My titer back in 2019 was equivocal. That’s sort of middle of the road I guess. My doctor suggested a booster.
I thought I never had chicken pox. Yes to measles, mumps, rubella, even scarlet fever. I vaguely remember getting the very first polio sugar cube vaccine; also the whole elementary school class going for the first fluoride treatments.
When son got chicken pox in first grade, my mother asked if I had ever had it. You tell me, I said! I resisted the Shingrix shots thinking I didn’t need it. At my request, my doctor ordered the Varicella antibody test and I came up positive. The results said that meant either previous vaccination or history of exposure. So either I had it, or picked up antibodies along the way. So I did get the Shingrix vaccination.
2 Likes
I didn’t remember getting chickenpox, so I assumed that I didn’t get it. My tolerance to itching is very low, so I thought that I would have remembered.
Well, a few years ago, when I was living in CA, I had spent a night in a fleabag of a hotel. The next day my muscles started hurting in one side of my back, so I though it was the wooden mattress. Then a small sore appeared over where it hurt, and I though “crap, fleas”. Then a few more appeared where I could see them. 20 minutes of googling later, I’m on the phone, getting an appointment that day. I told the receptionist that it’s shingles, so they put me in a room immediately (any rash means no sitting in the waiting room). The doctor comes in, I say “it’s shingles”. He tells me to take off my shirt, takes a look, and says “yep, shingles”. I get some antivirals and some stuff for the blisters. Luckily it wasn’t a bad case, but I still got shingrex last year, because I’m not interested in a repeat. I was actually pretty young for shingles - was just turning 50.
1 Like
My husband was 40. He came home from the doctor, happy it wasn’t a heart attack as he had feared. But my heart sank because my grandmother suffered from horrible recurring bouts of shingles for many years. I’m so thankful they have better meds now. But we sure as heck got the vaccines when they became available, both versions.
4 Likes
Most likely viruses are not expected in human blood, so negative is the normal, and. positive is abnormal.
Last time I had titers (2019), it was just positive, not positive abnormal. My younger sister had negative titers so her md wants her to get booster. She may never have had measles as she is 7 years younger and born 1964. She may also have had effective vaccine and never had measles. Older sis believes us older kids had measles. Younger sis also has auto-immune disease so may have done wonky things going on in her body.
My sister had shingles at my wedding. She was only 25!
2 Likes
My D got shingles as a teen—in middle school! H got it in a separate incident in his 60s. Both were miserable and needed a narcotic to help get some sleep.
3 Likes
My sister said MMR was on back order but I checked online and it appears to be in stock at a different pharmacy near her. I told sis she should give them a call to check their inventory and make an appt. She says she’ll follow up.
According to the article, “The state is working on locating people who may have been exposed, which includes travelers at Dulles Airport in Terminal A on the transportation to the main terminal, and in the baggage claim area, between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on March 5.”
2 Likes
Yikes—if will soon be everywhere. :-(. We were at iad baggage claim on 3/3.
3 Likes
By the way, for folks who want MMR booster, don’t be discouraged if your 1st few choices of pharmacies say they’re back ordered call around—maybe to competing chain and get your shot! in HI, my relative called 2 CVS pharmacies & both were back ordered but nearby Walgreens had it in stock—no problem. She got her shot!
6 Likes
DH gets his today – my April appointment was cancelled by CVS with an automated message to reschedule. So I rescheduled it for April (again) and am waiting to see if this one also is cancelled.
Do you have to have an appointment with CVS? Last fall I was having issues with CVS cancelling H’s appointment. I was doing ours at the same time for the next day and every time I put his info in, about an hour later it would get cancelled. So I just brought him in with me. They said it was just something wonky with the insurance info - even though he’s on mine and always has been. It was never an issue before. They gave us ours together. This was either flu or covid, but I think that at ours you can just walk in and get anything on the list at anytime. H did that with his Shingles shots.
I would say call and ask, but calling CVS and getting a person is an absolute nightmare here.
1 Like
Costco pharmacy is great if you are a member and there is one close by. Other than their mandated “lunch break” closing, they are fast and in my experience, are rarely out of stock… The CVS’s near me (got to be about ten of them within a quick drive) are all disasters. I showed up for a scheduled vaccine-- which they had in stock- only to be told they had no needles.
WHAAAT? Only doing Costco since then!
@ClassicMom98 - have you tried booking on line? I find the on line booking with CVS is very easy. Just for fun I looked and could literally get a MMR vaccine today if I wanted to. Have not had cancellation issues online.
But it could vary by location. I am in a major city and CVS there are several CVS pharmacies nearby.
that’s what I always do, and have for the last several years for myself & H. But for some reason, last fall it didn’t like his info online.
Until Covid, we used to just always walk into the CVS inside Target for our flu shots. That was when H got the Shingles too. We were always in Target for something and would just swing by. But after covid, I started making appointments online. And lately I’ve been making the appointments at the CVS 0.5 mile down the road.
or did you mean to tag @greenbutton? (I was replying to them) They were looking for the MMR not me. I got mine in 2014 thank goodness!
According to the CVS near our home, you can either make an appt or walk in. With Walgreens, I made an appt but couldn’t make one for H around same time when we were hunting covid boosters, so he just came with me and they happily gave him his shot too.
Costco was actively trying to get folks to come & get injected with whatever vaccine and I don’t believe they accept appts.
Sadly many of those who will be affected by not being vaccinated will be minors who don’t have much say or agency about their medical care. Fingers crossed they have mild cases.
3 Likes
In some states, you do not even have to be a member to use the Costco pharmacy.
Costco is also often one of the less expensive pharmacies if you are getting something not covered by insurance. CVS is often one of the more expensive ones (with their main retail competition going down, they are increasing their market power).
6 Likes