How many COVID doses have you taken? Have you been infected?

[Jolly Blue Giant]

It's funny, I asked for a shingles shot last year and they told my my insurance doesn't cover it (I have Aetna) and it would cost me a hundred and something dollars. I said, forget it...I'll take my chances and complain to Aetna (which I did to no avail)

Regardless, just got back from the drug store and it cost Aetna 130.00 to cover the prescriptions which are unique to shingles. And shingles can come back again and again and nearly 1/3 of all adults who had chicken pox as a kid will get shingles. Seems like a bad business decision by Aetna to not pay for a preventive shot and then pay through the backside for medical relief

Regardless, I'm going to get the shingles shot as soon as this episode is over no matter how much it cost out of pocket

[MightyGiants]

It's funny, I asked for a shingles shot last year and they told my my insurance doesn't cover it (I have Aetna) and it would cost me a hundred and something dollars. I said, forget it...I'll take my chances and complain to Aetna (which I did to no avail)

Regardless, just got back from the drug store and it cost Aetna 130.00 to cover the prescriptions which are unique to shingles. And shingles can come back again and again and nearly 1/3 of all adults who had chicken pox as a kid will get shingles. Seems like a bad business decision by Aetna to not pay for a preventive shot and then pay through the backside for medical relief

Regardless, I'm going to get the shingles shot as soon as this episode is over no matter how much it cost out of pocket

I am a big fan of old sayings.   One of them is about an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[DaveBrown74]

I am 100% getting it, and I made that decision prior to JBG's unfortunate news this AM (my daughter just had it). The likelihood of getting this disease is clearly not all that remote, and the vaccine is reportedly highly effective.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I feel somewhat fortunate that it's on the back of my neck and around my right shoulder. It burns and feels like little needles sticking in me and itches like crazy, but I can't itch it. It's an irritable pain, not an unbearable pain unlike a slipped disc pinching the sciatica, or an abscessed tooth, or passing a kidney stone, or getting shot in the leg from a .38 as each of the aforementioned has happened to me and those pains are downright nasty to deal with. Fortunate because if it was on my butt I couldn't sit down and use my computer or binge watch Better Call Saul as I am currently doing. If it was on my legs, my pants would constantly irritate it. If it was on my face, it'd make me even more undesirable to look at, etc. So I'm glad it's where it's at and hope it doesn't migrate to other parts of my body. I'm not sure where most people get it. I can tell you though, it friggin sucks! 

[DaveBrown74]

I feel somewhat fortunate that it's on the back of my neck and around my right shoulder. It burns and feels like little needles sticking in me and itches like crazy, but I can't itch it. It's an irritable pain, not an unbearable pain unlike a slipped disc pinching the sciatica, or an abscessed tooth, or passing a kidney stone, or getting shot in the leg from a .38 as each of the aforementioned has happened to me and those pains are downright nasty to deal with. Fortunate because if it was on my butt I couldn't sit down and use my computer or binge watch Better Call Saul as I am currently doing. If it was on my legs, my pants would constantly irritate it. If it was on my face, it'd make me even more undesirable to look at, etc. So I'm glad it's where it's at and hope it doesn't migrate to other parts of my body. I'm not sure where most people get it. I can tell you though, it friggin sucks! 

Great outlook, and it all makes sense.

My understanding is that if it spreads, it will likely only spread along the same "nerve line" that it is on. This is what both doctors we consulted (our daughter's pediatrician and a top dermatologist) said. So if it's not on your face now and the nerve line that it's on is not connected to the facial ones, hopefully you should be able to take comfort that that's not a risk. Obviously, this is a question for a doctor only though. I certainly do not intend to be out of my depth! I did ask this very question myself of two good NYC doctors though, and they both gave the same answer, so I am just relaying that.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Yeah, the doctor drew a line with her finger explaining nerve lines and why it is where it is. Didn't really understand it, but apparently it follows certain nerves. I'm on my 4th day and it hasn't expanded beyond where it was 3 days ago (knock on wood) so hopefully it's isolated to just the current area

Doctor also told me that it's extremely rare for people under their mid-30s to 40s to get it and that it's almost unheard of in children because of all the bevy of vaccinations given to babies and toddlers in the last 40 years (she ran off the name of the vaccine that kids get, but it was foreign to me)

I was asked if I had chicken pox as a kid and I said "I don't remember and don't know" to which she replied, "I'm sure you did because the shingles virus comes from chicken pox and lives in you the rest of your life. Shingles usually pop up when you are under more stress than usual

[T200]

@Jolly Blue Giant

Definitely sorry to hear about that, Ric. Hope it clears up in short order. Does it interfere with your sleep?

[LennG]

 So sorry Ric. Hope your case is mild and you get thru it OK.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Thanks guys...I'll survive, it's just annoying as hell. Nowhere near as bad as when I had kidney stones

[Sem]

Feel better Ric. And then go get your vaccine.

[Ed Vette]

I still have soreness on my left side from the booster and I want to wait until that's clear before I get the Shingles shot. Btw, there are two versions and one is more highly effective but they don't give that one to persons after a certain age.

[Ed Vette]

Rich, what's the latest on Monkey Pox?

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I still have soreness on my left side from the booster and I want to wait until that's clear before I get the Shingles shot. Btw, there are two versions and one is more highly effective but they don't give that one to persons after a certain age.

Been reading up on it and the CDC says Shingrix is the better alternative to Zostavax. What has me surprised, is that the CDC also says you should get two Shingrix shots 2-6 months apart. Also, if you have shingles, don't get the vaccination at the same time; hence, the reason I have been researching this

Anyway, this site from the CDC is a lot more informative than what I can write: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/shingles/public/shingrix/index.html

[MightyGiants]

Rich, what's the latest on Monkey Pox?

Right now, it's mostly limited to men having sex with men.  The number of cases is relatively small in NJ, but it is slightly troubling that the small number is roughly doubling every week.  They have a vaccine in limited numbers and just started to make it available to people who feel they are in a high-risk group (after originally limiting it to just being who came into contact with an infected person).  That said, the vaccine is still in short supply.  There is also an anti-viral treatment available that has been released from our strategic stockpile. Interestingly enough, if you are old enough to have gotten the Smallpox vaccine, you are probably immune as the two diseases are very similar.

Right now, we are not seeing fatalities with monkeypox, which is welcome news (it seems most deaths from this disease are in third-world countries where access to healthcare is more limited).  I will say that while the disease is mostly among men having sex with men, I suspect in time, and much like HIV, that could change with time.

So while I think currently gay men should exercise caution and perhaps seek vaccination, I don't think there is a reason the general public should be worried (at least not at this time).  This outbreak certainly isn't welcome news among the exhausted ranks of public health who were hoping for a bit of a break after having dealt with Covid over the last couple of years. 

[MightyGiants]

Been reading up on it and the CDC says Shingrix is the better alternative to Zostavax. What has me surprised, is that the CDC also says you should get two Shingrix shots 2-6 months apart. Also, if you have shingles, don't get the vaccination at the same time; hence, the reason I have been researching this

Anyway, this site from the CDC is a lot more informative than what I can write: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/shingles/public/shingrix/index.html

If you are going to "do your own research" the CDC is an excellent and definitive site for good information.