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If you had Chickenpox, you can get Shingles.

For the past three weeks, I have had stinging pain and sensitivity to lotions and touch on the left side of my face. Luckily, no rash. I have high pain tolerance.

"I'm a suspicious person," my doctor said. I laughed.

"I suspect it's shingles," he said. "The virus stays in your body and travels along the nerves. Having had shingles does not make you immune to future outbreaks."

He showed me a diagram of facial nerves that matches where my face hurts. He prescribed a strong dose of Acyclovir for a week. After two days, my face feels better.

Perhaps my immune system is stressed from decreased appetite (and weight, darn it!) during long, dark days of winter each year. Also, sewing the lined suede vest was stressful.

Like most people, I had chickenpox as a child. In 2005, I got a painful, itchy shingles rash on my butt, lower back and the back of my thighs. I was under tremendous stress at the time. Doctor prescribed a high dose of Acyclovir. The shingles went away; thankfully, with no permanent, painful nerve damage.

Next week, I will get the first shot of the new Shingrix shingles vaccine. In six months, I will have the 2nd and final dose of the vaccine.

Your thoughts?

[mayoclinic.org]

LiterateHiker 9 Jan 31
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33 comments

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1

Like many childhood infections there is no cure just riding out the symptoms and soothing the blisters....I was lucky as a kid and had 3 blisters on my forehead then only 2 blisters 6 years ago in the same spots leaving tiny little "crater" depressions on my otherwise smooth forehead

15

I had the shingles every day when I worked as a roofer. 😛

7

The first shot of shingrix gave me a fever and chills. I was out of action for a day. The second wasn't so bad. Still, a better alternative than the actual shingles. Anyway, prepare for a reaction, because it can be a little dicey.

@zeuser

Thank you for the heads up.

6

Do it I have had a full case of shingles and it is not at all pleasant.

4

It is painful, I did get it, also the vaccine, doctors should be more forthcoming when one is near the 50 threshold and require the vaccine to all those who had chickenpix.

@Hugertkend231 i have a high pain tolerance threshold, it was painful and not to be taken lightly.

4

A friend of mine had shingles a few years ago. He just got the first vaccination and said it was not nice. Gave him flu-like symptoms of fever and soreness at the injection site. He's glad he got it though and will get the second one because he says it's much better than getting shingles.

g

4

When I was an infant , Mom was staying with relatives , because Dad was in the Army . One of the old ladies , caught the measles , so Mom took me in for a newly developed measles shot . As we were growing up , my younger brother caught every kind of measles and rossia out there , and ,when possible caught them more than once . I eventually caught a one mild case and that was it for me . As a senior citizen , I did get a shingles shot , and so far have been very lucky in not getting that particular disease .

4

Had them both....actually got shingles when I was 29, which is apparently a young age. Thankfully I discovered it early and didn’t have too much pain.

This was about 2003 and I had never heard of it before. Not sure if they had the vaccine back then but it certainly wasn’t advertised like it is now

4

Glad you're feeling better!!! Really glad it wasn't any worse than it was, and I hope
you NEVER have to experience shingles ever again.

I didn't get chicken pox until I was 17 years old. It sucked. Words cannot adequately describe how absolutely shitty that experience was. I remember it quite vividly.

I got shingles in my early 40s. That also sucked. Luckily, by that point, treatment
had improved significantly.

I will be getting the shingles vaccine in a few weeks. I'm happy to put up with
whatever side effects there may be in order to avoid, or lessen the effects, of
shingles. I don't want to experience that ever again, if I can help it.

4

Yes go ahead and get the newest vacinne right away,seen my faather have the shingles a few times,no thanks for me ,Had my shingles shots about 5 years ago but think it is time to upgrade tto the new one

4

I finally reached the age where I am eligible for the shot (VA says over 65 only), but because of my skin cancer, they want to wait 6 months. I've had several outbreaks and was on a maintenance dose for a while. It is a reason for every child to get the chicken pox vaccine, Children can get chicken pox from adults with shingles.

4

Got my immunization familiar with this, shingles can be very difficult to treat and extremely painful

bobwjr Level 10 Jan 31, 2020
3

Thank you for the reminder! I knew about the vaccine but my medical plan scheduled it for age 60, and I really didn't think twice about it. But before then, I got shingles. I, too, have a high pain level, but it was in a delicate area so it was pretty (way!) excruciating. They recommended I wait a year after recovery before getting the vaccine and, by that point, there was a shortage of it. I've got to call the pharmacies and see where I am on those waiting lists. Even flu-like symptoms are better than how shingles felt.

3

Oh aren't you full of good news. All these years I thought I was immune.
Now, I can get shingles. Oh goody!

@PondartIncbendog

I wrote this as a public service announcement. People need to know.

Before seeing a doctor three days ago, I didn't know about the link between chickenpox and shingles.

3

There are two different types of shingles vaccine. Shingrix is the newer one and is supposed to be 95% effective. It is two shots given about a month apart. The older vaccine is 60% effective and is only one shot. I have had both. Both my wife and I had the Shingrix vaccine and we both had a reaction from it. For me it is soreness and tenderness at the injection site that lasts about a week and mild flu-like symptoms that last about 3 days. For my wife the reaction was much more severe. It was like she had a bad flu and was in bed for 3 days each time. I don't remember having any reaction to the older vaccine at all. I suppose it is worth it as long as it works.

I need the newer vaccine and it dounds like it will be z pain.

3

I had chickenpox around age 6. This past summer, I had an itchy rash on my lower back, but only on the right.
It’s been a rough two years, and compared to that, it really wasn’t painful. So later that week my daughter took me to the ER for one of my vomiting things, and I got the doc to look at it.
“Shingles” she said, instantly.
I did a double take, because it didn’t hurt. It never did. It was gone within two weeks; I just used some hydrocortisone cream.
I was lucky.

3

Everyone should vaccinate for everything reasonable.
Hepatitis, HPV, shingles, Tetanus, MMR, etc.

I good friend and I got the shingles vaccination and it was no big deal. The paperwork was more painful that the two shots.

No good dead goes unpunished. A friend contracted Hep B while rescuing a person hit by a boat propeller. The did tell him that if he had the hep b vaccine it would have given him a better chance to prevent the infection.

@Jon_Frum

Don't forget the pneumonia vaccine.

@LiterateHiker word!

3

The Shingles were a torment to my brother. He got them in his eye, and basically lost the use of that eye permanently. I've had the vaccine, so I hope I'll be spared.

2

I was in the same boat just a month ago - I will look into the vaccine you mentioned. I seem to have a very good personal physician...

2

I had chickenpox at age 7 or 8 and shingles at age 30. My shingles attack was every bit as bad as the chickenpox had been 20+ years earlier. Bee stings and electric shocks is what it felt like, but with a fever. Avoid it if possible, there's no upside.

2

I suspect I had shingles last summer and need to get the vaccination.

CS60 Level 7 Jan 31, 2020
2

I believe I had chicken pox, though it could have been the measles. I barely remember it.

I did however, get the Shingrix vaccine when it first came out. I had a noticable reaction at the injection sites and was a bit sore for a couple weeks after each injection. I have heard of people having more severe reactions and even getting a case of the shingles from it. So, be prepared.

After all that, I am pretty happy to know I have a good immunity to the shingles virus, should I ever have to deal with it.

@Toonces I believe you are thinking of small pox. Measles is a mild experience in most people, however there can be complications, it does kill some and it has particularly nasty effects on developing fetuses.

I don't think that I had Chicken Pox either.
How do I find out?

@twill Just get the shingles vaccine, you'll be inoculated and it won't matter.

@twill it's a simple blood test. Health care providers all have to do it

@twill

Ask family members.

2

I don’t remember if I ever had chicken pox!!! 😝 no advice here except I think once you’ve had that in you, it may trigger later in life also. Plus now there are great vaccines to warn it off.

Even if you haven't had the Chicken Pox, you can contract it at any age. Get the shingles vaccine.

2

I knew about the relationship between chicken pox and shingles from personal experience: I had chicken pox as a kid and a mild case of shingles about 10 years ago — it manifested as a constant itch in my chest. I have never heard of a shingles vaccine until now. I will ask my doctor about it in my next visit. Thanks for the post!

@Bobbyzen

You're welcome. I posted this as a public service announcement. Few people know about the relationship between chickenpox and shingles.

“This has been a PSA from @LiterateHiker” Lol. Thanks again ☺️😉

If you are over 55, i think you just go to a pharmacy and get the shot. I have heard there are shortages of the new vaccine so you may need to get on a waiting list.

2

I had chickenpox as a child. (We called it chicken pops.) To the best of my recollection they kept me in a dark room and we did not go to a doctor.

If any of this returns to bother me today my shots will be free unless Trump screws it all up. His new "plan" calls things an HMO but you do have to pay for a lot of things.

2

My first shot of Shingrix made me feel like I was on the loosing side of a boxing match with a heavyweight. The second shot was non-event full. Hope all goes well.

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