Shingles

ixion pleaased to hear that. You can feel protected from that horrible disease now.

When this vaccine was first rolled out, it was done in a very strange way, we were told no need for anyone (then) over 80 to have it (not sure of reason for that), but for the rest they gave it to TWO year groups each year. Both of these groups were in their 70's. One group at the top end of this decade and the other group at the bottom end. Very strange.
So, it took nearly five years to get all those who were in their 70's at the start of the roll-out, vaccinated. I was unfortunate enought to have been born in one of the final years for this - so I was 78 yrs old before I was eligible (arranged it for the day after that birthday).

Once that was completed, the NHS now offers it to all reaching the 70th birthday each year. If you are over this age (but not yet 80), and have not had this, then you can ask your GP for it.

I have just returned from my Shingles jab at the Surgery.
No ill effects - thank you, everyone, for your support and help?

I also was diagnosed with latent shingles in Mid January! My daughter was staying with me at the time WFH and took photos of rash which appeared on left side of body only..a lot of tingling and itching and Gp prescribed hydrocortisone ointment and pain relief...hadn't heard of shingles for such a long time but was/still having work related stress and Gp stated my body was stressing out...

It’s a while ago now, but I was on the doctor’s doorstep at dawn on the first day I was eligible for the shingles vaccination, I think it was my 70th birthday. I had heard such nasty stories about shingles that I was determined to avoid it if humanly possible.

I had no reaction whatsoever.

I too had shingles jab in one arm and
Pneumonia in the other when I was 70. No side effects!

No reaction to having the shingles vaccine just a sore arm well you’re getting stabbed with a needle so it’s to be expected nothing to write home about

I had shingles January, and I'm still having trouble with it!

The original rash went from my spine, round my chest and stopped at my sternum.

I now have Post Herpetic Neuralgia, which is rather painful.

The original shingles rash, which blisters and looks horrendous, has left scars and discoloured patches on my skin, but as Im not planning on displayinga myself in a bathing costume, I'm not bothered.

Again, many thanks for your helpful information!
Jab booked for Friday week!?

Deedaa

It's worth mentioning that anyone with a suppressed immune system, on chemo therapy for instance, shouldn't have the shingles jab because it's a live vaccine. They have to rely on taking antivirals instead.

Which was what I was describing.

I hadn’t realised they were vaccinating the over 70’s. It always seemed to be random ages none of which applied to me. Nearly there then. Woohooo….

It's worth mentioning that anyone with a suppressed immune system, on chemo therapy for instance, shouldn't have the shingles jab because it's a live vaccine. They have to rely on taking antivirals instead.

I had the shingles jab a few weeks ago and had no reaction whatsoever. If offered I would accept it if I were you.

I have just changed GP practices and they were very surprised that I had not been offered it before (I am 72).....ditto the pneumonia jab which they also gave me - again no after-effects of any kind.

Same as BlueBell here - ‘flu jab in one arm, shingles in the other at the same appointment . No reaction to either.

Nannee49

Thank you for the info MawBe and MayBee70. Without wishing to add to any antivacc views, it may be something to be aware of if anyone starts to feel ill post jab because, as Elegran pointed out upthread, the antivirals need to be taken fairly rapidly at the onset to mitigate the severity of shingles.

Absolutely. And because they’re quite expensive some dispensing doctors don’t keep many in stock. 800 mg One tablet 5 times a day ASAP!

Better shingles than Covid and honestly while I said four people- I didn't say how many DOZENS had not developed it. But I agree, be aware, if diagnosed early enough anti-virals work wonders. I had it in my head years ago and it was pretty bad, Paw despite being immunosuppressed did not catch it from me but our doctor prescribed acyclovir for him as a precaution.

Thank you for the info MawBe and MayBee70. Without wishing to add to any antivacc views, it may be something to be aware of if anyone starts to feel ill post jab because, as Elegran pointed out upthread, the antivirals need to be taken fairly rapidly at the onset to mitigate the severity of shingles.

A pharmacist told me that several people she’d vaccinated had developed shingles. Having said that I’m going to be vaccinated the minute I hit 70. Shingles is mentally debilitating as well as physical and I really don’t want it!

It may indeed be coincidence but four people I know of roughly our sort of age , have all had shingles in the last three months.
So it sounds plausible

I posted on the "chicken pox doing the rounds" post this morning urging all to get the vaccine if possible. I'm five weeks in with shingles and, although the rash has gone, the pain & development of PHN, as other posters have said, is horrendous. Also the fatigue. Apparently, there is anecdotal evidence that the chicken pox virus lurking in our systems, if we've ever had it, is being reactivated by the dreaded covid/long covid. It might be coincidental but shingles came on two weeks after I'd had my second jab

My GP vaccinated me against shingles about 4 years ago when I was in my late 50’s. This was after having had a 3rd bout within less than a year. I was very lucky that he agreed to my request.

Unless you've previously had chickenpox you can't get Shingles. The chickenpox virus remains dormant in your system. I had shingles a few years ago on the base of my ear and neck it's extremely painful. If you"re unlucky enough to get Shingles then you need to contact a GP as soon as possible and be prescribed some tablets to help to prevent it spreading to other areas. I was offered the Shingles jab about 3 years ago, when I told the nurse that I had had shingles before, she told me you can get it more than once, she had been unlucky enough to get it twice herself.
I believe people who have never had chickenpox though, can catch that from someone who has Shingles.

Yes. I gathered that from reading the posts. We were never offered the vaccine against shingles although we were in U.K. when we would have been the right age - all info about the vaccine completely passed me by!

Welshwife You have to take the anti-virals early on for them to be effective, so if it is not diagnosed quickly as shingles you may have missed the boat.

I have had shingles twice. The first time was in the roof of my mouth. This wasn't diagnosed as shingles at the time but my dentist took a photo of it and my Oral Meds Consultant at the hospital told me what it was. The second time I got it round the right side of my waist. By the time I realised what it was and saw my GP, I was told it was too late to receive anti-virals.

In 2019, I was diagnosed with my first NH Lymphoma. Before I started chemo, I was put on 400mg Acyclovir twice a day and as I am still receiving treatment, I have to take it for the rest if my life.

I had the shingles vaccine which is free here when you turn 70. I waited for a while because my husband had a really bad reaction to it but I didn’t react at all. He was vomiting, headaches,shivering etc. almost immediately after the vaccine.