking up to this.
Thanks for your comments and discussion. Responses in purple
Where was your shingles located? Have you gotten the shingles vaccine yet? If not, you should consider it so that you don't get shingles twice which can be pretty rare, but you're better off with the vaccine because the 2nd round can give a massive punch to your body. You may end up with nerve damage that you'll pretty much die with.
I tried to get the vaccine at 50 because I have immune issues, I had a huge feeling that I would get shingles. They would not give me the vaccine, said I was too young. Apparently it was the 1st vaccine, so I dodged a bullet here, because I'd still need to get the newer shingrex vaccine.
I was 51. Having a bad year medically. They'd found a few spots in my lungs that they were watching for lung cancer. I was also dealing with my body fighting the type of HPV that causes female cancers. My hub had an HPV+ tonsil cancer, so I knew it was just a matter of time before I had that HPV. Thankfully women can be checked for it, men can't. Thankfully, the test came up clean finally.
I had a car accident that affected my shoulder and made my lower back problems worst. I also was sick off and on. Some how I lost 30 pounds that I didn't need to lose. No clue why I lost the weight. All of my blood work was good.
Then August comes, woke up with a few bumps around my right eye and in my head. Had a massive headache which I never have. Made a doctor appointment because the bumps were on my eye lashes. Good thing I made the appointment when I did to get on the meds ASAP because they said I could have lost my eye. They sent me to a special eye doctor who said my eye was clear.
I waited about 2 years before getting the vaccine, mostly because I was undecided whether I was going to get it or not, plus it was out of stock at a lot of places. I also found out there was a newer vaccine. I never get injected with anything new, so I had to research it. I can here, hit up every shingles vaccine thread I could find. I weighed the side effects and how well it worked. Seems like the 1st one had bad odds, the newer one was better.
After being in the shingles vaccine threads, I decided I would do it. I tried getting it at 3 pharmacies, the pharmacist that does them was out at my main pharmacy. The computers were down at pharmacy number 2 so I couldn't get it that day and the 3rd try, they were out of vaccine.
I have a lot of medication allergies, I decided that my guardian angel was trying to tell me to not get it. I didn't listen, I decided to ask at my main pharmacy the next month, that would be the deciding vote whether I got it or not. Pharmacist was there and he had it in stock so I got it. It almost closed my throat. Thankfully I had Benadryl on me. That one shot kicked my butt. I can't have the 2nd one because I may not be so lucky with being able to save my airway. GP said the risks don't outweigh the benefit. Hopefully one shot and shingles once will protect me from having it again. I also had side effects for a few months.
Interesting. I also have medication allergies and my dr said she wouldnt give me the vaccine either. and for the same reason as yours. I had chickenpox as a kid and have never had shingles. and Im elderly. not everyone gets the condition.
I got shingles for the first time in my 50s. Fortunately, my doctor caught my symptoms very early. I took an antiviral and it cleared right up. I never had a rash or any lasting nerve pain. At that time, the vaccine was new and my doctor didn’t believe in using his patients as guinea pigs, so I’ve never gotten the vaccine.
Since then, I’ve felt shingles coming on twice. I know the early symptoms and I keep acyclovir on the shelf.
The early symptoms for me are a weird backache in between my shoulder blades, and a feeling that I can’t stand my clothes touching my skin. Every time, it was the same side of my body. If more people recognized the early symptoms, they would save a lot of suffering.
I don't know if I had chicken pox as a child. In that case, should I get the vaccine?
You can get a blood test, where they will test your serum to see if you have the Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) Antibodies, IgG, to see if you did indeed have the chickenpox at some point in your life.
I know Labcorp offers the test, not sure how much they charge though?
When I was about 55, my dad and my mother in law both got shingles. So when I got it a year or so later, I knew immediately that was what it was. Actually the day or two before, my left hip hurt, like deep down inside. It hurt so badly and so weirdly that I actually wondered if I had bone cancer! It hurt so much that any clothing touching it began to hurt it, and that's when I began to suspect I had shingles. The next morning, I woke up and had only three, but in a line around the left side of my midriff, itchy spots. I called my husband and said, "I have shingles. I'm going in to the doctor and see if we can catch this early." My doctor said "I think we caught it early enough for meds to be very effective," and they were. I had symptoms for about a week, and then they were gone. I don't recall the exact meds but I do think one of them was a shot in my hip and the other was gabapentin or something similar, and then I think there was one more because it seems like I took two pills for about a week and then just didn't need them anymore.
I felt really lucky because my dad had his on his head and down the side of his neck and it was very painful. And my MIL had hers on the side of her head and into her eye and it lasted for weeks and was also very painful.
Stop copying me! .
I woke up one morning many years ago with three little blisters around my bra line on my chest. I looked it up in my Rodale book, and saw that that was very probably shingles, and I should take vitamin B 12.
At this point there was no treatment for it as far as I knew, but I did confirm it with my doctor and he said that everything I was doing was perfectly fine. It never developed farther than that, and I had no issues afterwards.
Years later my massage therapist got shingles, hers were much much worse, she did try the the herpes drug that I can’t remember the name of…Valtrex? Anyhow, she was quite miserable for some time, and had a lot of nerve pain for several years. Even after the pain went away, she’d have reoccurring nerve pain issues. I think she finally healed.
I don't know if I had chicken pox as a child. In that case, should I get the vaccine?
Check with your doctor. I would bet it would not harm you in the least to get it even if you had chickenpox.
The reason I say this is because when I got married in 1983, in order to get a marriage license we had to have blood tests. One of the things that my gynecologist tested for was rubella. Growing up, I had measles and mumps, but I never had rubella, also known as German measles.
And because rubella during pregnancy is very bad, I was given the MMR shot. And it didn’t matter that I already had mumps and measles, there was no single rubella shot. And they didn’t even think twice about giving it to me.
I had chicken pox when I was about six (actually, all of the kids in my family had it at the same time, so we spent that time at home together). I still have one scar right in the middle of my forehead from it.
Then I got shingles when I was about thirty-five; diagnosed it myself, then walked across the street to the doctor who was on my softball team to confirm it. At that time the only thing they could do for it was pain meds, so I took them. Shingles is really no fun, and it can be worse than that, for instance if you get the opthalmic version. Now you can get acyclovir, an anti-viral, that actually treats the infection.
I had the first shingles vaccine when it came out, then got the next one when it became available. I didn't have any reaction to the vaccination, but even if I had I would consider it worthwhile. I know that one is less likely to get reinfected, but I would prefer not to get it again.
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Solly says — Be nice!
