# Shingles vaccine



## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

The wife and I are in our very early sixties And in fairly good health and shape all things considered. We both do annual flu shots, Now our family doctor tells us we should get on the list ,There is a waiting list For the shingles vaccine . He says the shot is 3 to $400 It May not be covered by our insurance we did not check yet. 
Anyone on here get the Shingles vaccine have a reaction to the shot or the price. Or is it better not to get it??


----------



## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

My wife's friend got the vaccine and she still got shingles. She is in her mid 60's. 3 weeks after she got shingles I got it, and I am only 38. I didnt know what was going on at first because I didnt get the rash for about a week after the first symptoms. Man, did that knock me back. One day my shoulder was sore, and I mean SORE!. My back/ shoulder blade felt like it needed "cracked". The soreness was in my shoulder and below my arm. My neighbor needed help leveling a 24 ft silo. I told him I dont know if I can do it. I went up and started forking and actually felt GREAT. I couldn't understand it, I am sore, my shoulder feels like crap and I start working and feel better. The pain at night was that bad I would wake up 2-3 times. I almost was ready to go to the doctor when the rash broke out. Then I knew what was going on so I toughed it out. That was 3-4 weeks ago. I am still sore/tender at certain spots. Kinda llike someone smacked you with a 2x4 in certain areas. I hear shingles gets worse with age...I wouldn't let cost inhibit your decision. Shingles can be a real SOB...


----------



## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

PaMike said:


> I went up and started forking and actually felt GREAT. I couldn't understand it, I am sore, my shoulder feels like crap and I start working and feel better.


That's because when you exercise or otherwise actively using your muscles, you're bathing your tissues in lymph. The lymph then drains to the lymph nodes where your immune system is actually processed. In layman's terms, you started flushing all the crap out at the area of inflammation (inflammation is always a component of the local or systemic immune response), OR, you were feeling the pain from a lymph node where the immune response was occurring, and you were running the lymph through it, almost like you were reducing the 'pressure' in the lymph node.

Making sure your body and muscles are moving when you're sick will help your immune response for the reasons I mentioned. Kind of like tedding hay helps it dry down faster. Same principle for getting the lymph circulating through your body faster.

I don't actually know much about the shingles vaccine or what its efficacy looks like year to year...I should read up on it and report back.


----------



## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

About 5 yrs back I got the shingles in in oval on my forehead & eye. My Dr was concerned about me losing sight in that eye but I managed to escape losing sight. Skin on my forehead & eyelid still itches to this day. I recieved shingles vaccine shot afterwards & I'm now waiting for shot of the newer strain of vaccine.


----------



## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

I got mine, my doc told me it won't stop you from getting the shingles, just make the symptoms lessor. Which could save your vision even if you got it on your face (thank goodness Jim didn't have that effect). He also said at the time the shot was around $200-$250 and you could spend more than that paying for rehab (diving, deductibles, etc.). IDK about the newer vaccine, YET,

Larry


----------



## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

I am 66 and my wife is 64. She works for local hospital and was really urging we get the shingles shot at least a year if not two back. As health insurance agent will agree whether and how it is covered will depend on your insurance. You MIGHT find it being offered at some health fair or some cliinic at a discounted price. First thing I would do is call my insurance company and ask how it is covered and is there a lower price if I get it say at primary doctors office or somewhere else. Not aware any pharmacy gives them like they do the flu shot, which normally is covered if not fully only leave a small copay.

I had a brother in law who was about 18 years or so older than me who had shinlges right by my guess in his think mid to late 70's. He was a diabetic and had a hole left in one of his heals and a toe that refused to heal...short he ended up having to have his left leg amputated just few inches below his knew. Get the shot.


----------



## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Thought I saw one of the pharmacy ads here they give the shingles vaccine. Walgreens maybe?


----------



## jlars (Oct 19, 2012)

I got the shingles 6 or 8 years ago. Just like Tx Jim it was on my head, face and in my eye. It lasted a good 6 weeks. I now have a scar on my eyeball and my vision is not as good in that eye. I got the new shingles shot this year. It is different from the old shot. The new shot is actually 2 shots in which you get the second shot 2 to 6 months from the first shot. On the first shot my arm hurt. On the second shot my arm hurt and I felt sick for most of the next day. this happens to some and some have no reaction at all. I believe they are saying the new shot is something like 90% effective where the old shot was like 60%, but don't quote me on that. My insurance paid for all of mine.


----------



## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

I did some reading and there's two different Shingles vaccines, Zostavax, which is a modified live Zoster vaccine, and Shingrix, which is a recombinant (genetically modified) zoster vaccine.

The Shingrix is the newer vaccine (came out in 2017; Zostavax came out in 2006) is also the preferred/recommended vaccine. It has better protection (efficacy) and is good for 5 years.


----------

