D got it when she was doing a semester abroad. She was 20. S’s close friend has had it twice in the last two years. He is in his early thirties. He said it was awful but worse the second time.
One of my dear friend’s mother contracted it late in life. She has never recovered and is in constant pain.
I got my vaccine a month ago. I only hope it helps.
I got shingles on my forehead five years ago. Despite a quick diagnosis and antivirals it invaded my optic nerve. While pain (mainly a very bad headache given the location) lasted only a few weeks I have had a cascade of eye problems ever since and had to have major eye surgery for glaucoma and a cataract caused by the never-ending inflammation in my eye just two weeks ago. Had to take a week and a half off work for recovery, but at least my vision is better.
That sounds horrible Barbalot. I am trying to be careful to keep washing hands and not touch my face.
Have low energy and feel tired. Want this problem to just disappear quickly.
@raclut - that’s what I had… a very small cluster; had very mild flu-like symptoms the first day or two (thought I was just sore from a hard work out because I initially didn’t know I was sick); it never went beyond that, and I did not do any antivirals because I wasn’t diagnosed until several days later when I was at the dermatologist for regular check-up (good timing on my part, otherwise I would not have known I had shingles). I thought a very creative spider had had fun on my upper right leg. So it is possible to have a very mild case - but I still got the vaccine last year anyways.
I don’t know if it is the medicine but I sometimes feel light contractions in my stomach. The medicine makes my head heavy to lay down. Light temperature in the evenings. Reminded me of when I was ready to give birth. The doctor said the bumps follow a nerve line so it is possible to have more across the stomach. I am below 50 so I don’t know if I can get a shot for the future. My eyes are driving me nuts because I wear contacts and seem to have trouble reading but can see distance. I think I need reading glasses.
I just finished 7 weeks of step down anti viral therapy.
This is the message I wish everyone would remember when this topic comes up, and the older we get, the more the topic comes up. ANYONE can get the shot whenever they want (medical issues withstanding), but you need to find out if your insurance will pay or not. It used to be that you had to be 60+ before insurance would pay for the vaccine, but some insurance companies are now covering it at ages younger than 60; each policy is going to be different. My internist charged me his cost of the vaccine, which was $180. I’ll bet if you ask anyone here on this thread, or off this thread, if they would retroactively pay that amount, or often times higher (I’ve heard up to $250) to have avoided getting shingles, and I’ll bet you get a yes answer about 99/100.
If your insurance does not cover it yet, you can still get the vaccine. There’s nothing really magical about the age anymore.
Yes, mine sort of looked like a double backwards ‘S’. That was the dead giveaway for my dermatologist (like I said, I thought it was a really creative spider, nipping away at my thigh when I was out gardening).
So sorry Garland- It is miserable!!! Like Barbalot, I had Shingles on the upper quarter of my face, into my scalp, and it also traveled down my optic nerve. I missed work for a month because new sores kept popping up and the Dr. said I could spread chicken pox as long as there were open sores. Fortunately I did not have long term eye problems but my eye swelled close for a week and the pain felt like a nail being driven into my eye. I looked pretty hideous. My husband kept telling me I didn’t look bad, but then my Mom slipped and told me that my husband told her I looked horrible lol! After 2 years I still have several places on my face that are very sensitive to touch and have a burning sensation. Get the vaccine if you haven’t already. Costco has the lowest price if your insurance doesn’t cover it.
When I got my shingles shot, insurer refused to pay because I was too young. I had it done at Costco, which was the least expensive place I could find at $185 or so. I felt it was well worth it. Yes, it would have been nice if insurance covered it, but I am glad I could choose to get it–great peace of mind.
Thanks for all the advice everyone. I am going to call my insurance, my doctor, and check with Costco. The bumps seem to be increasing but what can you do. Life happens. This was just something I hadn’t heard of till now. How long does it take to go away?
The shot won’t stop shingles if you already have it but may prevent you from getting it in the future, or at least severity of a future bout. As folks can get it multiple times.
Has anyone ever experienced the rash/lesions on both the left hand and right hand sides of the body at the same time? I have been reading about shingles online, and have found conflicting information. Some sites say emphatically that shingles only occurs on one side of the body, but others say that though it usually only occurs on one side, it can occur on both sides at once in people with compromised immune systems and chronic illnesses. I have type 2 diabetes.
Has anyone ever experienced recurring bouts of shingles? My mother has had them several times, the first occurring when she was only eight years old. Her last bout was about a year ago (she’s now 78), and was located on her neck and scalp. I have a very painful rash that’s primarily on the left side (trunk and all along the left arm). However there are a few lesions on the right side as well. Cortisone topicals don’t touch this rash. I’ve had it for just over 48 hrs. It hurts anywhere fabric touches, and I had to take two benedryl capsules in order to fall asleep last night, but then proceeded to have dreams filled with the sensation of painful itching. I hope to know definitively sometime today exactly what it is I’m dealing with here.
best wishes for a quick recovery!
@poetsheart, one of the hallmark signs of shingles is that it occurs on only one side of the body.
That said, I would never say never, particularly in the case of someone severely immunocompromised.
@takeitallin I’m so glad you haven’t had ongoing eye/vision issues like me, but I’m sorry you’re still in pain.
Have people on this thread gotten the vaccine after they’ve had shingles? Any side effects? Ironically, the week I got shingles at age 50, the vaccine was approved for those age 50 and over.
Thanks Barbalot- I’m so sorry you have had such major after-effects. I guess I was really lucky. I did get on anti-virals very early but I’m not sure how much difference that makes after reading some of the stories here. @poetsheart- my opthamologist was emphatic that Shingles can only occur on one side and as far as on the face, on only one quarter of the face. Mine was on the upper left quarter but I also had several lesions on my nose and cheek- he said that was one of the indicators that it had traveled down the optic nerve. That being said, I have had doctors tell me things with certainty before, and found from my own experience that they are not always right. Your symptoms sound very much like Shingles to me - I would think the diabetes would complicate everything. Let us know what you find out- so sorry!!!
Shingles outbreak may be caused by high stress. Med. student sometime getting them in their 20s while preparing fro Board exams (the most inappropriate time!). Vaccination is not going to be paid by insurance as it is covered only after certain age (60 or 65, not sure). Also, vaccination is about 50% effective. So, the good thing is to train yourself to avoid stress, most stress is self-inflicted and self-controlled and the good attitude about it is that stress does not solve anything, so might as well learn how to control it. Great tool in controlling stress is an exercise and generally alternating activities is a great stress relief, staying away from constantly stressed out people is also great.
Well, I did see an urgent care doc this morning, and he says they are definitely bug bites of some sort, which is what I’d initially suspected. But when my mom saw them, she was convinced they were shingles. I argued with her on that point for a few minutes, but the more I tried to contradict her, the more adament she became. After a while, I began to wonder if she might be right after all, given that she has been medically diagnosed with them at least five times (she has Lupus, and so, is immune-suppressed). Whatever the critter is that bit me, it must have been extremely hungry, or there were a lot of them, because I can’t even accurately count the number of bites. Many of them seem to have merged together into angry inflammation islands. Doc wrote a prescription for some type of cortisone cream, and a prednisone step down. I’m somewhat sleep deprived, so I’m hoping this will provide enough relieve to redirect my fixity, and allow me to rest.
But, no shingles, apparently. Phew… :)>-
So if shingles is caused by stress does that mean if I do relaxing things I will heal faster.
My BIL had it last year and he told me that once you have had the shingles there is no need for the immunization because likely you will not get it again. He got it in the early forties and I got it at 47 and it has been a few days.