The AVOIDABLE Risk Of Shingles
I really don't talk about personal medical experiences, but in this case, I will.
Why?
Because I believe it's in everyone's best interest to prevent preventable diseases. And with some diseases, you can reduce your risk by getting a vaccination.
My story.
It's simple. A couple of years back I had a small amount of irritation and a few small pinpoint blisters on my leg. Fortunately, I got the diagnosis of shingles in the first day or so and went on anti-viral therapy once the diagnosis was made. I only had a mild case on my leg, about 4x10 inches.
And it WAS fortunate for me that it was mild. Even that small amount of area was extremely painful and gave me an appreciation of what a bad case can feel like. In a word... I can now understand how really terrible it is to have active shingles. It is bad. For those who have never had shingles, you simply wouldn't get it. But maybe I can help.
To let you know what my case felt like, let me paint a picture....
The skin in the involved area felt like a really bad sunburn. That's the baseline pain. The really bad part is layered on top of that baseline pain. I was getting electric-like shocks in that same area. I describe it as a 3-inch tall Gnome with a taser. Shocking me with that mini-taser, all over that involved area. And it was three or four times every minute. Day and night. Each shock literally made me jump when it occurred. People would ask me what was wrong and why I was twitching. ZAP....there goes the Gnome and his taser again, and those taser batteries never went dead. It must have been a nuclear-fueled taser because he zapped me non-stop all day and all night...for over six weeks.
And as I said, I had a mild case. I can't imagine a really bad case. I know of some people who have had to have spinal nerve blocks because of the pain. So in a word...it's really bad.
So Why Am I Telling You This?
Simple.
Although I did have the first generation shingles vaccine about a year after my bout, I went back in and am now in the middle of my second generation vaccine to help prevent another case of shingles for me.
The first generation vaccine Zostavax is reported to help reduce the incidence of shingles by about 50% (per the CDC) and the protection lasts about 5 years. Good, but not great.
Recently a new generation vaccine has come out, Shingrix. This vaccine regimen consists of two injections, between two and six months apart. It's reported to be >90% effective for at least 4 years. Much better.
You can go to either of the supplied links to learn more about the specifics of each vaccine. This article is not intended to educate everyone on the specifics of the vaccine, but rather to encourage you to get it. From those links you can learn more about the vaccines, so you can make your own personal decision about getting vaccinated.
The good part about this vaccine is that you typically don't need a prescription to get it. You can go into a pharmacy and ask for it. In my case, my insurance covered it 100%, but without insurance, the cost could be $150-200 per dose. That's about $300 -$400 to protect yourself against something that is really uncomfortable - and often avoidable with the vaccine.
Sounds expensive, 'eh?
How does being incapacitated by a crazy Gnome with a taser for weeks or months sound to you? I only had one of them attack me for a few weeks. Get a case that is a lot worse than I describe ... and you may imagine being attacked by a whole platoon of crazy sadistic Gnomes.
Based on my experience, I would easily pay $1000 per shot (or maybe even more) if I had to pay for it out of pocket. Yes, I am NOT kidding. To me, it's worth thousands of dollars to help prevent this from happening again.
Lesson For All.
Don't play around with this. I recommend that you seriously consider getting the vaccine if you are the right age and the correct health status. It's a horrible disease that can be easily prevented most of the time.
Sequellae
Oh yeah, I neglected to mention one other thing. There is a chronic side effect that occurs more commonly in non-vaccinated people. It's called post-herpetic neuralgia. This is where you continue to have nerve-related symptoms even after the acute shingles has cleared. Imagine having the same type of nerve symptoms last for years, or for the rest of your life. Yes, think of it as Gnome taking up permanent residence on your skin.
The good part is that even if you are one of the unlucky people who do get a case of shingles after the vaccination (some do), the incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia is much lower.
Another aspect that I didn't cover is the potential for the rare case of blindness or encephalitis (infection of the brain) if the shingles flare up in certain areas of your body. That's a risk that is very serious.
In Conclusion...
One of my goals in this blog is to bring risks in life to your attention. I do it so you can become aware of the risk and if possible take actions to avoid, reduce or eliminate that risk. When it comes to Shingles, the risk of severe pain and the possibility of other significant side effects and sequelae can be reduced by effective immunization. If you are a candidate for this vaccine, you should strongly consider it to help reduce your chance of getting active shingles or sequelae.
After all...it's better to get the vaccine than having a sadistic Gnome with a taser come to visit you and take up residence.
WhiteCoat Risk Management provides these articles to help improve general risk awareness in all aspects of your life. It is not responsible for any actions you take or fail to take regarding any aspect of your financial planning or risk management. This article is provided for information purposes and is not intended to provide individualized advice. You alone are responsible for your financial decisions.
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