Shingles vaccine - wait until 60 or get it before (adults, grandma, husband)
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OKay, I have a question that I haven't been able to find an answer for. Can (or should) you get the shingles vaccine if you aren't sure if you ever had chicken pox? My mom couldn't remember if I had it before age 5, she had 5 children so I can see how she could forget who had what. I know that I didn't have it after age 5. Now my younger brother had them twice in childhood and I was certainly exposed to them when he had them. I even put medicine on his spots.
Is there any reason I shouldn't get the shot? What if I get the shot and actually never had chicken pox? Will I get chicken pox or shingles from the shot?
"People 60 years of age or older should get shingles vaccine (Zostavax). They should get the vaccine whether or not they recall having had chickenpox, which is caused by the same virus as shingles. Studies show that more than 99% of Americans aged 40 and older have had chickenpox, even if they don’t remember getting the disease."
Some people should not get shingles vaccine (Zostavax):
"A person who has ever had a life-threatening or severe allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin, or any other component of shingles vaccine. Tell your doctor if you have any severe allergies.
A person who has a weakened immune system because of:
HIV/AIDS or another disease that affects the immune system,
treatment with drugs that affect the immune system, such as steroids,
cancer treatment such as radiation or chemotherapy, or
cancer affecting the bone marrow or lymphatic system, such as leukemia or lymphoma.
Women who are or might be pregnant. Women should not become pregnant until at least 4 weeks after getting shingles vaccine.
Someone with a minor acute illness, such as a cold, may be vaccinated. But anyone with a moderate or severe acute illness should usually wait until they recover before getting the vaccine. This includes anyone with a temperature of 101.3°F or higher."
OKay, I have a question that I haven't been able to find an answer for. Can (or should) you get the shingles vaccine if you aren't sure if you ever had chicken pox? My mom couldn't remember if I had it before age 5, she had 5 children so I can see how she could forget who had what. I know that I didn't have it after age 5. Now my younger brother had them twice in childhood and I was certainly exposed to them when he had them. I even put medicine on his spots.
Is there any reason I shouldn't get the shot? What if I get the shot and actually never had chicken pox? Will I get chicken pox or shingles from the shot?
I know I had chicken pox at 5 or so and I'm 79 and no plans to get shingles shot, never did get one, Lysine is a good prevention and also I work to keep my immune system strong and learn to deal with stress issues.
SHINGRIX, the newer shingles vaccine, appears to be better and is the one now recommended by the CDC, so I would look into getting that vaccine instead of ZOSTAVAX.
I know I had chicken pox at 5 or so and I'm 79 and no plans to get shingles shot, never did get one, Lysine is a good prevention and also I work to keep my immune system strong and learn to deal with stress issues.
I plan to get it if it's not a problem not being sure about chicken pox. It seems now that this is the case. I'm a big believer in vaccines. I've gotten the flu shot every year for at least 25 years and the last time I had the flu was almost 40 years ago. I do have a strong immune system and have less than one cold per year, but why tempt fate?
It may be that you are one of the lucky 2/3's of people who won't get shingles. If so, that's great, and your not getting the shot was not an issue. For me, having a one in three chance of a painful episode that lasts weeks to months and can have permanent effects on the body or eyes is reason enough to be vaccinated. Even if it's only 50% effective, that's 50% better odds than if I don't get the shot! I'll take that bet. I've known people who had it, even a girl in her teens, and it was so incredibly painful that they didn't even want to leave their home. One lady got it on her face and still has residual pain years later and partially lost vision in one eye. In one year my insurance will cover it, so I will be first in line after my birthday.
OKay, I have a question that I haven't been able to find an answer for. Can (or should) you get the shingles vaccine if you aren't sure if you ever had chicken pox? My mom couldn't remember if I had it before age 5, she had 5 children so I can see how she could forget who had what. I know that I didn't have it after age 5. Now my younger brother had them twice in childhood and I was certainly exposed to them when he had them. I even put medicine on his spots.
Is there any reason I shouldn't get the shot? What if I get the shot and actually never had chicken pox? Will I get chicken pox or shingles from the shot?
For IDK 50? bucks you can go to your local blood lab and get a blood test that will tell you if you've had chicken pox. You don't need a Dr's request unless you want your insurance to pay for it. You can just walk in (at my network lab anyway) and get pay as you go tests for A1C, Vit D, and a bunch of other things. I've paid to have my vit D done several times as I was low twice and now finally have it up to where it should be.
I guess I will have to do some research on attenuated vs. live. I have been struggling with this decision. I always thought I had a pretty rock star immune system for everything but some viruses like cold sores. My family seems suspectible to these but I never got bacterial infections etc. Till the 3rd antrax shot. Ever since then (15? or so years ago) my immune system has not been what it was. For years and years in the military I lined for shot after shot aftershot, including the swine flu in the 70s. Military folks love to reminisce about their basic training shot experiences where we got about 10 vaccines at the same appt with an air gun. People dropping like flies! Never thought much about it till I had a reaction. Not only does my immune system seem to have decreased permanently but I think my right eye was affected. One guy I worked with told me he almost lost his right arm and it has been permanently affected. Then you realize how much the medical community lies to you and poo poo's reactions that are inconvenient to their views. Much more sympathy to say, early Lyme sufferers etc. and much more suspicious of the pharmaceutical and medical community.
So on the one hand I know I'm a pretty susceptible to shingles type. My mother had a mild case as did a cousin. On the other I tread more lightly with vaccines now. I wonder if I'm more susceptible to a vaccine side effect! If shingles was just hell on earth during the outbreak with no possibility of long lasting effects I'd take my chances. But the possibility of losing sight or long lasting pain makes me reconsider.
So now my decision is, take the less efficient live vaccine which has a least a side effect track record. Or wait till April (thats when the pharmacy told me it would be available) and take the new attenuated vaccine with no track record. Not sure which way to jump here.
My Mom told me I had chicken pox at 7 months old. My Grandma (late 50's) and my Great-Grandma (late 80's) lived with us at the time. Neither of them ever had Shingles. Maybe because in their old age they were exposed to a baby with chicken pox?
My 32 year old SIL and a few months ago my 38 year old daughter had shingles. Neither were ever exposed to chicken pox again since their childhood. My SIL went to work for a week with it. My daughter's shingles were on her face and neck so she could not go to work with the public. Her employer didn't believe her and wanted a doctor's note. Only OLD FOLKS get shingles.
My husband got shingles 2 years after he got his Zoster vax. He had a $100 co-pay with Medicare Part D. His doctor told if he wanted a second vaccination he would have to pay the entire $300 because Medicare only pay for ONE vaccination. So while the CDC is now recommending that if you have gotten that Zoster vaccination to get the 2 dose Shrintrix, you better be prepared to open your wallet and pay $300 because Medicare won't pay for it. Certainly, no health insurance plan is going to pay for 30 year olds to get this vaccination.
I can tell you if my husband's new doctor tells him he MUST get that new shingles vaccination, I am going to raise the roof. $400 on Shingles vaccinations? I can think a lot better uses in our retirement for that money. No, I am not getting mine for ANOTHER $300.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
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I had shingles at ~40. Right waist line and down inner thigh leg. Phantom pain spasms next for 15 years. I was incapacitated for a week. Excruciating pain spasms for two weeks. Boils for 6 weeks.
I wasn't going to have it done at all (I am 74), but a friend of mine called and told me I really must get it, since she got shingles and is telling as many as she can to get the shingles shot. So I did. Fortunately for me, my insurance paid for most of it.
My Mom told me I had chicken pox at 7 months old. My Grandma (late 50's) and my Great-Grandma (late 80's) lived with us at the time. Neither of them ever had Shingles. Maybe because in their old age they were exposed to a baby with chicken pox?
My 32 year old SIL and a few months ago my 38 year old daughter had shingles. Neither were ever exposed to chicken pox again since their childhood. My SIL went to work for a week with it. My daughter's shingles were on her face and neck so she could not go to work with the public. Her employer didn't believe her and wanted a doctor's note. Only OLD FOLKS get shingles.
My husband got shingles 2 years after he got his Zoster vax. He had a $100 co-pay with Medicare Part D. His doctor told if he wanted a second vaccination he would have to pay the entire $300 because Medicare only pay for ONE vaccination. So while the CDC is now recommending that if you have gotten that Zoster vaccination to get the 2 dose Shrintrix, you better be prepared to open your wallet and pay $300 because Medicare won't pay for it. Certainly, no health insurance plan is going to pay for 30 year olds to get this vaccination.
I can tell you if my husband's new doctor tells him he MUST get that new shingles vaccination, I am going to raise the roof. $400 on Shingles vaccinations? I can think a lot better uses in our retirement for that money. No, I am not getting mine for ANOTHER $300.
If either you or your husband comes down with shingles, and if it's a bad case, your words above are going to seem terribly foolish to you.
Sure, I recognize that the $300 may not be needed, as you may well not get shingles. So it's a gamble, much like purchasing insurance is a gamble. But the amount of suffering involved, according to people who have had bad cases, is horrific. Undergoing that kind of suffering is absolutely not how I want to save $300.
I rarely go to the doctor and have been on an antibiotic only twice in the last 40 years (once for wisdom teeth). I have a pretty strong immune system but there is NO way I will chance getting shingles. I heard the new vaccine Shingrix will be available widely by April 2018 and I will be there first in line.
My mother had shingles and had to lie on her stomach for 4 weeks as the pain was so intense on her back. She was a non-complainer so it made a big impression on me. She developed them after my dad had a serious operation so I do think stress is involved for some people.
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