Posted on 09/04/2013 1:59:18 PM PDT by deputytess
Hey Folks, I recently recovered from shingles.Still have a bit of nerve pain. I was very lucky and managed to avoid the worst through early intervention. I just want to encourage anyone out there who's had chicken pox to talk to their doctor about the shingles shot. You don't want to go through what I went through. This especially goes for my fellow "Boomers". Stress is one of the main triggers for shingles and we 50 somethings have a lot of stress. God bless you all and stay healthy.
Apparently shingles is fairly prevalent. My dad (in his 80’s) got a mild case of it a year or so ago but recovered reasonably quickly. However, an older lady I knew who was already in ill health got a bad case of it, very very painful, and died a few days later of a heart attack. Her daughter has told me she really thought her mom’s death was hastened by the stress of the shingles attack.
I just got rid of a major stress producer in my life, so I'm not as worried about getting it as I once was.
My elderly mother got shingles - pretty much destroyed her vision in one eye. It was a year-long battle between the inflammation and pressure of glaucoma, and the steroids used to battle it. In the end, she lost a cornea.
Huh?????????
My local CVS and Walgreen pharmacies are only charging $25 regardless of insurance coverage.
Let me guess, they also tried to sell you some property?
You gotta weigh everything, I understand. It can be devastating, it was for my dad. Look up some of the pics and stories of bad cases of shingles, it can be a disaster.
My dad kept telling me that I had the worse case of chicken pox on the planet and that I’d better get the shot.....didn’t listen of course. However, because I went to the doctor as soon as I did get them, didn’t have that severe a case.....I did get the shot after full recovery - my doctor said it wouldn’t stop me from getting another bout but would make the time shorter and not as severe!!!!
Once I got an anti-viral from the doctor, it went away pretty quickly. I had a relatively mild case, so there wasn't any recovery. It hurt, but I could still work.
I did have the phantom neuropathy for a while. It didn't last more than a few months.
I know where you’re coming from - I avoid shots at all costs - in fact, I walked around with the prescription for the shot for 4 months.....finally worked up the nerve two weeks ago....it truly does give you peace of mind!
Had shingles on my face. Felt like someone was slapping me nonstop for days. It consumed my every thought.
I am 40 and had a mild case of chicken pox. Apparently the milder the chicken pox, the more likely of outbreak of shingles.
Glad you are on the upswing, but keep stress down, it can come back.
$205 at our local Rite-Aid.
Definitely not "REally inexpensive" to me or most people.
Sounds like your co-payment.
The unasked question is what is the downside of the vaccine? (yes, there IS a cost to pay, people just don’t want to talk about it.)
My Son in Law had shingles while on a year long tour in Afghanistan. He is a Navy guy on an army tour. They made him keep working 12 hour shifts, 7 days a week.
Our CVS in southern Rhode Island would not even HANDLE the vaccine.
Blue Cross up here is a joke. They control everything. Most corrupt state in the union. Anyway, BC would not cover any pharmacy in my area. They would only cover getting from a clinic.
oh...my type-o
$0.00 if you get it from the clinic. Blue Cross covers the whole cost that way.
In most case we don't know why.
But let me please warn you, that if you suspect you have shingles, see your doctor right away.
The anti-viral meds are really only effective if you catch the disease within 72 hours. And if you're over 50 you can get post herpetic neuralgia, where the shingles goes away, but the pain stays forever.
You do NOT want that.
In a lot of cases, people feel a tingling or stinging at the site before the blisters/rash appears.
And unless you are REALLY immunocompromised its only on one side of the body.
Downside is, it may not stop you from getting shingles. Upside...is you probably won’t get shingles but if you did it would be mild case.
Rare reactions to the vaccine but I think that is true with most potent vaccines.
It’s a nasty experience. If you get to the doctor quick they can knock it down with anti-viral medication, but you need to do it very fast.
“Sounds like your co-payment. “
I had no insurance when I got this. It was several years ago. But last year my generic script cost averaged $80/month. It’s now $230/month/script. I was told it’s because of Obamacare. So, if the price has gone up several hundred percent we can probably thank Obama.
Like everything else in life, the vaccine has its pros and cons. Here’s one take (if you will disregard the source):
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/health/03iht-snbrody.1.7730476.html
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