Still Unhappy Camper, but Better

[Pugsy]

From what I have read about blood tests for shingles...they are iffy.
CBC sometimes done as an elevated White count would maybe indicate the body fighting off some sort of infection but no way to conclusively identify what is causing the elevated white count IF it was elevated.
There is also a blood test for the herpes zoster antibodies which isn't always conclusive either.
There is no cut and dry positive or negative type of test that I could find.
So blood tests are a tool that might or might not confirm a diagnosis. There is also a test where they biopsy the skin lesion but since you don't have any then that one is out of the running.

Sending you another hug though.

[Madalot]

From what I have read about blood tests for shingles...they are iffy.

Yeah, I got the feeling talking to the nurse and considering what the doctor's office is dealing with right now, it's understandable why they are suggesting not to do the test. I'm okay with that.

Sending you another hug though.

Very much appreciated. It still hurts like an SOB, but either I'm getting tougher or it's lessening slightly (thank you gabapentin). I try not to complain or say too much except when I cross thresholds from one room to another and it bounces me in my wheelchair. THAT hurts like the dickens. I found the last time that if I push my back against the back of the chair FIRMLY, I don't get bounced quite as much and the pain isn't quite as bad.

[Julie]

What about getting hubby to lie a thin bathmat type of thing over the room interfaces so you can wheel more smoothly?

[chunkyfrog]

We got ours about 3 years ago on BCBS for a $40 copay each; a year later, there was no copay in our group.
Some things are so painful, you will give anything to make the pain go away.
This is shingles. Prevention is priceless!

[Madalot]

What about getting hubby to lie a thin bathmat type of thing over the room interfaces so you can wheel more smoothly?

I'll ask him if there's anything like that he can do. There's one transition (from the kitchen to the family room) that is horrible. The family room WAS a screened-in porch so it's got an inside-to-outside type threshold.

We got ours about 3 years ago on BCBS for a $40 copay each; a year later, there was no copay in our group.
Some things are so painful, you will give anything to make the pain go away.
This is shingles. Prevention is priceless!

Well, if this is shingles, I'm all for a vaccine to NOT go through this crap again. Once THAT pain subsides, I still have to deal with whatever is causing the nerve & muscle issue.

Maybe I should just get drunk. Then I won't care about any of it....

[sleeplessinaz]

I have had Shingles and they are awfully painful. My rash was definitely noticeable and very itchy. Once I got the anti viral meds and some steroids it calmed the itchy down. The pain eventually went away. Once it all cleared up I went and got the vaccine and my insurance paid for all of it! Yay for Private Insurance - Cigna.

[StuUnderPressure]

We got ours about 3 years ago on BCBS for a $40 copay each; a year later, there was no copay in our group.
Some things are so painful, you will give anything to make the pain go away.
This is shingles. Prevention is priceless!

I got my Shingles vaccine last year right after I joined Medicare.

Medicare would NOT pay any part of it, but my secondary BC/BS picked up 100% of it as a "Wellness" thingy.

My Secondary used to be my 1 & only insurance before I entered Medicare.
They now pay my Medicare deductible & the 20% that Medicare does not pay.

But, if Medicare does not cover something & they would have covered it if they were still my 1 & only insurance, they will cover it that way.

In this case, because it was "wellness", I paid nothing.
In other cases I might have to pay 20% & BC/BS would pay the other 80%.

Is the Shingles vaccine a 1 time thing - OR, do you have to take a "booster" later on?

[msla]

[quote="StuUnderPressure]Is the Shingles vaccine a 1 time thing - OR, do you have to take a "booster" later on?[/quote]

It is a one time shot. However I seem to remember something I saw or read that there was some thought of allowing a second shot. I suspect that the antibodies decline over time. Immunology wasn't my most favorite class in grad school.

see the CDC site http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/shi ... d-know.htm and http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccin ... /UCM070418
and Merk https://www.merckvaccines.com/Products/ ... ndhandling

[sleeplessinaz]

As far as I was told it is a one time vaccine with no boosters needed,

[StuUnderPressure]

As far as I was told it is a one time vaccine with no boosters needed,

That is what I always thought also.

But, when I went in to get my flu shot this year, I specifically asked "I don't have to take another Shingles shot, do I?"

She said not this year, but added that I would have to take another down the road, but she didn't know when that was.

Now, this was just the GP's "nurse" (glorified secretary) - so I am not sure she knew of what she spoke.

[StuUnderPressure]

From the CDC site msla quoted above:

Reimbursement for Vaccination
All Medicare Part D plans cover the shingles vaccine. The amount of cost-sharing (money you have to pay) for vaccination varies.

Medicare Part B does not cover the shingles vaccine. Medicaid may or may not cover the vaccine; contact your insurer to find out.

Most private health insurance plans cover the vaccine for people 60 years of age or older, while some plans cover the vaccine for people 50 to 59 years of age.

Some pharmaceutical companies provide vaccines to eligible adults who cannot afford them. For information on the patient assistance program that includes Zostavax (shingles vaccine), see http://www.merck.com/merckhelps/vaccines/home.html.

To find medical practices or pharmacies near you that offer the vaccine, visit http://www.zostavax.com.

So, unless you have Medicare Part D, Medicare does NOT cover the Shingles shot.

[chunkyfrog]

There was some debate about whether the vaccine is life-long or needs repetition in 5 years.
DH has had shingles twice since getting the vaccine. I wonder if his dose was ineffective or a counterfeit.
Fortunately, he recognized the symptoms within hours of the first tingle and started taking valacyclovir in time to curb the outbreak.

[ems]

As far as I was told it is a one time vaccine with no boosters needed,

That is what I always thought also.

But, when I went in to get my flu shot this year, I specifically asked "I don't have to take another Shingles shot, do I?"

She said not this year, but added that I would have to take another down the road, but she didn't know when that was.

Now, this was just the GP's "nurse" (glorified secretary) - so I am not sure she knew of what she spoke.

My doctor said the same thing. She said she thought a booster would be needed every 8 to 10 years, but right now it was a wait and see situation.

[SleepyToo2]

I saw something about a big debate in the UK about shingles vaccine - it doesn't work for a lot of people, and the chances of dying because of shingles are low. So, it is an expense and a risk for perhaps a slight reduction in the duration of the activation of the virus. You have to ask yourself whether you are prepared to take the slight risks versus the slight improvement that you may or may not get.

[msla]

I saw something about a big debate in the UK about shingles vaccine - it doesn't work for a lot of people, and the chances of dying because of shingles are low. So, it is an expense and a risk for perhaps a slight reduction in the duration of the activation of the virus. You have to ask yourself whether you are prepared to take the slight risks versus the slight improvement that you may or may not get.

If you are on-top of unusual pain with no apparent cause on one side of your body and can get the antiviral within 72 hours of onset of pain (Antiviral medicines, such as acyclovir, famciclovir, or valacyclovir, to reduce the pain and the duration of shingles), then you can avoid the vaccination. The pain for me started as a tingling in one spot on one side of the body midline. This is a description of the pain from a shingles symptom checker: "It's not easy to tell if you have Shingles before the actual outbreak of the rash. Many of the symptoms some people feel before the rash (itching, burning, pain) can often resemble other diseases and conditions, including a bad sunburn and/or an allergic reaction." Toughing it out will take 3 plus weeks and can leave you with
Description:
Shingles can lead to a complication called postherpetic neuralgia, or PHN, which is long-term nerve pain. The number of cases of PHN is higher among older adults.

In cases of PHN, the pain has been described as dull, persistent, aching, stabbing, or shooting.

Duration:
The long-term pain of PHN can last for months or even years.

Location:
Occurs in the same area affected by the rash.

For my father-in-law, this was the last three years of his life with PHN.