Shingles

[89th]

Thanks all - I didn't mean to post for sympathy although ya'll are a nice bunch!

@kluurs yeah my wife said she knows a few people who got it and "it was the worst pain in their life", for me it's more of an annoyance (pain a 2 out of 10)... and slightly concerned early on about the "what if" if the eye was compromised, but so far it seems to be just a close call.

[cathys]

Glad you were able to get some treatment and hope all resolves quickly. My case was very similar to yours and resolved fairly quickly but was pretty painful in the scalp area especially, no lasting after effects here but I know everyone is different. Again glad you are doing okay!!

[Tom-K]

All my best for a speedy and not too painful recovery.

[Renauda]

Speedy recovery 89. Have several friends and former colleagues who had a bout with shingles. Majority recovered without any long term side effects - those that suffered side effects were already over 65. So you should be okay. I got my Shingrix vaccine last year in the hope of avoiding it down the road in my 70s

[mark]

Good to hear that you are not experiencing the "10/10 worst pain in your life" version.

Hope you feel better soon.

I just got the TDAP and new Covid booster yesterday. I will wait a couple of weeks and get the Shingles vaccine. Then later this year, Knee replacement surgery! Isn't getting old fun?

[Mik]

@mark said in Shingles:

Good to hear that you are not experiencing the "10/10 worst pain in your life" version.

Hope you feel better soon.

I just got the TDAP and new Covid booster yesterday. I will wait a couple of weeks and get the Shingles vaccine. Then later this year, Knee replacement surgery! Isn't getting old fun?

We are too young for this shit. Right? RIGHT???

FML.

[mark]

@Mik said in Shingles:

@mark said in Shingles:

Good to hear that you are not experiencing the "10/10 worst pain in your life" version.

Hope you feel better soon.

I just got the TDAP and new Covid booster yesterday. I will wait a couple of weeks and get the Shingles vaccine. Then later this year, Knee replacement surgery! Isn't getting old fun?

We are too young for this shit. Right? RIGHT???

FML.

RIGHT?

Walking (more like running) down the basement stairs did my knee in. Genetics related arthritis coupled with a torn meniscus leads to a new knee I guess. My left knee will most likely go sometime sooner than I would like as well.

Oh, high blood pressure is now my companion as well. So a new scrip for that. Had complete blood work tests drawn yesterday. I am also anticipating an increased dosage for my atorvastatin from 20mg to 40mg.

I have a 6 month weight loss goal of 20 lbs. If I can get there most of this will go away and I will probably extend the life of my left knee.

I need to get back in the saddle of my bike.

[Mik]

Janet’s left knee/leg is in bad shape this week. I think it’s a hamstring tendinitis from Pilates but not sure. Bought her a knee brace and she’s using her cane. She wasn’t this bad after her hip replacement.

[taiwan_girl]

Ouch to all.

@89th hope your shingles goes away soon,

@mark knee replacement will have you ready to qualify for the Olympics!

[xenon]

I had a similar experience a couple of years ago, 89. But it was on my back. Not terribly painful. The fatigue and malaise was worse.

It’s been a disease trending younger and younger. Some theories are that with chicken pox vaccines, adults aren’t getting a regular exposure to the stuff to re-up their immunity. Would make sense - but dunno if that’s pseudoscience.

[Renauda]

@xenon

My understanding - from my friend’s pharmacist spouse- is that if you had exposure to the chicken pox virus as a child the same virus can result in shingles later in life. The chicken pox vaccine has little or nothing to do with contracting shingles.

Cancer patients undergoing chemo or radiation treatment and diabetics are particular high risk for contracting shingles. As are adults who are run down, work stressed or lead a high risk lifestyle that weakens their immune system..

[xenon]

@Renauda That makes sense. The theory would be, since there’s less wild chicken pox virus circulating around (since the advent of the vaccine), people get fewer exposures to the virus throughout their life (most of which wouldn’t end up in shingles, but would rather act as a “re-up” of immunity)

Similar to how we all became very susceptible to regular respiratory viruses (cold, flu) after completely avoiding them for a couple of years during COVID.

[Renauda]

It therefore stands to reason as well that
if an adult who never had chicken pox or received the vaccine as a child, would contract the chicken pox from exposure to open shingles sores rather than shingles.

[LuFins Dad]

@Renauda said in Shingles:

It therefore stands to reason as well that
if an adult who never had chicken pox or received the vaccine as a child, would contract the chicken pox from exposure to open shingles sores rather than shingles.

That was me. Never had chicken pox as a kid, and didn’t even think about getting the vaccine in 95… I was 23 and wasn’t really paying attention.

10 years ago I started breaking out in a rash and ran a 102 degree fever. Turns out an older guy at Church had shingles, and unvaccinated me got Chicken Pox from it. It’s worse for adults than kids, too.

[Renauda]

@LuFins-Dad

I had chicken pox and mumps as a kid but didn’t have red measles -no idea why I didn’t get it as all classmates and block friends had it in elementary school. Anyhow I took the measles antigen test end of February this year and it came up negative. Three days later I received the vaccine. Glad I did because there now an outbreak of measles in the city.

[LuFins Dad]

I’m trying to figure out when I need to get my Shingles vaccine. I’ve heard that having chicken pox confers a number of years immunity…

[Mik]

Just get it.

[Renauda]

@LuFins-Dad

What Mik said.

The risk of long term nerve damage from shingles increases with one’s age. A former reservist cohort of mine, a gunner, was deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other. No surprise! He contracted facial shingles when he was 65. When he recovered he was stone deaf in both ears.

So if you can’t avoid shingles at least try to mitigate it with the two stage vaccine.

[Tom-K]

Just get the vaccine already you weenines! Geez, you people.

I got it and I'm LIVIN' LARGE!!!

[Renauda]

@Tom-K

Just get the vaccine already you weenines! Geez, you people.

This “people” got his two dose Shingrix a year ago.