Sorry to hear about you being sick but since you already have some antibodies built up since from the first infection I would highly doubt that it would get as bad as you're first time but with all those bugs out there who knows. Hope you get better soon. 

Thanks, that's exactly my thinking as well.

Sorry to hear that Mason.  My ex- was little put down for several days and he really had a bad case.  Hope it is easier for you this time.  

judy

oooops.  "literally"

Thanks. The first round had me off work for a few weeks, this time I think I'll be able to muddle through. One new rash spot appeared during the course of the day today but all things considered that really isn't so bad.

My husband had his first case of shingles when his father died.  His dad died on April 3 (years ago) but having his own business with a deadline of April 15 combined with the sudden death of his father put him into some emotional turmoil resulting in shingles.   It was really bad.  He was in so much pain and there really wasn't alot to do for it.  He had the rash all under his arm and torso area.  The pain was under his arm and around that area also going down his arm.  I could tell when he was in most pain when he'd have his hand under his arm holding his chest area.  He has a high tolerance for pain so this was something for him to even mention.  I don't think in 28 years of marriage that he's ever taken a sick day.  He muddles through but this really took him for a ride.  I can only imagine how painful this must be. 

Since then he's had a couple of flareups very far in between but not nearly as bad as that very first time. 

Hope this is the case for you, as well, and that you are better soon Mason. 

Get hold of your doc & get on a course of anti-viral medication, Mason.  Won't cure, but will help.  Hope you feel better soon.  Good idea to get the vaccine once you hit 60, too.

Never having had shingles, I do not know what you are going through, but I hope it is mild.  I know you will make the port on time, but doing so while feeling like death warmed over is not good.

Good luck shaking this bug (it is a virus).

We have a friend who got the vaccine in hopes he wouldn't get shingles and ended up with a very very bad case of it.  He was an old friend from our past who found out thru the grapevine that my husband had dealt with shingles. We hadn't heard from him in years.  He called us out of the blue last year in desparation asking for advice because he was in severe pain.   I'd say he's in his 70's now.  When my husband first got shingles in 1999 the doctors weren't very encouraging about any medicine really helping much saying there wasn't a whole lot that could be done for it. 

So that makes me leery in getting the vaccine.  But I didn't know you could take the vaccine if you already had shingles.  Isn't the whole point to get the vaccine so you don't contract it in the first place? 

The vaccine is appropriate and effective for anyone age 60 or older, whether you've had shingles before or not, whether you've had chicken pox before or not.  However, because it is an attenuated live virus, anyone with immune compromise or on medications which can impair immune responses should not receive it.

Like any vaccine, it does not offer 100% immunity.  It cuts the risk of subsequent episodes by about 50% and, among those who develop a post-vaccination episode, cuts the incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia by almost 80% while reducing the severity and duration of the acute illness.

The older you are, the less you want shingles.  It can be a devastating illness which can cause permanent focal muscle paralysis as well as chronic pain.  More than once I've seen it be the first domino in the chain.

Thanks. From everything I've read, if he continues to have repeated bouts it may possibly be a variation of the Herpes simplex virus instead of the chickenpox virus.

Yep, that fits with most of what I've read on the subject.