Shingles

[DesertBerean]

The first time I heard of shingles was when a former co worker died from it.

Now, this co worker had traveled to many places on a classified mission, so it's possible there are other conditions he had been exposed to that we won't know about.

Now it's showing up with increasing frequency here in my town. Two of my friends have been affected.

So, even though I don't know if I ever had chicken pox, I'm going to see about that vaccine for shingles.

[mikewhitney]

Is that a strain of the virus that is new around here?

[Spartacus]

Is that a strain of the virus that is new around here?

When you get chicken pox, your immune system can beat most of it, but sometimes there will still be a pocket of the virus hiding in some nerve ending or other. It may eventually break out of that little pocket, leading to the re-emergence of the chicken pox rash.

I had it the summer after my second year of college. It was diagnosed early, so I was immediately put on pills that made it a fairly painless experience, but I still had a rather ugly rash along one of my ribs for a couple of weeks.

[Cow Poke]

Yeah, my youngest daughter, a Hospice Nurse, was just diagnosed with it on her back. She's young - just 36, but she's taking some kind of medicine for it, and it's under control. Red splotchy spots on her back that can flame up to be extremely painful.

[rogue06]

Yeah, my youngest daughter, a Hospice Nurse, was just diagnosed with it on her back. She's young - just 36, but she's taking some kind of medicine for it, and it's under control. Red splotchy spots on her back that can flame up to be extremely painful.

As an aside, thank God for hospice nurses.

[Cow Poke]

As an aside, thank God for hospice nurses.

Last month she was assigned a 4 year old little girl. She got to visit her exactly 3 times before the little girl passed.

[DesertBerean]

I don't know if I ever had the chicken pox. But I won't take any chance.

[DesertBerean]

Last month she was assigned a 4 year old little girl. She got to visit her exactly 3 times before the little girl passed.

[DesertBerean]

When you get chicken pox, your immune system can beat most of it, but sometimes there will still be a pocket of the virus hiding in some nerve ending or other. It may eventually break out of that little pocket, leading to the re-emergence of the chicken pox rash.

I had it the summer after my second year of college. It was diagnosed early, so I was immediately put on pills that made it a fairly painless experience, but I still had a rather ugly rash along one of my ribs for a couple of weeks.

The rib area seem to be a very common area for breakouts.

[rogue06]

I don't know if I ever had the chicken pox. But I won't take any chance.

Had them as well as measles and mumps all in the space of a month or two. Fortunately, I was too young to remember much about it.

[Cow Poke]

Had them as well as measles and mumps all in the space of a month or two. Fortunately, I was too young to remember much about it.

[official radio voice] If you've ever had chicken pox, the shingles virus is inside you! [/official radio voice]

[Jedidiah]

Both my wife and I had the vaccine. At the time it was claimed to cut your chances of ever getting shingles in half. That claim has dropped from 50% to 30% I believe. Still does not cause the problem.

[Jedidiah]

Yeah, my youngest daughter, a Hospice Nurse, was just diagnosed with it on her back. She's young - just 36, but she's taking some kind of medicine for it, and it's under control. Red splotchy spots on her back that can flame up to be extremely painful.

For my wife the rash was itchy for a few days, but it was the severe nerve pain that got her down, not the rash.

[thewriteranon]

I don't know if I ever had the chicken pox. But I won't take any chance.

If you haven't had chicken pox, you'll want the chicken pox vaccine, not the shingles one. Which is better really, because the shingles vaccine doesn't work very long and doesn't have a booster. It's only recommended for people over 50 or 60 depending on the doc you're talking to, and for good reason.

[NorrinRadd]

[official radio voice] If you've ever had chicken pox, the shingles virus is inside you! [/official radio voice]

[official radio voice]One in three people will get shingles in their lifetime.[/official radio voice]