Shingles vaccine.

[trof]

If you had chicken pox, get it.
Medicare will cover part of it, I think.
Whatever, it's worth it.

YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET SHINGLES!
IT IS NASTY!

[LiberalElite]

1. ok ok I got it already-

My pcp told me to get it but I dragged my feet because

1) it's expensive and not covered by my insurance (I'm still employed full time) was not old enough for Medicare at the time;
2) i resented the fear-mongering Big Pharma commercials (what other kind are there) stating 1/3 of people who had chickenpox will get shingles (do the math- 2/3 won't get it)

However, I ultimately decided I couldn't afford to get the possible lingering side effects so finally paid over $200 for the shot. For that amount of money I expect it to be good for a couple of lifetimes but the effectiveness wanes as you get older.

Phooey.

[KoKo]

2. Get the Shingles Shot!

Walgreens was offering a free or reduced price shot a couple of years ago..and I don't know if anyone else is offering it...but, you don't want to deal with SHINGLES.

If you ever have to...make sure you go to an "Urgent Care" when you feel discomfort and notice first signs of a rash. They can offer you the shot which if you catch it early is said to help even if you are in early stages of symptons... and ask for the Lidocaine Patch you can use for a few days which helps with the early pain.. After that you have to take Lidocaine Patch off and the only thing that worked for me was Ice Packs. Shingles can show up anywhere on your body. I had it on my lower back which wrapped around as it progressed. Others can get it on their face, legs and "other parts" of the body.

It is dreadful. And, I'm not one who takes something for every ache and pain and am very conservative in taking any meds but Over the Counter for flu and whatever.

But, Shingles is awful...and the older one gets the worse it can be (particularly if one has any other health problems.) I'm healthy and when I came down with it I couldn't imagine how anyone could deal with the pain if they had other problems. I slept on Ice Packs in a towel for a week after I couldn't use the Lidocaine Patch..

Check to see if any of the drugstores offer the shots for free or discount.

[LiberalElite]

3. You must've misread my post I got it already

maybe a year ago. But still: 1/3 will get shingles and 2/3 won't. Most won't.

[KoKo]

4. Sorry...thought you were posting this as a helpful post to other DU'ers...

I should delete it if you found my post offensive? Sorry I bothered, really.

[LiberalElite]

5. Hey - I'm annoyed

at the Big Pharma scare tactics and the expense. A majority won't get it but that doesn't sell shots. Sorry for cynicism.

[KoKo]

6. Okay...I'm fairly cynical myself about Big Pharma

and thought I mentioned that in my post. I don't take an aspirin unless I'm in some kind of terrible pain and I try to avoid antibiotics until I'm convinced I'm at death's door with a flu. I ask my dentist to give me the least dose of pain shot for minor dental work..(and get the big stare as he fills his syringe..not believing me).

But...SHINGLES....is something not to be messed with. I couldn't believe how bad it could be considering I'm pretty pain resistant. What I was told by the Urgent Care guy was that anyone who had Chicken Pox is vulnerable but that it tends to show up when a person is under stress or has a medical condition that might make them vulnerable to having lower resistance particularly for the over 50 population. I was in good health but was dealing with a family member's death at the time.

Remember we all live longer these days and the after effects of Chicken Pox Virus live forever in our bodies ...So, it stands to reason that as we live longer we will be more vulnerable to a flare up later on in life given that most of us will be faced with some extreme stress as we age and others of us will have chronic conditions being treated with meds that weren't available for earlier generations who would have died Before SHINGLES had a chance to strike when we were more vulnerable.

[SheilaT]

7. I suspect Medicare will cover all of it

since it's considered necessary for those over 60.

I got my shingles shot about three years ago, at the very end of the year, while I was still working and had very good health care. I expected it to be somewhat expensive and to use up the money left in the account that was used to pay for copays and such. Turns out, I didn't even have a copay at all.

I am now on Medicare, and I'll be paying attention to when it looks like I need another one.

Even if you've had the vaccine, you can still get shingles, but by all accounts it will be a less nasty case.

My younger son got it at age 20 (he's now 28) and I think he may be at higher risk of getting it again. It's my understanding that they just won't give the vaccine to younger people.

It also helps to know that those of us who got chicken pox in the first place, will continue to be at risk of shingles the rest of our lives. Those who got the chicken pox vaccine, if I understand it correctly, will pretty much never get shingles, which is nice to know.

[napi21]

9. I didn't check this year, but last year, even with a supplement,

the shingles copay was $70.00. I'll have to check again. Maybe they've changed.

[SheilaT]

10. So much depends on exactly what coverage you have.

I got my shingles shot before I was on Medicare, and I was quite surprised to have no copay, but I did have a pretty good plan.

[narnian60]

8. Got it on my face when I was 50.

Had to worry if it would spread to my eye. Pain was something I can't explain. My husband didn't wait to get the shot after he saw what I went through

[vanlassie]

11. Get the shot. My father spent five days in a cardiac unit until they figured out his pain was

shingles. Happened after my mom died- stress brought it on.

[LiberalFighter]

12. You can get the Shingles even if did not have chickenpox.

I got it this year.

[SheilaT]

13. No, you can only get shingles if you did have chickenpox.

It's possible you had it so young that you don't recall, or had an exceptional mild case. But shingles is the reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox, which simply hangs out in your body forever.

I myself never actually had an actual case of chickenpox. My older sister got it when I was a baby, this back in about 1949, and took me to the doctor who gave me a shot of gamma globulin, something they did back then to boost the immune system. Mom told me I got the other symptoms, but never got the actual poxes. And clearly I developed immunity, because in the many years since I've been around chicken pox lots of times but never gotten it.

[left-of-center2012]

14. The shingles shot is covered by your drug plan

"The shingles shot isn’t covered by Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) or Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance). Generally, Medicare prescription drug plans (Part D) cover all commercially-available vaccines (like the shingles shot) needed to prevent illness. Contact your Medicare drug plan for more information about coverage."

https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/shingles-vaccine.html

[klook]

15. I've known three people who got shingles.

After the most recent one -- an otherwise very healthy 60-year-old who missed weeks of work and social activities due to the horrible rash and pain -- I made a bee-line for a CVS drug store in my area, where the shingles shot was FREE thanks to my insurance plan.

Whew! One less thing to worry about.

[vanamonde]

16. The vaccine is not 100% effective

But it does help. I had the vaccine when I turned 60 and then six months later had an outbreak on the left side of my face. Only then did the doc explain that it was not fully effective. He did say though that it likely reduces the severity of the symptoms. Indeed, with some supplemental meds it cleared up in a week or so. No problem since.

[Mickju]

17. Got mine a couple of years ago

I had shingles in my 30s and it was almost unbearable. My poor mother had shingles when she was 90 and never got over the pain until she died just before her 99th birthday.