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 ...
Shingrix was approved in late 2017.
According to the trials, it is 97% effective at age 50, and - from memory - it is still 90% effective at age 80.
With results like that, there was a huge surge of demand for the vaccine in the USA, and there has been a Shingrix shortage since mid-2018.
The un-insured cost for one shot of Zostavax, which is what I presume you got, was down to about $250 in 2017.
Shingrix requires two shots, and it's twice as good, so I will not be surprised if it costs $500 or more for an un-insured person.
Had it in my left eye as part of its progress... YOU DO NOT WANT THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. Cornea scarred for life.
In short supply is kinda sorta good news, why?
Vaccines have a shelf life. The government has wasted billions on stockpiling vaccines that lose their zip.
Your delayed vaccine might mean the manufacturers are making fresh vaccine, much more effective. Ask around about it, don’t be shy.
Also note that zoster and other viral vaccines do not cover all strains. Check into it, ask about it. You may need to seek more than one batch of vaccine.
One of the great things about being a conservative is that if someone wants to do something, unless it can directly harm us or cost us money, we are generally okay with people doing as they wish (within limits).
I feel much the same about this. If someone doesn’t want to take a medication, vaccine, or medical treatment, it is their life. (I do feel differently when it is a child involved)
In the case of shingles, I chose to get the first vaccine with the hope it will protect me in any way at best, and at worst, could get a case of shingles from it.
I took this gamble, because I work in medicine and have not only seen some very bad cases of shingles, I witnessed my mother (as she was dying of cancer) contract the most awful case of shingles I (or any of the medical staff caring for her) had ever seen. I admit that filled me with horror, the affected area ran from her buttocks up to her neck, and weeped prodigiously requiring changes of her bedsheets multiple times a day. It was awful.
For me, that was reason enough to get the first vaccine, even though it ostensibly has some element of risk. And I am scheduled to get the Shingrix vaccine as soon as I can.
Seeing that massive, weeping, painful, hideously ugly swath across my mother’s back, I swore I would get the vaccine as soon as one became available.
On a historic note, it has been postulated that Admiral Bill Halsey missed the Midway campaign due to Shingles that covered his entire body. I had seen it written repeatedly as “dermatitis”, but an article I read made the case it was Shingles.
THAT sent a shiver up my spine.
I have a friend who had to get a corneal transplant because of shingles
The article says that Shingrix is a newer vaccine and more effective. The cost is around $180.
That was my experience with both the first and second shots. Lots of malaise.
I had it. My rash was down the right side of my back. Hurt like a son of a gun. Lasted about 2 weeks with anti virals and pain meds. My Mom still has one finger with no feeling in it from her shingles.
If you had chicken pox as a kid you can get shingles.
Thanks for your medical professional input. Would you expound on "anyone at risk"?
My husband had a bad case of shingles about 5 years ago. I cared for him 24/7 but I did not come down with shingles. A year later my mother had a milder case, I cared for her, and again I did not have any symptoms.
How does one determine "at risk"?
Thanks
I had ophthalmic shingles three years ago. The day I started to get a couple of itchy welts around my right eye, I rushed to urgent care, thought I had pink eye. Fortunately the doctor immediately diagnosed shingles and got me started on anti-viral medication within an hour.
Starting antiviral medication within the first 72 hours of blisters appearing is key. In my case the blister rash was nowhere near how bad it could have been. Nonetheless I did have blisters on the upper right side of my face, and when the blisters popped, ugly “shingle”-like scabs took their place.
I was off work for almost 4 weeks. During that time I was in a lot of pain and was overwhelmed with fatigue. Thank God, because I caught the shingles early, I have no permanent scarring on my face.
I guess it just depends on the person.....
I guess i it wasn’t for ba luck, I wouldn’t have any luck at all.
I also had a very nasty longterm side effect from lipitor as well
“If you contracted chicken pox as a kid, you’re in the strike zone for shingles. (This wasn’t mentioned elsewhere.)”
Everyone over 40 had Chicken Pox as a kid.
The nurse that gave my teenage son the chickenpox vaccine shots said the shots actually make you susceptible to shingles.
Hard to figure what to do on this one.
I’ve had one outbreak of Shingles in my life and it was pretty debilitating, had the usual rounds of antivirals and oxycodone for pain, was really looped and disoriented for two weeks, didn’t feel safe to drive a car. It was on my left forehead. I used tea tree oil on the rash, seemed to help but very strong camphor odor. I hope I never have another outbreak but I’ll keep this in mind, first I’ve heard of it.
No...
I didn’t get scarring but did get depigmented areas on my forehead that only showed when I had a tan, that appear to be fading over time. It was ten years ago that I had them. Only lasting effect I still have is a sensation of coldness in my left eyebrow, which is aggravated by perspiring in that area. Didn’t actually know there even were sweat glands there, but I do experience that.
My wife is presently dealing with a bout of Shingles. It’s been over two weeks and the rash is just starting to fade. My father caught Shingles while he was in the nursing home. That’s what killed him.
I sent to my congresscritter a recommendation for a bill that says anyone entering a nursing home as a resident should be required to receive a shingles vaccination prior to entry. Got back a form letter telling me how Republicans are good and Democrats suck.
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