Posted on 03/03/2019 3:26:27 AM PST by LibWhacker
With its burning grip, shingles can do lasting damage When varicella zoster reawakens, it wreaks a surprising amount of havoc in the body
At age 37, Hope Hartman developed a painful, burning rash in her right ear, in the part “you would clean with a Q-tip,” the Denver resident says. The pain got so bad she went to a local emergency room, where the staff was flummoxed. Hartman was admitted to the hospital, where she started to lose sensation on the right side of her face.
During that 2013 health crisis, Hartman’s husband, Mike, sent a picture of the ear to his mom, a nurse. She said it looked like zoster, better known as shingles, which is caused by the varicella zoster virus. She “diagnosed it from an iPhone photo,” Hartman recalls.
Antiviral treatment didn’t fully clear the infection. For about two weeks after her release from the hospital, Hartman coped with severe pain, hearing loss and difficulty eating. Her right eye wouldn’t fully open or close. Following an appointment with neurologist Maria Nagel of the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Hartman was admitted to the university’s hospital to get another antiviral drug intravenously. The pain subsided, and Hartman regained her hearing and the feeling in her face.
To spare others the same trauma of a delayed diagnosis, Hartman arranged for Nagel to give a talk on the virus at the local hospital where staff missed the signs of the illness, known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome. That’s the name for a shingles infection that strikes the facial nerve important to facial movement. As Hartman experienced, varicella zoster virus can cause a grab bag of symptoms that go beyond the typical torso rash.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencenews.org ...
Both myself and the wife just received our first Shingles shot. At least here in So Cal the vaccine is in very short supply. We we’re on a two month waiting list. The second dose is probably three months out.
After a relative died from complications and my father had a severe outbreak, I got a shingles vaccination. If I recall, the shot is only recommended after a certain age, fifty, I think, which I hadn’t met. I insisted and paid cash for it as insurance wouldn’t cover it. Several years later, I had a minor outbreak, at about the same age as my father when he had it. I only got a few painful lesions that cleared up after a few weeks. They looked exactly like the ones my father had and were in the same area, but much smaller and with less spread. I recommend that anyone should look into getting this immunization shot. Here are various costs for the shot.
https://spendonhealth.com/shingles-vaccine-cost/
And the vaccine can leave you with a perpetual burning rash that appears at random all over your body, that bubbles up if you scratch it and then leaves bruises.
Shingles wasn’t as bad as what I’ve been going through since I made the mistake of getting vaccinated. You might want to wait until they gt the vaccine right. YMMV.
Costs are for a vial, not a dose. But still pricey. I was surprised that UnitedHealth picked up 100% of the cost of our shots. Our 2nd dose will be after we change over to Cigna Insurance.. Knock on wood they will pick it up as well.
“And the vaccine can leave you”
or
“May cause some”
My husband and I got our shingles vacs last spring/summer. We got the latest version. Didn’t want to take any chances coming down with shingles.
Ok, had to post before I read the article, but the title alone compelled me to say something. Any of you suffering from this affliction have my prayers.
Sounds hereditary. What are the chances of a person getting this?
His first words were "This is a medical emergency". That wasn't very comforting, but country doctors aren't always known for their "bedside manners", just their medical experience. He went into a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of cortisone pills, and told me to immediately down seven of them, and follow the instructions for the rest. He then said, "come back if they don't help".
They worked on the rash. The pain stayed for months.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/Should_you_get_the_shingles_vaccine
From other sources, odds are 50% after age 80. Odds are much lower the younger you are, but a percentage of people get it regardless. It is so serious that it isn’t worth not getting the shot if you can afford it.
My allergist told me he’s seen many individuals with the same symptoms following their shingles vaccination.
Just alerting people that there can be side effects. You can do what ever you want.
I just had a relatively mild case of shingles. I thought I had burned my forehead with a curling iron. When I woke up with swollen eyes I headed to the Dr. His NP immediately diagnosed ,what looked like burns as, shingles. I only had lesions around my hairline which turned into nasty scabs. Fortunately there was no pain and although it headed toward my eyebrow it didn’t affect my eye. The ophthalmologist said that shingles in the eye will start on the nose. The only lingering side effect is the area around my eyebrow is numb.
Schedule some serious down time after getting that second shot. My Fitbit tells me I slept 15 hours the day after.
If you contracted chicken pox as a kid, you’re in the strike zone for shingles. (This wasn’t mentioned elsewhere.)
Does Medicare Part D pay for the Shingrix shot (almost 100% effective) if Medicare Part D has already paid for your Zostavax shot (just 50% effective)?
I got Zostavax about five years ago, before Shingrix was approved.
Since these shots are really expensive, I am hoping someone at Free Republic has personal knowledge about this issue.
Thank you!
Is it true that you feel like you have the flu after receiving the shingles vaccination?
My wife and I are both 65. We have no health insurance. We also have two genuine miraculous healings by God. That doesn’t include the ones that can not be proven to be miracles. We also haven’t done Television since 1997. We don’t see ads pointing out all the millions of diseases we could contract at any moment. We prefer to live life joyously, one day at a time and put it in the Lord’s control.
This thread reminds me of what a therapist told me once. She said that one of the first things people in the medical profession are taught is to not become hypochondriacs, worrying that all the ailments they are going to learn about just may be festering in their own body, waiting to make a grand entrance into their life.
What happens, happens. And life truly is very short. It only lasts one day. Others may follow, or may not. Others may be more prosperous, or less. Others may be less painful, or more. But in the end, every single thing that happens to us is something that teaches. Everything we have or do is something that either enhances or detracts from our relationship with our creator, and our fellow man.
Today looks to be a good day. We’ll see what we can learn from it. :)
Olive Leaf Extract is very effective for shingles.
Remember that in case you or someone you know ever gets shingles.
What if you had a chickenpox vaccine shot as a kid? Does that protect you from shingles?
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