Anyone had the shingles vaccine?

**Grace** · 07-20-2009, 03:35 PM

I'm getting mine tomorrow. Interesting - Medicare does not pay for this, and it is pricey - a bit over $200.

So for any of you out there, that have had chickenpox, and are under 65, go get it now.

Fortunately for me, my MD's office will by-pass Medicare and sent the bill directly to my secondary provider.

So much for socialized medicine

**pomtzu** · 07-20-2009, 04:43 PM

I never knew there was vaccine against shingles. But I've never had chickenpox so I guess I don't have to worry about getting it.

**lvpets2002** · 07-20-2009, 04:43 PM

Same Here..

Originally Posted by pomtzu

I never knew there was vaccine against shingles. But I've never had chickenpox so I guess I don't have to worry about getting it.

**lizbud** · 07-20-2009, 05:02 PM

Are you sure your secondary provider will pay for it? I never had
chicken pox so I guess I won't be getting the vac. I have heard that
Shingles is very painful.

**Medusa** · 07-20-2009, 05:21 PM

Too late for me. I've had shingles and it was painful. Ellie, my ex-husband never had chicken pox either until he was well into adulthood. I can't begin to tell you how bad of a case he got. He was sick for a month. Is there a chicken pox vaccine or are they one and the same seeing that they're the same virus?

**Grace** · 07-20-2009, 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by lizbud

Are you sure your secondary provider will pay for it? I never had
chicken pox so I guess I won't be getting the vac. I have heard that
Shingles is very painful.

I spoke with a gal in billing this afternoon, and she told me that is what they do. My secondary provider was begun by my former employer and the clinic I use - so I'm figuring she knows what she's talking about.

Originally Posted by Medusa

Too late for me. I've had shingles and it was painful. Ellie, my ex-husband never had chicken pox either until he was well into adulthood. I can't begin to tell you how bad of a case he got. He was sick for a month. Is there a chicken pox vaccine or are they one and the same seeing that they're the same virus?

There is a chicken pox vaccine - been around for around 20 years, I think.

And anyone who has never had chicken pox will not get shingles. The shingles vaccine does not come with a 100% guarantee - but at least if I should get shingles, it would not be near as severe after getting the vaccine.

Chicken pox in as adult can be tragic. I once took care of a 35 year old woman who had Herpes Encephalitis secondary to the chicken pox she got from her kids.

**pomtzu** · 07-21-2009, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by Medusa

Too late for me. I've had shingles and it was painful. Ellie, my ex-husband never had chicken pox either until he was well into adulthood. I can't begin to tell you how bad of a case he got. He was sick for a month. Is there a chicken pox vaccine or are they one and the same seeing that they're the same virus?

At my age, I doubt I'll ever get chicken pox. When both my sons had it, I was in my 20's, and just held my breath and hoped for the best. I thought for sure I would catch it one of those times, but never did.
The only thing I ever had as a kid, was mumps and measles, and that was before there was a vaccine against either. Both kids received those vaccines tho, and in spite of it, my older son did come down with the measles, which got traced to a bad batch of the vaccine.