Got flu shot.........

[Tradd]

I will be getting my Shingrix shot (first one anyway) in March. 50th birthday prezzie for me since I had a bad case of the shingles on my 49th birthday this year. Doctor ordered.

[CathyA]

I will be getting my Shingrix shot (first one anyway) in March. 50th birthday prezzie for me since I had a bad case of the shingles on my 49th birthday this year. Doctor ordered.

Doesn’t having shingles give you immunity to it?

[Tybee]

Cathy, I don't understand the Shingles shots. Having chicken pox means you have the virus, and it makes you likely to have it again as shingles. If you have chicken pox itself, you don't get a chicken pox shots. But if you have chicken pox, you are supposed to get Shingles shot.

I also heard if you have shingles, you get the shot to lessen chance of having it again--that would be like what Tradd's doctor prescribing. But I just don't get how this is supposed to work, either.

I.e. I had German measles so I would not need to get a shot for it because I already had the real disease.

[Tammy]

No. I had shingles at age 17, after chicken pox at age 6. I’m actually at higher risk of shingles a second time. It has to do with reactivation of a dormant virus. Once it’s in your body, you remain at risk for another episode.

I got the shot about 5 years ago, but my doc never said there was a second dose ...

[Tybee]

thanks, Tammy, that explains a lot about the dormant virus. I think it's only the new one, the Shingrex shot, where you get the second dose. DH just completed the second dose.

[jp1]

Tammy, five years would've gotten the old shingles shot. The new one, shingrix, is two doses and just came out within the last year or so. Supposedly it's much more effective. I had a terrible reaction to both doses, getting a fever of 103 for about 24 hours both times.

[catherine]

Tammy, five years would've gotten the old shingles shot. The new one, shingrix, is two doses and just came out within the last year or so. Supposedly it's much more effective. I had a terrible reaction to both doses, getting a fever of 103 for about 24 hours both times.

You are right, jp1. I've done a ton of market research on this subject, and Shingrix is very effective: it gives you about 96% protection--the first vaccine was significantly less effective.

[Tammy]

I think I’ll just be content with having received the original vaccine – the new one sounds more trouble than it’s worth

[Tammy]

Unless of course the doc pushes for the new one, and then I’ll probably go ahead with it with that 96% effective rate… The return of shingles is often related to physical and emotional stressors in one’s life, which usually increase as we get older ...

[CathyA]

DD had chicken pox when she was about 5-6. When she was about 26, she got shingles. Fortunately, she called me as soon as she had a weird upper side pain with some reddening, and we got her an anti-viral med. So it didn't last too long. I thought it was weird for someone so young to get it. She did have mono at 17, and I've always wondered what weird things the Epstein-Barr virus can cause. Hmmm.....maybe I should mention the new Shingles virus to her.
To those of you who had shingles, I'm curious if you ever had mono?