If you are close to the age who should get it, GET IT. It can be a pain in the behind to obtain but GET THE SHINGLES VACCINE!!!!!

Trust me. You don't want me to explain why but GET IT.

Age 60 -- get the vaccine -- no matter what your co-pay is.

When I was 60 plus six months two years ago -- so I am now 62 -- I had what I thought was a spider bite and went to the emergency room. The doc there also thought it was same and perscribed some bacterial stuff and pain killers. What I needed were the anti-viral stuff for shingles. Two days later I was so miserable with the blisters that formed across the left side of my body in a vulnerable area, I went to my husband's internist instead of mine because he was the only one who could see me that morning. Shingles. It was three weeks before I could return to work, and over a year before some of the pain was gone.


Get the vaccine!


Get the shot! It is a miserable experience. There were nights I could not get comfortable in any way to be able to sleep. I took more vicodin than I ever want to see again.

Shingles can spread throughout your body, causing you to lose your vision. They can go to your brain and you can die from them after a period of time of bizarre behavior.

I got Shingles when I was 38 so not just the elderly can get it. Also if you think you have them get to a Dr. quickly I waited until it had covered the right side of my body all across my bra line and I felt pain for over a year because I waited so long to start the antibiotic.

It is recommended to start the new antiviral drug within 24 hours of the first symptoms so if you do have even the slightest suspicion that "rash" or "bite" might be shingles, call your doctor!!!

We had a receptionist who had shingles one year and she was only in her early twenties. I think sometimes it has to do with your immune system. She had a lot of stressful family stuff going on at the time.

[This message has been edited by Wendy Wilson (1/28/2011)]

Shingles is a systemic immune system issue. I have seen it successfully treated numerous times with micro nutrient supplementation.

RIght. And the medical community is hiding this information to protect themselves. But if we send you money, you will graciously sell us your product.

I am the daughter of a physician. Show me half a dozen reputable studies. Anecdotes are for the naive and brother, I ain't no naif.

About 2 years ago,I developed a rash on my chest. At first I thought it was an ant or spider bite. I called my Dr. and he got me in a week later??? He took one look at it and said "Shingles!!" He then described to me how I was going to be in pain for a long time and that it might spread all over my body. I said why didn't you get me in when I first got it and called you. Well ... blah blah something about my description of the bite/rash. He gave me some horse pills to take. He said he did not know if they would work as they are to be taken as soon as the rash appears and it was probably too late now. I figured well If I am going to have so much pain it won't hurt to try the pill.I can't find the prescription to tell you what the pill was. But it worked and the rash went away in week or so. I never did develope a full blown case of the shingles. So I guess I was lucky. I went to a dermetoligist later for something else and she agreed with me. She said I should be ok in the future. So I guess I dodged a bullet.

Yeah, that antiviral pill is HUGE. Why not make it half the size and require people to take two at a time.

Amorette - don't let your ignorance deprive others of relief. Just because you don't know doesn't mean it isn't so. In fact, several physicians are using nutritional treatments successfully. You are not all knowing.

[citation needed]

Shingles is a systemic immune system issue.

Not quite...

Shingles is caused by the Herpes Zoster virus, the same virus that causes chicken pox. So if you have ever had chicken pox, you could get shingles, no matter what your age. The virus lays dormant in nerve roots until "activated." Then it travels down the nerve to the skin, where it causes the watery rash. Activation can occur from a variety of ways; including a weakened immune system, stress, exposure to the sun, drug use.

Herpes zoster is related to Herpes simplex 1, the virus that generally causes cold sores and to Herpes simplex 2, which generally causes genital herpes. I say generally because the two may be interchanged from certain types of sexual activity .

http://www.webmd.com/skin...c-overview

PS While in graduate school I studied and performed research on the gene regulation of HSV-1, specifically the regulation and action of Immediate-early gene product ICP27.

Look at you go, Mr. Smarty Pants!