Shingles!

[Bonny]

I just got back from the doctor's office. I made an appt because I saw a funny rash on my shoulder last week (just as I was headed to So. CA) and was a little concerned because it wasn't healing right away.  I was a little concerned it might be Lyme disease. Turns out it's shingles!

I'm only 53 and thought you weren't supposed to get them until you were 60.

Luckily it's a pretty mild case and I'm not in very much pain. Should clear up in a week. Then I'm supposed to get a shingles shot in a few months. Because it's a live virus your immune system needs to be in good shape otherwise you'll have shingles symptoms from the shot.

Apparently I have it because my body is feeling pretty stressed. Do you think I can blame this on my MIL?

Share your shingles stories. Those TV commercials sound horrible!  

[Wisconsin Beth]

One of my distant cousins was diagnosed with shingles when she was doing wedding prep and dealing with some family stuff.  I think she'd have been 25-30 at the time. 

[taz157]

One of the partners at the work I work for had a case of shingles earlier this year. He was out for a week and when he came back, it looked like he had been in a fight. There were several scabs around one of his eyes. He looks fine now.

He is low to mid 40s for age.

[Deleted]

Oh Bonny I'm sorry! I'm glad you're not in too much pain. 

The age is really a generality ... my DS1 had shingles when he was in HS! 

[whoami]

I keep saying I want to get the vaccine. Im not sure if there is an age for it though.

My grandmother, uncle, aunt and brother have all had them. I know my aunt had them on her head and she was absolutely miserable and they lasted several months. My brother ended up in the ER because of the pain although his cleared up fairly quickly...he was in his 30s.

Ive heard enough about it to get motivated to get the shot....I just need to do it.

[Lizard Queen]

I think I had shingles at 33.  I thought I had broken out on my back, which I could do from the combination of my bra strap and getting sweaty.  However, it was a number of blemishes in a line, just on one side of my body, and they hurt!  Then, they turned into black scabs and I got worried. So, I looked it up on WebMD or something.  Shingles fit my symptoms, and they went away, so I figure that was it.

[mmhmm]

I had them a couple of years ago. Just be glad they're on your shoulder!  I'm really sorry you have to go through this, but I'm glad you're not in too much pain and that you went to the doctor! You can tell if it's shingles if it's one-sided and follows a nerve pathway. That's what shingles do.

[midjd]

SIL had shingles when she was 15 or 16. See, you're still young! 

[Abby Normal]

I had  shingles at 16.  It sucked. It's horribly painful and they say it's worse the older you are.  So I pray I never get them again.

I'm glad your case isn't bad.

[dannylion]

Sorry you're not feeling well, Bonny. I hope it clears up soon.

I don't have a shingles story. I got the shot a few years ago.

I did have Lyme disease about 15 years ago, though.  You don't want that, either. 

Sending good thoughts for a quick recovery. 

[flamingo]

I'd say you are pretty lucky you have a mild case and you're not in much pain!

My DH had shingles at 55. Most horrible 8 weeks of our lives. He was in so much pain, even before diagnosis, that we spent time in the ER getting him looked at. He was on a cocktail of 3 pain killers and NOTHING really helped. He's lucky he's semi-retired and works from home, when he wants to. He's lucky-he only had it around his waist. None on his face. But his rash ran from his belly button to his spine, around his left side and from hip bone to rib cage. He spent all 8 week sin sweats because even clothing touching him was painful.

My mom has had shingles more than once. Her's sounds about like yours. She wasn't in pain, just had a small rash under her arm. It really does affect everyone differently.

[imawino]

Oh no! I'm glad you got a mild case and hope it clears up soon. Those commercials terrify me! It seems awful. I will get the vaccine as soon as I am the recommended age.

[justme]

My mom had them. She was in a bit of pain from it and they had her on the anti viral to stop it and heal faster. You should Google to see what foods to avoid... there's an amino acid or something found in chocolate and other foods that the virus needs to replicate. I know it's lysine that fights it, the bad one is a something.

[cronewitch]

Dad had them and I knew one other old man who had them. I and mom got vaccinated, yesterday my ISO said he got one of those shots I told him to get, I guessed shingles and was right. He does what I tell him not always right away, I need to tell him to get a shot for pneumonia since we are old, he got flu vaccine yesterday too. We can never have too many shots if we want to look like pin cushions.

[shanendoah]

I had a shingles outbreak when I was 26/27. It was on my forehead, and I thought the first bump was a zit, tried to pop it, etc. I didn't go to the doctor until I had this giant sore on my forehead that was getting bigger instead of going away. Doctor took one look at it and was like OMG this is one of the most advanced cases of shingles I've ever seen. Can I take a picture?

I still occasionally get outbreaks, in that exact same spot. Now, I know what to look for and it rarely advances to the shingles stage. Instead, I catch it when it's "simply" a herpes simplex II outbreak. (And apparently, using the right words matter. My doctor's office once refused to call in my Rx for the anti-virals because I was using the word "shingles", instead of "herpes". This is annoying though, as the treatment is exactly the same- a 10 day course of anti-virals.)
The outbreaks come when I am stressed or trying to fight off a cold, or some combination of things that makes it so my body doesn't have the energy to keep suppressing the herpes virus (which yes, is the chicken pox virus).

I am very lucky that my outbreaks aren't super painful. They mostly itch (like chicken pox did). I do have to be careful though, because of where they are on my forehead, I have to make sure not to touch the area and then touch my eye. The herpes virus anywhere near your eyes is something you most definitely want to avoid.

[Bonny]

Nov 19, 2014 15:47:40 GMT -5 whoami said:

I keep saying I want to get the vaccine. Im not sure if there is an age for it though.

My grandmother, uncle, aunt and brother have all had them. I know my aunt had them on her head and she was absolutely miserable and they lasted several months. My brother ended up in the ER because of the pain although his cleared up fairly quickly...he was in his 30s.

Ive heard enough about it to get motivated to get the shot....I just need to do it.

I know it's recommended that you get it when you're 60. My doctor is recommending that I get it in a few months. Given your family history I would get it ASAP.

[Bonny]

I'm definitely grateful that my case is so mild.

It's very interesting to hear how many folks got it when they were much, much younger than I am. It makes me wonder why they recommend getting the shot when you're 60.

[midjd]

I wonder if it has something to do with chicken pox... whether you've gotten the pox itself or the vaccine, it might provide some immunity for younger people that starts to wear off in your 40s.

<<waits for Mich>>

[haapai]

Shingles means OI to me.  More than one person has told me what they were trying not to tell me by saying, "Don't hug me.  It'll hurt me." 

Believe me, at that moment, there's nothing that you want to do more than hug that person.  

[Bonny]

Nov 19, 2014 16:27:52 GMT -5 midjd said:

I wonder if it has something to do with chicken pox... whether you've gotten the pox itself or the vaccine, it might provide some immunity for younger people that starts to wear off in your 40s.

<<waits for Mich>>

From the Mayo website the theory is that as you age your immune system seems to weaken. Then the dormant virus re-appears during the weakened period.

[Lizard Queen]

When I (think I) got it, I was sleeping very little and very stressed out.

[Bob Ross]

Nov 19, 2014 15:39:11 GMT -5 Bonny said:

Share your shingles stories.  

Let's not, and say we did.

Sorry, but I've found the topic rather unpleasant ever since my last job, when this amorphous blob of a troll-thing came down with shingles and just had to share the intimate details with anyone who would listen (which was not me by a long shot, but the perma-grin doormat of a coworker who sat in the next cube over was much more accommodating, so I got to hear all about it anyways, with new updates every morning for like a month).

Does anyone on here have bleeding ass AIDS?  Can we talk about that instead?

[The Captain]

Nov 19, 2014 16:24:32 GMT -5 Bonny said:

I'm definitely grateful that my case is so mild.

It's very interesting to hear how many folks got it when they were much, much younger than I am. It makes me wonder why they recommend getting the shot when you're 60.

I asked my Dr. about getting the vaccine (since I'm somewhat immune compromised) and she said I should wait until I'm at least 55.  IIRC (and I'm not sure I do) it had something to do with the medical profession not being entirely sure how long the shingles vaccine provides protection.  If you get it too young, you may not be protected in your 80's or 90's when you need protection the most.

I too would love it if The Walk of the Penguin Mich would jump in.

[Ombud]

I'm a rarity in that I got it from the vaccine. Turns out it's a little bit of the stuff so that the person can build up an immunity according to Kaiser. But it was a mild case.

[haapai]

Hmmm....  In case I wasn't totally clear, @bob Ross, in my world, when a person tells you that they have shingles, they're also telling you that they have HIV. 

[Bonny]

Nov 19, 2014 16:49:52 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Nov 19, 2014 16:24:32 GMT -5 Bonny said:

I'm definitely grateful that my case is so mild.

It's very interesting to hear how many folks got it when they were much, much younger than I am. It makes me wonder why they recommend getting the shot when you're 60.

I asked my Dr. about getting the vaccine (since I'm somewhat immune compromised) and she said I should wait until I'm at least 55.  IIRC (and I'm not sure I do) it had something to do with the medical profession not being entirely sure how long the shingles vaccine provides protection.  If you get it too young, you may not be protected in your 80's or 90's when you need protection the most.

I too would love it if The Walk of the Penguin Mich would jump in.

That makes sense but you'd think there would be some kind of booster type shot for those who got shingles early like those folks we're reading about who got it in their  20s, 30s & 40s.

[Bonny]

Nov 19, 2014 16:51:44 GMT -5 haapai said:

Hmmm....  In case I wasn't totally clear, @bob Ross, in my world, when a person tells you that they have shingles, they're also telling you that they have HIV. 

I don't have HIV.

[mmhmm]

Nov 19, 2014 16:27:52 GMT -5 midjd said:

I wonder if it has something to do with chicken pox... whether you've gotten the pox itself or the vaccine, it might provide some immunity for younger people that starts to wear off in your 40s.

<<waits for Mich>>

Rather than providing immunity, having chicken pox is what allows the herpes virus to set up shop in the basal nerve ganglia. It lies dormant until something activates it (stress, lowered immune system, etc.). If you haven't had chicken pox you probably don't have the virus. However, some people have had chicken pox and didn't know they had so the vaccine is a good idea. Beats the livin' heck out of having shingles!

[NancysSummerSip]

I'm giving myself the gift of a shingles shot as soon as I am done with my second surgery for my leg (it's tomorrow). It's pricey, and insurance does not cover it. I've had chicken pox, and really do not want to risk it.

[mmhmm]

Nov 19, 2014 16:51:44 GMT -5 haapai said:

Hmmm....  In case I wasn't totally clear, @bob Ross, in my world, when a person tells you that they have shingles, they're also telling you that they have HIV. 

Really? I don't think I've ever heard that. I've had shingles and I sure don't have HIV!