Shingles

Two weeks ago I had the great pleasure of getting so stressed out that my shoulder erupted into painful blisters and my lymph nodes and nerves in my neck felt like I had been hit with a bat.

 

Anyway, after looking into it I'm curious as to why so many younger people are getting shingles. It seems like everyone I talked to had it, or knew someone that did.

 

Over the last ten years the rates of shingles contraction has gone up nationwide by SIX HUNDRED percent! Everyone is thinking it is due to the chicken pox vaccine being administered to younger kids, leaving the 20-40 year olds vulnerable since their immune systems aren't exposed to chicken pox like in the past, but no one really knows and the studies have all been inconclusive.

 

The shingles vaccine is unavailablel to most until you are fifty which makes middle age a prime target it seems. Just curious if anyone else has an opinion or experience. To those that lead high stress lives, get some rest, take a vacation, go blow off some steam, because you don't want it... believe me.

Chicken pox and shingles are the same virus.

It would seem that the fact that kids are vaccinated would lessen the spread of the disease as the kids who came in contact would kill the active virus when they are infected.

 

I know shingle sucks. My 30 year old friend suffered through it last year.

 

The only defense is to live immune healthy. Lower stress, exercise, eat well. Even then there's no guarentee.

 

Chicken pox and shingles are the same virus.

It would seem that the fact that kids are vaccinated would lessen the spread of the disease as the kids who came in contact would kill the active virus when they are infected.

 

I know shingle sucks. My 30 year old friend suffered through it last year.

 

The only defense is to live immune healthy. Lower stress, exercise, eat well. Even then there's no guarentee.

Yep, if you've had chicken pox then you already have it and can end up with a shingles outbreak at any time. If you have shingles the only people that are at risk around you are those who haven't had chicken pox. They end up with pox if they are exposed, but shingles itself cannot be spread. I should have explained for the uninitiated. "Contract" isn't really the right word since technically you already have it. Eventually the pox vaccine will leave us without many cases, but it will take everyone dying off that has had it first. This is why the 20-40 group is so vulnerable. Most have it in their system, but aren't considered for the shingles vaccine since traditionally it's the 50+ crowd that is prone to have an outbreak. Your friend's case illustrates again how it seems to be happening to a new generation. Everyone I heard about was in their late twenties and early thirties. Could just be that is the age group of most of my coworkers and friends, that's what I'm curious about.

 

The exposure I spoke of among adults is actually being exposed to it again after you already have it. This toughens your immune system from what I've been told. I was lucky, small patch on my shoulder only. I saw pictures of MUCH worse and I'm very thankful it didn't develop in my optical nerves. Heard horrible stories of people with outbreaks on their face and in their eyes which can cause permanent blindness.

Two weeks ago I had the great pleasure of getting so stressed out that my shoulder erupted into painful blisters and my lymph nodes and nerves in my neck felt like I had been hit with a bat.

 

Anyway, after looking into it I'm curious as to why so many younger people are getting shingles. It seems like everyone I talked to had it, or knew someone that did.

 

Over the last ten years the rates of shingles contraction has gone up nationwide by SIX HUNDRED percent! Everyone is thinking it is due to the chicken pox vaccine being administered to younger kids, leaving the 20-40 year olds vulnerable since their immune systems aren't exposed to chicken pox like in the past, but no one really knows and the studies have all been inconclusive.

 

The shingles vaccine is unavailablel to most until you are fifty which makes middle age a prime target it seems. Just curious if anyone else has an opinion or experience. To those that lead high stress lives, get some rest, take a vacation, go blow off some steam, because you don't want it... believe me.

 

My ex wife got them after our divorce. She was told it was due to stress.

I had chicken pox as child, I had a shingles outbreak at 42. It is fcuking awful. It feels like you are being electrocuted. I won't take addictive painkillers so recovery was extremely painful. I also suffered from postherpetic neuralgia (continued nerve inflation) which is the gift that keeps on giving for another 8 months. I was over stressed due to a bs lawsuit that threatened my business. Upside is I hired a trainer (gla referral, thx), lost 25 pounds, beat the lawsuit for a minimal nuisance settlement and I now feel much better. Wake up call for me.

Yep, if you've had chicken pox then you already have it and can end up with a shingles outbreak at any time. If you have shingles the only people that are at risk around you are those who haven't had chicken pox. They end up with pox if they are exposed, but shingles itself cannot be spread. I should have explained for the uninitiated. "Contract" isn't really the right word since technically you already have it. Eventually the pox vaccine will leave us without many cases, but it will take everyone dying off that has had it first. This is why the 20-40 group is so vulnerable. Most have it in their system, but aren't considered for the shingles vaccine since traditionally it's the 50+ crowd that is prone to have an outbreak. Your friend's case illustrates again how it seems to be happening to a new generation. Everyone I heard about was in their late twenties and early thirties. Could just be that is the age group of most of my coworkers and friends, that's what I'm curious about.

 

The exposure I spoke of among adults is actually being exposed to it again after you already have it. This toughens your immune system from what I've been told. I was lucky, small patch on my shoulder only. I saw pictures of MUCH worse and I'm very thankful it didn't develop in my optical nerves. Heard horrible stories of people with outbreaks on their face and in their eyes which can cause permanent blindness.

 

 

You are extremely lucky to have such a mild case. I was diagnosed almost immediately and basically the middle right side of my torso back to front was a mess. You are right it can move into the scalp and then your clusterfuck just got a whole magnitude worse.

I was talking to my doctor about the vaccination. She gave me a scrip but I haven't done it yet. I did a little research online and saw something that said the Shingles vaccine reduces the probability by 50%. I thought that was a bit lame - but I suppose 50% is better than 0%.

 

Are they any M.D.'s on here that can weigh in on the safety of the vaccine and whether it's worth it? I'm assuming my insurance won't cover it (I am of age to get it and had Chicken Pox as a kid) but I'm willing to pay if it is worth it to avoid shingles. Are there any downsides? Maybe silly question - but can the vaccine give me the shingles?

 

Any advice is appreciated.

 

A few friends have had them and they SUCK! If you can get them from stress well then shit I will be coming down with then any second now. I can't imagine work being any more stressful than it has been over the last year...ugh.

I had chicken pox as child, I had a shingles outbreak at 42. It is fcuking awful. It feels like you are being electrocuted. I won't take addictive painkillers so recovery was extremely painful. I also suffered from postherpetic neuralgia (continued nerve inflation) which is the gift that keeps on giving for another 8 months. I was over stressed due to a bs lawsuit that threatened my business. Upside is I hired a trainer (gla referral, thx), lost 25 pounds, beat the lawsuit for a minimal nuisance settlement and I now feel much better. Wake up call for me.

 

 

Just wanted to add a quick note.

 

All the posts so far have been pretty accurate:

Chicken Pox and Shingles are the same virus. Once you have chickenpox, or adult Herpes Zoster, the virus lies dormant in your spinal cord. If your immune system weakens from stress, fatigue, or any other cause, the virus starts to replicate and grows along the sensory (pain) nerves. This is why it occurs in unusual strips or patches, which are the nerve distribution patterns (dermatomes)

Vaccine helps, but is not a guarantee you won't contract shingles.

 

The main reason I am adding this post is that I wanted to advise anyone who develops shingles to consider talking to your own doctor, and starting GABAPENTIN (Neurontin). There is pretty good evidence this can reduce the change of Post Herpetic Neuralgia dramatically.

 

Post Herpetic Neuralgia is severe (!) persistent (!!) pain that occurs because of inflammation of the affected nerve. It can last for years.

 

Gabapentin has side effects, but when you look at the balance of risks vs benefits, its something to consider.

 

Disclaiimer: I am not offering medical advice to any particular individual, just transmitting commonly known medical knowledge which is available through typical review of literature.

i had the shingles 5 years ago. 2009. doctor said it was soley because of stress.

it was painful. for 10 days i was at home.. in so much pain.

And here I was hoping that having chicken pox as a child would be helpful....

And here I was hoping that having chicken pox as a child would be helpful....

 

Don't get super stressed out and you'll likely be probably maybe ok. No worries though since it's treatable.

I was talking to my doctor about the vaccination. She gave me a scrip but I haven't done it yet. I did a little research online and saw something that said the Shingles vaccine reduces the probability by 50%. I thought that was a bit lame - but I suppose 50% is better than 0%.

 

Are they any M.D.'s on here that can weigh in on the safety of the vaccine and whether it's worth it? I'm assuming my insurance won't cover it (I am of age to get it and had Chicken Pox as a kid) but I'm willing to pay if it is worth it to avoid shingles. Are there any downsides? Maybe silly question - but can the vaccine give me the shingles?

 

Any advice is appreciated.

The probable rate of occurrence is reduced by 50%, but it has other positive effects. It reduces the severity of an outbreak, and also reduces the risk of post herpetic neuralgia. If you get shingles one time and it's bad you can end up with encephalitis (brain swelling) that can result in permanent brain damage. You can also end up blind. If you think of it as a coin flip that could prevent those two things it seems like a no brainer.

 

The vaccine is a weakened form of the virus. It strengthens your immune response to the virus by working as a "reminder" of sorts. The only way that it can give you shingles is if your immune system is already very weak from HIV, cancer, tuberculosis, etc. If that is the case you are already a prime candidate for an outbreak.

 

What I was trying to express earlier is that adults used to basically get the same treatment as the vaccine if they were around kids who had chicken pox. Due to the pox vaccine that doesn't happen anymore, hence the need for the shingles vaccine. Just a theory.

 

Just wanted to add a quick note.

 

All the posts so far have been pretty accurate:

Chicken Pox and Shingles are the same virus. Once you have chickenpox, or adult Herpes Zoster, the virus lies dormant in your spinal cord. If your immune system weakens from stress, fatigue, or any other cause, the virus starts to replicate and grows along the sensory (pain) nerves. This is why it occurs in unusual strips or patches, which are the nerve distribution patterns (dermatomes)

Vaccine helps, but is not a guarantee you won't contract shingles.

 

The main reason I am adding this post is that I wanted to advise anyone who develops shingles to consider talking to your own doctor, and starting GABAPENTIN (Neurontin). There is pretty good evidence this can reduce the change of Post Herpetic Neuralgia dramatically.

 

Post Herpetic Neuralgia is severe (!) persistent (!!) pain that occurs because of inflammation of the affected nerve. It can last for years.

 

Gabapentin has side effects, but when you look at the balance of risks vs benefits, its something to consider.

 

Disclaiimer: I am not offering medical advice to any particular individual, just transmitting commonly known medical knowledge which is available through typical review of literature.

Good info. The one thing I would add is that seeing your Dr. as soon as possible is very important. The anti virals they use (I was given Famciclovir) only work if you start using them within the first five days of the outbreak. The earlier the better since they stop the virus from replicating. After five days it has spread as far as it will and the risk vs. reward with side effects swings the other direction. The first 72 hours is the most critical time to start treatment.

 

In my case I was a bad patient. I thought the initial pain and swelling was a spider bite or poison ivy. By the time the rash developed it was the weekend and I waited until Monday to be seen. By then it was almost six days later and after consulting with another Dr. I decided to forego the antiviral treatment.

 

Don't get super stressed out and you'll likely be probably maybe ok. No worries though since it's treatable.

Not really treatable. If there is an outbreak the best you can hope for is to reduce the severity with anti virals. Once it's started you just have to ride it out.

Not really treatable. If there is an outbreak the best you can hope for is to reduce the severity with anti virals. Once it's started you just have to ride it out.

 

I thought the antivirals provided treatment? So it only "helps" but isn't like a "cure"? I guess I need to read more up on it.

I thought the antivirals provided treatment? So it only "helps" but isn't like a "cure"? I guess I need to read more up on it.

The antivirals provide relief by reducing the pain and hopefully reducing the severity of the virus outbreak, but you are basically talking about maybe a 50% reduction at best and that's if you catch it really early and start within the first 48 hours of the outbreak, which rarely occurs. Sometimes it does nothing. Look at Kinnsella's case. He started treatment as quickly as possible and still ended up with a nightmare that included post herpetic neuralgia, which is the main thing the antivirals are supposed to help with.

 

The side effects of the antivirals are no cakewalk either.

nausea, vomiting, stomach pain;

diarrhea,

headache, tired feeling;

dizziness, sleepiness;

mild itching or skin rash;

numbness or tingly feeling; or.

confusion.

The antivirals provide relief by reducing the pain and hopefully reducing the severity of the virus outbreak, but you are basically talking about maybe a 50% reduction at best and that's if you catch it really early and start within the first 48 hours of the outbreak, which rarely occurs. Sometimes it does nothing. Look at Kinnsella's case. He started treatment as quickly as possible and still ended up with a nightmare that included post herpetic neuralgia, which is the main thing the antivirals are supposed to help with.

 

The side effects of the antivirals are no cakewalk either.

nausea, vomiting, stomach pain;

diarrhea,

headache, tired feeling;

dizziness, sleepiness;

mild itching or skin rash;

numbness or tingly feeling; or.

confusion.

 

Yeahhhhh do not want.

 

I had it 4 years ago.

 

My outbreak was on my lower back, waist and upper butt. According to my quack mine wasn't anywhere as severe as the worst cases can be.

 

Nevertheless it was very unpleasant. Sucked the energy right out of me. I was constantly tired.

 

I left it way too late for any treatment. It still flares up from time to time.

 

The probable rate of occurrence is reduced by 50%, but it has other positive effects. It reduces the severity of an outbreak, and also reduces the risk of post herpetic neuralgia. If you get shingles one time and it's bad you can end up with encephalitis (brain swelling) that can result in permanent brain damage. You can also end up blind. If you think of it as a coin flip that could prevent those two things it seems like a no brainer.

 

The vaccine is a weakened form of the virus. It strengthens your immune response to the virus by working as a "reminder" of sorts. The only way that it can give you shingles is if your immune system is already very weak from HIV, cancer, tuberculosis, etc. If that is the case you are already a prime candidate for an outbreak.

 

What I was trying to express earlier is that adults used to basically get the same treatment as the vaccine if they were around kids who had chicken pox. Due to the pox vaccine that doesn't happen anymore, hence the need for the shingles vaccine. Just a theory.

Thank you! Exactly the info I was looking for.

 

I will be calling my doc on Tues morning to line up a vaccination. Hubby never had chicken pox - and I understand if I get shingles he would be at risk for chicken pox (maybe you can confirm). But even if not - it sounds well worth it to get the vaccine.

 

double post

Thank you! Exactly the info I was looking for.

 

I will be calling my doc on Tues morning to line up a vaccination. Hubby never had chicken pox - and I understand if I get shingles he would be at risk for chicken pox (maybe you can confirm). But even if not - it sounds well worth it to get the vaccine.

 

Yes, they are the same virus. First infection results in pox. Subsequent flare ups follow dermatomal nerve distributions as someone else mentioned. If you get shingles in the cranial nerve 1 distribution (optic) it can be not only painful but cause permanent eye problems.

 

The vaccine works by causing your immune system to build antibodies against the virus so if you contact the virus the immune system kills the virus before it can reproduce to a level to cause outward disease. It won't necessarily protect you from being colonized by the virus.

 

I believe but am not 100% certain the current varicella vaccine is not live, so it can't give you chicken pox, but sensitive people can have minor reactions to vaccines.

Thanks Assman (lambro)

 

As others have said but it's worth repeating:

 

LP is fcuking AWESOME!!!

Update: Got the vaccine last Thursday. By Saturday morning I had a red, itchy patch at the injection site about 1" wide and 3" long. I called the pharmacy and they said it sounded like the vaccine gave me shingles at the site (which promptly freaked me out). I called my doc (on call) and texted her a photo of my arm. She said it didn't look like shingles - which would have pea sized bumps or lesions. She thought it looked like a mild allergic reaction to the shot and suggested I watch it, take some Benadryl and if it spread to call back.

 

It is slowly subsiding.

 

A few key points for anyone considering the vaccine:

 

Since it CAN give you shingles at the injection site: until you are CERTAIN you don't have shingles - don't share stuff which could spread it. When the pharmacist said hubby shouldn't use anything that has touched my arm at the injection site (shower soap, bed sheet, etc) - I was afraid maybe I'd given him chicken pox. They suggested I wear a long sleeve shirt just to be sure...

 

A mild allergic reaction isn't uncommon. Redness, itchiness and a bit of swelling is NOT shingles but if it includes bumps...it could be shingles.

 

I thought it was odd that my doctor does not administer shingles vaccines in their office. I was told to call a drug store like CVS or Walgreens. I got it at Costco since it's the same exact thing and was almost 20% less than other drug stores.

 

Last - my insurance company wouldn't cover it until I'm 60 - but since hubby has never had chicken pox I decided it was smart to get the vaccine now rather than wait. They say it's good for 30 years.

My ex wife got them after our divorce. She was told it was due to stress.

 

 

 

 

Kharma????.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

j/k