Shingles, Swelling, and Loss of Muscle Mass

[lilranch2001]

I'll get the Covid-19 immunizations when available. I've been getting vaccinations for almost 70 years and have never contracted any of the diseases they were meant to prevent. Still working on trying to get the shingles vaccination. Medicare evidently won't pay for it and my secondary insurance will only pay if I get it at a CVS Pharmacy (130 miles away). My usual provider charges $500 for the shot. Still debating...

I just got the shingle shots this fall, and it was around $40+ each shot at Kroger, I assume Medicare picked up part of it.

 

[oosik]

The best explanation for why I contracted shingles, as my Dr told me. As I aged I developed Type 2 diabetes. This put me into a situation of a compromised immune system. My body could no longer fight off shingles. Strange - I've never had the flu nor a flu shot. I best knock on wood.

 

[lilranch2001]

I did not ask a lot of questions regarding the vaccine when I got mine, I just knew it was past time for me to get it. I do not know if it prevents shingles, lowers the risks, or lowers the problems if you do get it.

Be nice if someone that is very knowledgeable could post some info......

 

[the old grind]

I had my annual physical yesterday and Doc said the shingles shot he gave me in '13 was the old type but his system isn't allowing blood draws or vaccinations at satellite offices of late.

I'd got my flu shot (senior dose, sore arm for a day) a few weeks ago at Rite Aid when picking up a scrip. Nothing to sign. Doc said do the same for the newer shingles shot.

btw, Folks who get flu after a shot likely caught one of > 2 doz that wasn't predicted when formulating that year's cocktail for ~ half as many.

 

[ponytug]

The short explanation on shingles is that when you get chickenpox, the virus that causes it, varicella zoster, actually infects nerve cells. Your immune system fights off the infection, and you get over the pox, but the viruses remain in your nerves. When your immune system fades, (age, other autoimmune disorders, stress, other infections, chemo...), the virus can re-emerge from the nerves, causing the characteristic lesions along your chest, but it can be other places as well. Because it is erupting from your nerves, they are both damaged and stimulated, causing the intense pain and itching. Since the lesions are virus laden, you run the risk of transferring the virus to other parts of your body such as your eyes, where an infection can trigger blindness.

The virus is related to the virus that causes cold sores (which hangs out in facial nerves), and the same pattern of reemergence under stress, and herpes, ditto.

As to why shingles only occurs in 10-20% of the people who had chickenpox...who knows? Welcome to the wonderful world of individual immune systems, where everyone is different. Look at the current coronavirus; some people get it asymptotically, and clear it in two weeks, some don't clear it for months, some people have mild disease, some have life threatening disease, some die, some end up with permanent scaring in heart/lungs/intestines/kidneys, some folks end up with "long covid" that looks a lot like chronic fatigue, which is a permanent chronic condition.

Hope that this helps, and yes, please get vaccinated.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Doofy]

The Wife has reoccurring rashes from the varicella zosters virus. She had herpes of the mouth as a small child. As long as she keeps her immune system healthy with vitamins and mineral supplements, she does well. She definitely needs that Shingles vaccination.

 

[AchingBack]

Definitely agree with comments how stress can bring on shingles. My case erupted when I thought my cat was dying. Thank God she didn't.

I never had the shot, but I caught mine early enough so that a script of an antiviral gave much relief, and I was over the outbreak in about three weeks. Thankfully, I had no post herpetic pain.

A friend who had the earlier, shingles shot, got the virus, but it was quite mild.

 

[ultrarunner]

When the hospital merged with a 50,000 employee health care provider we all had to go in for physicals and boosters...

It was to be at our new sister facility but they couldn't handle the numbers so I was one that was shipped out to an urgent care???

Didn't make sense to me being farmed out to a third party vendor... the reports from fellow employees were all over the place depending on which of the dozen providers we were sent.

I got a bad one.. the place was full of people hacking, coughing, fever and vomiting... it was Christmas time and flue in full swing.

We also had to bring in vaccination history and it took some doing but was able to get all the original documentation... polio, smallpox rubella, etc...

I come in and the person said oh... these are too old so you will get the full series... I said wait a minute... I brought in my proof and no one is injecting me with anything and especially not here.

Then I was told non-compliance could be grounds for termination... I said how can I be terminated when I have not yet been hired?

A manager said I should just take them and not to worry as it was all covered... like that makes a difference.

I was getting dressed and heading out the door and the Concentra site manager asked if I would consent to blood draw for titer, x-ray and urine drug test... without drug test... no job... I said OK

The upshot was everything was fine... titer showed all required antibodies, x-ray clear for TB, and of course passed Drug Test... only time in my life had to do that.

Some of my coworkers were upset at having taken the full series of immunizations... they said they had no choice... I said there is always a choice... walk out the door.

For those that don't know... giving the series is less expensive than blood draw, etc... so this is why it is pushed... when in doubt follow the money.

In addition, anything medical requires informed consent which is medical 101... unless you are military I suppose.

Had one flu shot in my life and just my luck it was a batch that was recalled... my arm ached for days with rash... it was something with the preservative...

That was enough for me...

Worthy of mention is in many instances the employer, medical provider and even manufacturer is NOT responsible for adverse vaccination complications... as a matter of law because the US Government has taken over liability and millions have been paid out...

Individuals need to weigh the risks and benefits and this is why informed consent is so important...

 

[Dftodd]

The best explanation for why I contracted shingles, as my Dr told me. As I aged I developed Type 2 diabetes. This put me into a situation of a compromised immune system. My body could no longer fight off shingles. Strange - I've never had the flu nor a flu shot. I best knock on wood.

Coworker contracted the shingles when he was buying his house in his late 20's. Doctor figured the stress compromised his immune system.

Mom caught them in her early 50's. They discovered that she had leukemia and her blood counts were bottomed out.