Both myself and wife last year got the shingles shot thru the VA clinic(9 1/2yrs active duty for me and 8 1/2yrs for her). she had a sore arm for almost 1 week but I had no after effects. Have known several people who experienced the shingles and that is one road that I do not want to travel down. ............................. drill sgt.

Like the OP, I was born small (4lbs and change). Don’t know if I was over protected or not but I never had Chicken Pox.

When I was in my late 30s (72 now) there was a CP case in the dept I worked in at MD Anderson Cancer Center. It created a stir as the hosp has many patients w/ compromised immune systems.

I was restricted to my office and asked not to leave my office during the day or wander around.

An antibody test by my MD confirmed no antibodies. So I never had cp.

I’ve been wondering if I should get cp and/or shingles vaccine.

quote:

she had a sore arm for almost 1 week but I had no after effects.

Common. Every time I get it I get the reaction. In fact they warned me beforehand. Because the shot is a intermuscular and not into a vein it causes that reaction.

Great to know as it's a two part shot. They did tell me that I could make the reaction less noticeable by using my arm more than normal.

I believe I had a bad reaction to the second shot. Thankfully it only lasted a few hours. And, yes, not trying to sound like a wuss, but my arm was more sore than usual, after a shot.

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
I had the Shringrix vaccine about 3 weeks ago and like approximately 70% of recipients, I had a common reaction. It was like a mild case of the flu for three days for me
.

I did get that reaction on the second shot. A slight temp rise and feeling weak for a bout a day. Not really a concern as I was aware of the side effect.

I had my second shot yesterday at 11 am. Injection hurt some but no big deal. Got off the couch last night to go to bed about midnight. Got in bed and had shivering, nausea and my skin felt like I was sunburned.
This morning very sore muscles, slight nausea and lethargy...

Currently experiencing shingles. The wife saw what I am going through and went and got the Shingrex vaccine. She is doing fine just had a sore arm for a couple of days. Going on 4 weeks now and it appears to be easing. BIL told me he contracted it three times before Shingrex was on the market. How long after recovering from shingles does one have to wait before getting the Shingrex vaccine?

Ask your physician. It varies.

quote:

Originally posted by k5blazer:
BIL told me he contracted it three times before Shingrex was on the market.

One cannot contract the shingles virus, though one can contract the chickenpox virus from someone who has shingles if that person is not immune to chickenpox.

It's curious. I'm hearing of more and more "young" people experiencing shingles as of late. I had it two months ago. One of my engineers who's in his late 20's had it last year. And just this week, another shipmate of mine, also in his late 20's, just came down with it and is suffering through it now. He said his wife had shingles a few months ago.

The theory that the relatively recent implementation of the chickenpox vaccine may be eradicating the virus causing people to be around the virus less and resulting in our immune systems sort of "forgetting" about the virus and dropping its guard which allows the dormant varicella zoster virus to emerge. Sounds plausible.

That's why the UK's NIH does not do chicken pox vaccines. Treating kids with chicken pox is easier and cheaper than treating adults with chicken pox or shingles and as long as the virus is circulating in the population it seems to refresh the immune system and prevent shingles cases.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16679476/

Shingles took Admiral Bull Halsey out of the Battle of Midway, and he was hospitalized for about 6 weeks. I had family members who suffered from shingles late in life and it is a miserable disease. Also if you have any pregnant women in your universe the chickenpox can have severe effects on the mother and fetus. Definitely something to avoid.

If you live in Florida, the Publix pharmacy has the vaccine on hand. They mix two parts together just before administering. There is a medical questionnaire you fill out before the vaccine to determine if you are one who should not receive it. I got both shots with no ill effects other than your run of the mill soreness at the injection site.

My wife and I both got the Shingrix vaccinations about a year or so ago. I don’t recall any pain or other reactions, but then I don’t remember stuff like that unless it’s really bad. (E.g., typhoid shot —- advice - don’t get the typhoid shot and then go out on your motorcycle an hour out of town; the ride back will not be pleasant - I could hardly keep my arm up on the handlebar)

I’ve been getting vaccinations since childhood. I distinctly remember having chicken pox as a child because of the itching and scabbing and missing school. I’ve also had the German measles. I’ve been getting flu shots every year since my teens except maybe one or two years that I forgot to do it. Of course, I got all kinds of shots in 20 years in the military. We just got the flu shot yesterday as a matter of fact. I figure if there’s a vaccine for a disease, it’s better to get the vaccine rather than the disease it’s designed to prevent. Obviously, everyone is different, and a horrible reaction might be worse, but I’ve been fortunate to never have any horrible reactions to vaccinations. I’ve known people who had shingles, and I want no part of that!

I had a friend who suffered from shingles for years. So when I was 59, I asked my GP for the vaccine. He said my PPO would not cover it until I was 60, a year later. Three months later, I developed a rash and swelling on my eyebrow. I quickly scurried off to my GP, who identified it as shingles, and prescribed antivirals. I was better in three days. The next year I asked for the vaccine again, but the GP said that having had the shingles would prevent reoccurrence for 5 years. So after 5 years, the two part vaccine had just come out, but there was a shortage, and frankly I gave up.

My point is, if you think you are experiencing a shingles flare up, and catch it within three days (?), it can be treated effectively with antivirals.

My wife just got the second injection in January. She said it still hurts her where they gave her the shot

Got my second injection this past Thursday after getting the first the end of October.

First shot easy peasy with absolutely no side effects.

Second shot injection site hurts such that if I role over on my left side while asleep the pain will wake me up. This morning I noticed a 2.5" red blotch around the injection site now too. WTH?

Seems like a good opportunity to ask Rotndad, what did you decide?

I’ll add, I’ve had the two Shingrex shots. No issues.

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:
Got my second injection this past Thursday after getting the first the end of October.

First shot easy peasy with absolutely no side effects.

Second shot injection site hurts such that if I role over on my left side while asleep the pain will wake me up. This morning I noticed a 2.5" red blotch around the injection site now too. WTH?

Funny, I also got my second shot this past Thursday. I thought I paid for both back in Oct or Nov. I had to pay another $175 on Thursday. The doc knocked $30 bucks off the shot since I was paying for it then and there (I paid around $230 back in the fall 2019). I'm under 50, so insurance won't cover it, but I can use my HSA card, which is tax free dollars. I had a minor case of shingles 10 years ago when I was 37 and I don't want that shit again.

Shot hurt like hell back in the fall, and the second shot is more of the same. I felt like crap all day yesterday as well. Feel better today, but my arm still hurts. I also have some redness around the injection site.

You're in good company.

I got my 2nd shot a week ago. Arm was a little sore and some muscle aches, but after a solid day I was good.

I had both chicken pox as a youngster, and shingles in my 20s. Mom has had an active but relatively mild case of shingles for almost a year now, but she has an autoimmune that she takes biologics that knock down her immune system to where she can't quite fight it off completely.

So I got my first vax the day after I turned 50, and the second right on schedule. The last few years I was looking forward to turning 50 just so I could get the vaccine, I hope I never get shingles again.

Farg!! Dr. diagnosed me with Shingles today, I had a rash on my neck and trapezius for a couple days, thinking it a reaction to some heat rub I put on my neck last week, crick in my neck.

He looked at it and said Shingles! DAMN! Yesterday was getting really uncomfortable, today more aches and wierd burn sensations in different spots.

Get the vaccine! I never did because I never had Chicken Pox. ...but I did get the chicken pox vaccine about 20 years ago, that is the only connection I can think of. Wife if getting it today.

Sonofa didnt need this right now!

HK Ag