Vaccines

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Mountaineer
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Re: Vaccines

Post by Mountaineer » Sat Nov 16, 2019 6:33 am

MangoMan wrote:
Fri Nov 15, 2019 9:03 pm
I am almost 60 so not on Medicare. Blue Cross considers Shingrix a wellness benefit so it is covered 100% with no deductible. If you have ever had chicken pox, you are at shingles risk, and I know people who have had it and said it was horrible.

If you go to the pharmacy of any major retailer when they are not busy, the wait time for whatever vaccines they offer is minimal. Flu shots are 'free' only because every insurance company, medicare and medicaid cover it. If you are without insurance, they will charge you around $ 35
A person I know very well had shingles (after having both the original and Shringrix vaccinations several years apart) but supposedly the case was much milder than it would have been w/o vaccination according to the physician. The breakout sites were in the mouth, which took quite a while to diagnose (two dentists and two physicians over a couple weeks) as that is a rare place to develop shingles, and lower back. A consequence of the shingles in the mouth, according to the dentist, was two teeth developed "dying" nerves and required root canals. The back pain took several months to go away. Another person I knew got the breakout around one eye ... almost went blind. Anecdotes yes, but something to consider. The anecdotes are to express my agreement with MangoMan's comment about shingles being horrible. My wife and I did not hesitate, and suggest others not hesitate if you are old enough, to get vaccinated; the downside risk appears to be far, far less than the consequences resulting from a shingles attack.
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Re: Vaccines

Post by l82start » Sat Nov 16, 2019 6:57 am

question? if you had chicken pox as a kid then shingles as a young adult, have you become immune to shingles?
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Re: Vaccines

Post by l82start » Sat Nov 16, 2019 8:45 am

good to know...
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Re: Vaccines

Post by WiseOne » Sat Nov 16, 2019 9:07 am

I got my flu shot which is pretty much a job requirement for me.

Since the vaccine has to be made up before the flu starts spreading, it's always a bit of a guessing game as to which antigens are circulating. This year there was a big miss. know several people who have got the flu already despite being vaccinated.

Definitely focus on prevention this year. Flu is no joke when you're older.

(Maddy - so glad you had no problems with that barbed-wire episode! One more attempt to plead with you to get a tetanus shot? Whooping cough is starting to come back so not a terrible thing to get the combined shot anyway.)
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Re: Vaccines

Post by vnatale » Sat Nov 16, 2019 10:12 am

MangoMan wrote:
Fri Nov 15, 2019 9:03 pm
I am almost 60 so not on Medicare. Blue Cross considers Shingrix a wellness benefit so it is covered 100% with no deductible. If you have ever had chicken pox, you are at shingles risk, and I know people who have had it and said it was horrible.

If you go to the pharmacy of any major retailer when they are not busy, the wait time for whatever vaccines they offer is minimal. Flu shots are 'free' only because every insurance company, medicare and medicaid cover it. If you are without insurance, they will charge you around $ 35
I have had chicken pox (I think!). I remember the big 3 when I was a child was: measles, mumps, chicken pox. I know I had two of the three. And, I seem to remember it was the last two, "missing out" on the measles.

And, I have heard that you don't want to get shingles!

At your age how many more times for the rest of your life do you think you'll need to get a shingles vaccine shot?

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Vaccines

Post by vnatale » Sat Nov 16, 2019 12:09 pm

MangoMan wrote:
Sat Nov 16, 2019 11:10 am
It is a 2 vaccine series, a couple of months apart. Pretty sure it's one and done.
For life?

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Vaccines

Post by jacksonm2 » Sun Nov 17, 2019 10:19 am

Mountaineer wrote:
Sat Nov 16, 2019 6:33 am
A person I know very well had shingles (after having both the original and Shringrix vaccinations several years apart) but supposedly the case was much milder than it would have been w/o vaccination according to the physician. The breakout sites were in the mouth, which took quite a while to diagnose (two dentists and two physicians over a couple weeks) as that is a rare place to develop shingles, and lower back. A consequence of the shingles in the mouth, according to the dentist, was two teeth developed "dying" nerves and required root canals. The back pain took several months to go away. Another person I knew got the breakout around one eye ... almost went blind. Anecdotes yes, but something to consider. The anecdotes are to express my agreement with MangoMan's comment about shingles being horrible. My wife and I did not hesitate, and suggest others not hesitate if you are old enough, to get vaccinated; the downside risk appears to be far, far less than the consequences resulting from a shingles attack.
Got shingles 2 years ago last month and yes it is awful. Mine was in the left arm and shoulder and I found nothing that provided anything more than mild relief for the pain. And then there was the constant itching which drove me crazy due to lack of sleep. All in all, the whole episode lasted about 2 months but for a lot of people, myself included, that's not the end of the story. There is something call PHN (post hepatic nueralgia) which can linger afterward for as long as the rest of your life. Mine has been gradually decreasing and is almost gone so I'm confident I won't be in the latter group.

I believe what brought my case on was a weakened immune system due to severe jetlag on a trip to Australia, followed with catching a very bad cold from being 8 days in a car with a child sneezing and coughing on me the whole time. That had been my second bad cold that year so my immune system was probably still in recovery from that. I'm no doctor but according to what I've read, it is believed that this can be what cases the virus, which has been tucked away and isolated somewhere in a nerve from chicken pox, to be set free. And obviously it's pissed off from being restrained for all those years.
Last edited by jacksonm2 on Mon Nov 18, 2019 7:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Vaccines

Post by dualstow » Sun Nov 17, 2019 10:31 am

My Dad had it. Shingles sounds absolutely horrible, and somehow your last line made me smile.
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Re: Vaccines

Post by WiseOne » Sun Nov 17, 2019 10:48 am

dualstow wrote:
Sun Nov 17, 2019 10:31 am
My Dad had it. Shingles sounds absolutely horrible, and somehow your last line made me smile.
My parents both had it. It is awful, and sometimes causes serious issues like hearing loss if it affects the ear, long-standing pain etc. Hope yours completely recovered? Anyway it's a blessing that people who got the vaccine before they could contract chicken pox won't have to worry about shingles.

Slight nitpick, the virus lives in nerve cells in the spinal cord or brainstem, not blood vessels. The linear distribution follows the dermatome innervated by the guilty nerve root. I guess this is nice to know because you know it won't spread beyond that, unless there are other nerve roots involved.
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Re: Vaccines

Post by jacksonm2 » Sun Nov 17, 2019 10:58 am

WiseOne wrote:
Sun Nov 17, 2019 10:48 am
dualstow wrote:
Sun Nov 17, 2019 10:31 am
My Dad had it. Shingles sounds absolutely horrible, and somehow your last line made me smile.
My parents both had it. It is awful, and sometimes causes serious issues like hearing loss if it affects the ear, long-standing pain etc. Hope yours completely recovered? Anyway it's a blessing that people who got the vaccine before they could contract chicken pox won't have to worry about shingles.

Slight nitpick, the virus lives in nerve cells in the spinal cord or brainstem, not blood vessels. The linear distribution follows the dermatome innervated by the guilty nerve root. I guess this is nice to know because you know it won't spread beyond that, unless there are other nerve roots involved.
Yes, I remember reading that it was in a nerve, not a vein, so thanks for the correction. Honestly, I don't really know the difference though.
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Re: Vaccines

Post by dualstow » Sun Nov 17, 2019 3:49 pm

WiseOne, yes, he fully recovered in the sense that he didn’t go blind or anything like that. I think he mostly had it on his back, and he still has feelings of “electricity” on his chest from time to time.
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Re: Vaccines

Post by Maddy » Mon Nov 18, 2019 5:43 am

jacksonm2 wrote:
Sun Nov 17, 2019 10:58 am
Yes, I remember reading that it was in a nerve, not a vein, so thanks for the correction. Honestly, I don't really know the difference though.
No big difference. . . That's why WiseOne does vascular surgery on the weekends.
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Re: Vaccines

Post by dualstow » Mon Nov 18, 2019 7:09 am

I saw two relevant news items, both about measles.

(1) Germany is now imposing a fine of something like US$2,700 on those who don’t get their kids vaccinated.

(2) Measles makes your immune system “forget”. I think that means it messes with its ability to create the right antibodies.

I’ll add the sources and details later.
—————————-
EDIT:
(1) $2,800 - https://apple.news/AG0ia7O-JSFWLPnUk97EyQg
(2)
Measles not only weakens your immune system in the short term, bouts with the virus seem to wipe your immune system's memory, causing the body to forget how to fight off things that you may have already conquered. For some people, this so-called immune amnesia may linger for months to years after an infection.
source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/scie ... e-amnesia/
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Re: Vaccines

Post by WiseOne » Mon Nov 18, 2019 7:42 am

Wow, I didn't know about the immune amnesia effect. (I'm not an infectious disease specialist after all...also not a vascular surgeon or I would be too busy earning a million dollar salary to be posting on this forum!!!)

I went through a self-assessment exam (for board qualification) over the weekend, and there were a few questions about neurological complications of measles. First time I've ever seen that. The message "get ready, here it comes" has definitely been filtering through the medical community.
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Re: Vaccines

Post by vnatale » Mon Jan 27, 2020 10:31 pm

I'd written earlier (above):

"Since I'm on zero medication I've chosen the least monthly cost Medicare drug plan, which of course offers the least coverage.

I think the shingles vaccine was, therefore, going to be in the neighborhood of $300 or $400 for me to get it?

Again, I can afford it and it would not ever dent my lifestyle but I've not yet got it. I think my doctor was talking to me about getting it just about the time a new version was just coming out?"

After reading all that many of you subsequently wrote, I decided U should get the shingles vaccine in 2020.

I asked my doctor's office what was the name of the vaccine and was given a name. However, when I went to select my Medicare Drug plan for 2020 (at the last minute and late at night when no one insurance companies were answering their phones on December 14, 2019) I could not find that vaccine on any provider's lists so as to determine which plan would be the best option. So, I left it that I'd do without it for yet one more year and get it in 2021 after I found out what to look for in the Medicare drug plans.

Anyone here know the specific item I am supposed to look for in the Medicare drug plans?

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Vaccines

Post by Mountaineer » Tue Jan 28, 2020 6:01 am

The newest shingles vaccine that my wife and I received was "Shingrix".

https://www.shingrix.com/index.html

https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/shingles-shots
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Re: Vaccines

Post by vnatale » Tue Jan 28, 2020 6:57 am

Mountaineer wrote:
Tue Jan 28, 2020 6:01 am
The newest shingles vaccine that my wife and I received was "Shingrix".

https://www.shingrix.com/index.html

https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/shingles-shots
Thanks for the quick response. Shingrix was the name my doctor's office gave me (and, I actually remembered it last night).

However, when I again start the process, I don't know how to answer the following questions (pictured below). It seems like the questions are oriented towards a drug that one is taking on a regular basis rather than something which is a one time event?

Vinny
Capture.JPG
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Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Vaccines

Post by Mountaineer » Tue Jan 28, 2020 6:57 pm

MangoMan wrote:
Tue Jan 28, 2020 6:52 am
Mountaineer wrote:
Tue Jan 28, 2020 6:01 am
The newest shingles vaccine that my wife and I received was "Shingrix".

https://www.shingrix.com/index.html

https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/shingles-shots
Yep. That is the one I just received. Although they told me if it wasn't covered it would only be around $100 for each of the 2 doses. Vinny, check with Walgreens or CVS or whatever is in your area. They both administer the injection and it might be less that what your MD charges.
Yes to that suggestion. We got ours at an Acme supermarket pharmacy. They did all the insurance checking, showed us the data, etc. Vinny, Don’t be too anal about the cost. Risk has two components- probability of contracting shingles, and severity if you do. The second is bad enough to overwhelm the first, and to ignore costs of injections for all practical purposes. Suggest you talk to some people who have had shingles, it is not something you want to experience if at all possible. I t can be HORRIBLE! My two cents.
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Re: Vaccines

Post by Tortoise » Wed Jan 29, 2020 3:02 pm

I actually got shingles when I was only 20, in college right after final exams one winter. The stress and my weird sleep schedule must have weakened my immune system.

It was only a thin, 3-inch long rash on my side, so I was probably lucky it wasn’t much worse.

Very weird to think about how a virus can be tucked away in different places in our bodies, just biding its time before it’s able to launch another assault on the body in the distant future... or never.
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Re: Vaccines

Post by Mountaineer » Wed Jan 29, 2020 3:30 pm

Tortoise wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 3:02 pm
I actually got shingles when I was only 20, in college right after final exams one winter. The stress and my weird sleep schedule must have weakened my immune system.

It was only a thin, 3-inch long rash on my side, so I was probably lucky it wasn’t much worse.

Very weird to think about how a virus can be tucked away in different places in our bodies, just biding its time before it’s able to launch another assault on the body in the distant future... or never.
The HORRIBLE comment I made above was due to my great aunt. Got shingles on her face very close to her eye. Came very, very close to going blind. Wife had it on her side/back and weirdly in her mouth (the shingles killed nerves in a tooth and she subsequently had to have a root canal). She had a lot of trouble sleeping. Lasted months. Hope the Shingrix vaccine prevents a recurrence, or at least minimizes the severity, i.e. the pain, and maybe duration if it comes back. So far, so good.
DNA has its own language (code), and language requires intelligence. There is no known mechanism by which matter can give birth to information, let alone language. It is unreasonable to believe the world could have happened by chance.
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