Shingles Shots

[red]

A friend of mine just got shingles . . which reminds me to get the shot 

[SwampDonkey]

Shingles isn't fun. My grandfather got them when there was no meds or shots for them.

[JD Guy]

Glad this thread came back up! I'm 74 and have been putting off getting the Shingles vaccine. Every year my Internist suggests it and I agree that it's a good idea.....then by the time I'm home from my appointment it's forgotten. Likely time to get er done!

Thanks to all for the information and personal experience 

[Ljohnsaw]

I forgot to go back for my second shot that I was supposed to get something like 6 weeks later but before 6 months. I ended going in in (Tom) November. The tech said it was fine. Hopefully I'm good at 65.

[Old saw fixer]

I've had my shingles, pneumonia, and RSV shots.  I get the flu shot every year as well.
With both daughters in the school system and a five year old grandson in Pre K it seems every bug comes through!

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

I got the first shingle shot about 2 weeks ago at a local quick clinic. Got home and realized no one had mentioned side affects and I had no paperwork to even know what I got. Made me a bit nervous. All went well but I found that to be a bit odd. Glad things settled down for you Robert!

[SwampDonkey]

Something of interest to anyone who had this season's flu vaccine. Mother had her shot.

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.30.25321421v3

" Among 53402 employees, 43857 (82.1%) had received the influenza vaccine by the end of the study. Influenza occurred in 1079 (2.02%) during the study. The cumulative incidence of influenza was similar for the vaccinated and unvaccinated states early, but over the course of the study the cumulative incidence of influenza increased more rapidly among the vaccinated than the unvaccinated. In an analysis adjusted for age, sex, clinical nursing job, and employment location, the risk of influenza was significantly higher for the vaccinated compared to the unvaccinated state, yielding a calculated vaccine effectiveness of −26.9%. "

I have been noticing over many seasons, reports indicating not very great protection. Some of them only a little effective in one type and not at all for another. This has been in the news a number of years. 

CBS news 2006

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQclKC7-Ar0

[doc henderson]

I do not see how the vaccine could put you at higher risk of getting influenzae.  some years the guess of what is coming is off, so it misses the target.  Folks like me who are at great risk of getting the flu are more likely to get vaccinated.  The goal is to reduce severity and risk of death, even if you get the flu.  This can explain the increased incidence among vaccinated folks. I get vaccinated each year.  I work in a petri dish.  at the peak, I may dx. 20 people with influenza a day.  This means my face was in their face as I listened to their heart and lungs, and I touched them.  I wash my hands, hardly wear a mask anymore. I do not remember getting the flu for 20 years.  We still have to work if we can, (not on a ventilator) despite flu or covid.  So, if I had it, it was no worse than any other virus.

[SwampDonkey]

The 2019 flu shot was 70% effective in Canada.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/flu-vaccine-1.4991431

20% effective in 2018

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/flu-vaccine-1.4515141

40% in 2017

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/flu-vaccine-effectiveness-1.3974827

A dud in 2015

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/flu-vaccine-effectiveness-study-signals-no-protection-this-year-in-canada-1.2937144

[YellowHammer]

My left eye had been hurting for a few days, figured it was debris or something stupid.  I kept flushing it out, eye drops, stuff like that.  But it kept getting worse.  Only my left eye and surrounding eyelids.

So went to the eye doc this morning, and he said "Hmmm" which is never a good sign.  Then he put more drops in his eyes, started writing me a prescription, and I finally found out ....

SHINGLES RASH IN MY LEFT EYE!!!

I was in disbelief, asked him about a half dozen times,  "Are you sure?" and he said, 95% yes, there are little unepitheliated spots, in a line, on my left eye, he said was characteristic of shingles blisters.  

I mean, he's the eye doc. Anyway a bottle of Acyclovir is now my friend. 

We will see if he is right, I still have trouble believing it. 

 

[beenthere]

Sorry to hear that, wish the best and a fast recovery. Never heard of such a thing. Hope the shingles shot covers that possibility. 

[SwampDonkey]

It's a thing apparently, called  herpes zoster ophthalmicus. (caused by chicken pox virus) I never hear of it either, but that don't help none. 

[YellowHammer]

Yeah, I asked him about the two miserable shingles vaccine shots I took, documented in some of the previous posts.  He shrugged and said sometimes vaccines make it better, or sometimes worse.  He said the main thing is that I came in pretty quick, he said the damage wasn't bad, although he could see the "divots" in my eye membranes, he was sure it would heal as soon as the virus dies off, and felt the antivirals (both pills and drops) would be the ticket. 

I'm supposed to come back in 10 days.




 

[Magicman]

PatD and I both took the shots which started this topic two years ago.  We are fairly certain that she had/still sorta having a dose of shingles for about two weeks.  The Dr. prescribed an ointment that made it better.  She had patches of itchies on her upper body, arms, and hands.

[Wlmedley]

I've been taking Acyclovir for probably the last 7 years.I had Bells Palsy in my early 20's which took a few weeks to get over and then got it again at 61 which I have never completely gotten over. Doctor put me on Acyclovir and told me to keep taking it indefinitely. Hopefully it's not doing any damage to something else.

[YellowHammer]

I asked about side effects, he said it was a pretty non side effect drug, which I'm glad, because I woke up this morning with what looks like scattered chigger bites all over my legs and feet.  I wasn't out wading in the chigger grass yesterday, (but I was last week) but I can only assume they are new shingles blisters popping out.  Not many, maybe 20 or so, scattered about.  I guess the Doc was right, that's why he's a Doc and I'm the guy who goes to him.... 

Oh well, I don't feel bad, I'll just get to milling and see what happens.

[doc henderson]

Robert, if it is shingles it should be confined to one dermatome, not cross the midline left to right, or right to left.  It comes out of dormancy in the nerve and that follows a dermatome.


@Magicman would like to see a picture Robert.

[YellowHammer]

That is great information, Doc!  I had no idea.  So Chickenpox can hit everywhere, but shingles only affects one side of the midline?  Once again, that's why Docs are Docs.  Is there any chance chicken pox will re-occur?  I had it more than 35 years ago


I still tell people about what I learned abut the tourniquet lecture at Jake's place.  

  

[doc henderson]

not that I know of.  it is the systemic illness.  the shingles/chicken pox (herpes virus) hides from the immune system somewhat in the nerves and breaks out as you get older and your immune system wanes a bit.  you can get recurrent shingles.

[doc henderson]

if it crosses the midline, it is less likely to be shingles.  maybe a cm or so past but not on both sides.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shingles

[customsawyer]

Well what was it that you learned at my place?

[YellowHammer]

Doc Henderson was giving the first aid talk and I kept asking questions on tourniquets, because he was saying things I didn't know, such as how long to keep them on, their effects, stuff like that.   

I'm not sure if I have it exactly right, but from what I remember, if an arm is cut off, a tourniquet can be applied and even though Chief (Jake's dog) runs off with the arm, pictures below, it can be recovered after a short chase, hosed off, and reattached to a person with a nail gun and duct tape.  At that point the tourniquet can be released, and the blood will flow though the arm and everything will be alright. 

I think that's how I remember it.



 

[LeftFinger]

Good old Doc  Instructions like that can be real handy

[Magicman]

if it is shingles it should be confined to one dermatome, not cross the midline left to right, or right to left.

Then PatD did not have Shingles.

[doc henderson]

Robert, I always appreciate a volunteer and glad we got it back from the dog, and your arm works almost as good as it ever did.  It is good info and I appreciate that a few got some potential good out of it.