Shingles vaccine...PO Day 152

Perhaps more dreaded than pneumonia, although less deadly, is Herpes Zoster, better known as the Shingles. Friends who have had the shingles will tell you how painful it is. If you had Chicken Pox as a child ( or ever) you harbor the virus which can show up later in life, manifesting itself as a very painful rash.
Early signs of shingles are sensitivity to light, flu-like symptoms without a fever, and headache. This is followed by a tingly feeling that develops into a painful, blistery rash. The blisters follow the distribution pattern of the nerve and spread on only one side of the body. There may be more than one area of rash or blistering, usually on the torso but can appear even on the face. The lymph nodes may be tender and swollen.
The active phase usually lasts about a week. People describe the pain like sharp needles in the skin. Eventually the oozy blisters scab over. Most threatening are blisters that form on the face around an eye, especially if they spread to the tip of the nose. This is a sign the blisters could infect the eye which would be sight threatening. This phase lasts two to four weeks before the rash begins to fade. 

The post active phase is perhaps the most devastating. Aching, burning and stabbing pain in the original area of the rash can linger months or years. The area can be extremely sensitive to touch, even clothing. This chronic pain usually affects the forehead or chest area. Most people do not experience this extended  suffering but if one does it can lead to depression due to the unrelenting nature of the pain. 

Definitely a condition to avoid! The vaccine isn't 100% guaranteed, some people still get the shingles even after vaccination but hopefully it is a milder case. The vaccine is a live virus vaccine. It's most common side effects are redness, pain and swelling at the site of injection.You should NOT receive the vaccine if you have had a serious allergic reaction to gelatin, neomycin or other ingredients in the vaccine. Also do not get vaccinated if you have HIV-AIDS, lymphoma, or leukemia. If you are taking immune suppressing drugs like steroids, humera, remicade,  enbrel, radiation therapy or chemotherapy you should not be vaccinated. Nor if you have active tuberculosis. And not if you are pregnant. These warnings are from the Mayo Clinic web site.

 I did get the shingles vaccine during the "year of the broken arm." I just felt like I could not cope with anything else going wrong, especially something that I had the possible chance of preventing. I really had no reaction at all to the shot. Except for the financial "hit." For some strange reason it is not treated the same as a flu shot or the pneumonia shot by insurance providers. So there is a significant cost for the drug. And like those vaccinations, you go to the pharmacy, not your doctor's office. While  it is approved for people fifty and older, it is only recommended for people sixty and over by the CDC (Center for Disease Control).

Archive timeline: 2014: May and June - preparing for surgery, July - surgery and post op problems, August - recovery and physical therapy, September - thinking medically, October - getting back to normal, November - almost there!