My test came back positive and I've had both vaccines (I think there were two...that might have been the pneumonia vax.) Suppose you already had shingles. Would the vax provide any benefit?
As I understand it, neither vaccine will keep you from getting shingles. However you should have a "milder" case if vaccinated. (Sound familiar?? )
Yes!!!! My doc had me take the Shingrix series even though I have had shingles several times and places and take oral antiviral daily. All my docs agreed best to stay on the valacyclovir for life even after having the vaccine.
Studies have shown that 90% of those vaccinated against shingles will not get it at all even if exposed to others with shingles. The 10% that do contact it have mild cases. In unvaccinated cases, those exposed to shingles will contact it at a 90% rate and cases range from very mild to severe. Contacting the shingles virus depends on many factors, the most important being the strength of ones immune system. The vaccine for zoster does block the virus from replicating in most cases, whereas the covid vaccine does nothing.
Seems like some confusion in terms. Shingles does not transmit person-to-person. Someone in the contagious stages of shingles can transmit the virus but the person contracting the virus will get chicken pox unless they are immune to the virus. They do not catch shingles. I don't know anything about the vaccine, but shingles is a dormant virus left by chicken pox. I assume the shingles vaccine suppresses the virus, preventing shingles in most people who got the vaccine.
Shingles is a description of the varicella zoster virus when it is visible in blisters. The "shingles" doesn't transmit but the varicella zoster virus does and only person to person if the blistered sores are touched. A person that hasn't had chickenpox blisters might break out in blisters later in life and that might be called chickenpox or it might be called shingles. Either is correct because chickenpox and shingles are caused by the very same virus, the varicella zoster virus. I only responded to this thread because the OP indicated that his wife had "shingles" in her eye now for 3 weeks and that is not good and antiviral drops may be enough but maybe not and a regimen of daily antiviral for life might be a life saver. The varicella zoster virus can kill or disable one so much they wish they were dead. It took away my independence and changed my life forever. It took years and a lot of therapy to get back the paltry life I have today. The vaccine works because it is based on the virus unlike the phony covid vaccine. Shingrix is not an mRNA vaccine like the COVID-19. It is the real deal based on proven science and years of studies with numerous documented test groups. It does strengthen the human system to keep the varicella zoster dormant. It works at an amazing 90%. If you are afraid of vaccines, then don't get it. I personally don't give a fat rats ass anymore what others do. I don't know why I waste my time trying to shed a little light on topics from my personal experience. I might as well be a little baby duck farting on Lake Superior.
I wouldn't be afraid of the shingles vaccine, at least not until they change it into something other than what it has been. I haven't gotten it because I don't think I've ever had chickenpox.
I apologize if my post upset you, Faye. That was certainly not my intent. As I said, I don't know anything about the vaccine. I'm not afraid of it but I believed I had never had chickenpox; apparently I was incorrect since I did have shingles. I appreciate you sharing with us.
You didn't upset me, it was just frustration with the way the thread was going Let me clarify. There is no separate test that distinguishes a difference in varicella and zoster. It is one and the same virus. The difference is labeling the virus is solely in the presentation. Chickenpox generally just itches and isn't painful and mostly seen in children, when seen in adults that never had chickenpox as a child, it is generally called shingles because the sores are painful. They are usually not as painful as someone that had c pox as a kid and now has shingles as an adult. In your case @Beth Gallagher, it was probably chickenpox you had since you have no history of having c pox. Doctors just look at the blisters and call it shingles since you were no longer a kid and the blisters were painful. Again, varicella and zoster are the same identical virus. No knowledgeable medical doctor would call the virus in the eye, shingles. It would be diagnosed as herpes zoster. Herpes simplex can also get in the eye and cause damage. Doctors can distinguish the difference even though they are viruses in the herpes family. I, many times for simplicity, refer to my trigeminal nerve damage being from "shingles" which is incorrect since no blisters ever erupted on that side of my face. The correct term, in my case, would be the zoster virus since it is documented that I had varicella as a child seen as chickenpox blisters and zoster as an adult as seen in shingles blisters on my torso. Another interesting thing is autopsies have been done on folks that never had chickenpox or shingles and never even any sign of any herpes virus, yet at shortly after death they test positive for the varicella zoster virus or VZV. Anyway, back to the OP, I hope Mrs. Cooper is in a doctors care and being treated with antivirals, both drops and oral.
Alrighty then! I did have VZV erupt as shingles in one very personal spot and I don't want to talk about that either. I once told a virologist I was sent to that the shingles almost killed me. He said no, the VZV almost killed you, the "shingles" just made you cranky and miserable. I joke that I was once a shy and reserved sweetheart, then shingles turned me into a bitch.
prednisone drops, neomycin and polymyxim sulfate ointment, and at the very first a big ol 1 gram amti-virual horse pill. The spellings are most likely not close. She was yelling from her craft room and I'm a tad buzzed edited to add: They are being very careful account she has early onset glaucoma
I haven't seen that TV ad for awhile - "If you got Shingles after getting a Shingles Vaccine, the law firm of ________will help you get a settlement."
When we both turned 70 we was offered the shingles vaccine ,we was told it would not prevent you from getting shingles but it would prevent it from being so nasty. Hubs has had shingles before the injection , I noticed it on his back and chest and took him to the local hospital , they gave him medication and his never blistered His were like an arrow head shape in his back and chest .