Question About the Shingles Vaccine

[piglet1979]

I had shingles this summer and my doctor said that I could not get it again.

The doctor told my mom you can get it again. She just had it this last winter/spring.

 

[crjack]

Thank you. I didn't even consider the possibility of getting chicken pox that way but it makes sense. I see my PCP in the near future and will ask about an update to the vaccine. My children were part of a small group to still get the actual chicken pox but most kids don't these days with the vaccine. I was curious about shingles and hopeful it would mean a decline of cases in the future.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I had shingles this summer and my doctor said that I could not get it again.

As I said up thread, my mom had it multiple times.

She even had a doctor tell her that she couldn't get it again and she asked what was so special about this time. I think it was her 3rd time, that time.

I know she got them at least one more time after that.

 

[piglet1979]

Here is what WebMD says about it returning.

If you've had shingles once, you probably won’t get it again.

That doesn’t mean it can’t happen, it’s just unlikely. Also called herpes zoster, shinglescan come back a second or, rarely, a third time. But you can take steps to help prevent it, or ease it the next time around.

How Often Does Shingles Return?
Experts don't know exactly how many people get shingles more than once. They do know it comes back more often in people with weakened immune systems.

 

[piglet1979]

Thank you. I didn't even consider the possibility of getting chicken pox that way but it makes sense. I see my PCP in the near future and will ask about an update to the vaccine. My children were part of a small group to still get the actual chicken pox but most kids don't these days with the vaccine. I was curious about shingles and hopeful it would mean a decline of cases in the future.

I just read on the CDC site that the number of people getting shingles has gone up. They don't know why. It started going up before the chicken pox vac. came out. Shingles is up in other countries too that do not use the chicken pox vac.

 

[gillep]

I have had shingles 3 times, no fun at all, and I am only in my early 30s. Thankfully, I have had all of my cases diagnosed very early, and they have responded well to antivirals, I only have occasional nerve issues from my 2nd case. My 3rd case was the scariest, as it was below my left eye, so I was hospitalized overnight to be put on IV antivirals.

 

[JenniBarra]

I have had shingles 3 times, no fun at all, and I am only in my early 30s. Thankfully, I have had all of my cases diagnosed very early, and they have responded well to antivirals, I only have occasional nerve issues from my 2nd case. My 3rd case was the scariest, as it was below my left eye, so I was hospitalized overnight to be put on IV antivirals.

I've had at least three flareups as well. Since it didn't present as a stereotypical trunk rash, it was misdiagnosed as an ear infection the first two times, and I finally got a referral for an ENT when it happened the third time. Just like I was saying earlier in the thread, it seems anecdotally that those of us who experience it "young," experience it in an atypical pattern. I find the stories about it affecting eyes particularly scary! It sounds like you were very fortunate that someone was on top of it each time!