Talk to me about Shingles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The weird thing is, my parents swore I never had the chicken pox as a child--and I never had the vaccine either! But apparently my blood tested positive for the titer (sp?)--so I guess I must have had an extremely mild case that was never detected? Weird.

I was tested for chicken pox antibodies during pregnancy, since contracting the virus during pregnancy is bad news. I never showed any symptoms, but the titer was positive. I was definitely exposed to the virus in my childhood. I shared a room (and usually bed) with my sister and I remember when she had it. I was surprised I didn't get it when my brother had it 10 years later.

[Anonymous]

I had it at age 34. I think it was brought on by stress because I was unemployed and having a hard time finding work. The right side of my thigh started itching when I was vacuuming one day. It turned into a burning, and later I noticed a red bumpy rash on the inside of my thigh. A day or so later, the rash appeared on my lower back, and it burned, mostly, but was starting to hurt.

I went to the ER because it was a Sunday night, two doctors looked at me, and both said, "No, that's not shingles." So I went home. The next morning I was in agony, so I went to my regular doctor. He took one look and said, "You're old before your time. I usually see this in old ladies. You have shingles." He gave me antivirals, but I was barely able to walk at that point. I went home and stayed in bed for a few days.

The pain remained for about six weeks, getting gradually better, but the scars were around for a long time, more than a year. I can't see them anymore (well, I can't see my lower back) on my inner thigh, but every once in a while I feel a tingling. My doctor told me I'd probably have permanent nerve damage, but other than very slight numbness where the scabs were, I'm fine now and have been since a year after I had shingles.

I don't know why younger people are getting it. A friend had it at 25 after extreme job stress. I hope you can't get it again because I think it would be much worse.

[Anonymous]

You can get shingles again. The vaccine offers some protection, but is only FDA approved for ages 50+.

[Anonymous]

I got meningitis with my shingles also.
Six months later still get headaches and generally feel run down.
Terrified I'm going to have a relapse of both.
I'm 42.

[Anonymous]

I got it twice. Once in my 30's and again when I was 45. My sister had it once her face in her 20's and again when she was about 40. The second episode, the shingles were in her eye. She was lucky not to lose vision in that eye even though she was under daily care of an opthamologist (I know I can't spell that).

[Anonymous]

I got it twice. Once in my 30's and again when I was 45. My sister had it once her face in her 20's and again when she was about 40. The second episode, the shingles were in her eye. She was lucky not to lose vision in that eye even though she was under daily care of an opthamologist (I know I can't spell that).

[Anonymous]

My husband had it when he was 32. Stress may have been a factor, though it was not the most stressful time of his life. It manifested on one side of his face and one side of his chest. The pain was extraordinary, and he is a Marine who never complains.

Every single one of our children got chicken pox from him--both the ones who had been vaccinated and the ones who had not. I fact, the older kids who had been fully vaccinated got the most sick.

The only lingering problem he has is scarring, and anxiety about ever having shingles again.

Our family doctor says he is seeing an explosion of shingles cases in young adults, and even in children. The theory is that the chickenpox vaccine is causing a shingles outbreak because it is lessening the opportunities for adults to get immunity boosters from the circulating virus. These natural immunity episodes keep natural immunity strong and suppress the reemergence of the virus.

The vaccination-shingles connection is a main reason why other countries do not use the chickenpox vaccine. I went on a research binge when my husband got sick.