shingles, anyone??

[Howie]

Gosh Cat, in football, there's a penalty called "piling on". I would say you are the victim of that. That's just too many things at one time. You're not just showing off are you? You get better soon, I know folks here are wishing you well. I know.....I'm one of them.

[SalpalSally]

"Soldier on" 'eh, easy for Doc to say. My shingles were on my face and head.
Thank heavens they didn't get into my eyes. I took Valtrex n Vicodin. The combo
caused me to vomit..ugh! I had it in my early 60s. DD had it in her teens and then
developed MS in her early 30s. There's that old Herpes Virus again?????

[agate]

Take a medicine to fix one problem, and then the medicine causes new problems. You can't win sometimes. Let's hope there will be some light at the end of this tunnel, and soon.

Hard to keep your strength up and keep on eating right when you have diarrhea. I suppose anything you could take for the diarrhea would cause some problems too but maybe one of those remedies like Kaopectate?

[Fig]

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. I got the shingles vaccine and I advise everyone to get it. It prevents you from
getting this horror.

[agate]

Hi Fig,
The shingles vaccine is often a good idea but for some people with MS it's not advisable. It's a live vaccine, and for someone with a weakened immune system that's not so good.

[Howie]

You know, I've never thought that MS is a weakened immune system. I think we have really strong immune systems, just misguided into attacking our own nervous systems. I NEVER get a cold or get sick in any way...knock on wood. Being an obsessive hand washer helps.

[agate]

I think it's only some people with MS who have weakened immune systems--those who've had immunosuppressant drugs, for instance

[Cherie]

So sorry to hear this. Not pleasant! I have had shingles three times and we were always told in nursing school that you could only get them once.

Now that we have Gilenya on the market as an MS drug, people are tested for herpes zoster virus prior to getting started on treatment and it is recommended that if there are no antibodies, they get a zoster vaccine. My PCP and neurologist both thought that the shingles vaccine was appropriate for adults rather than the chickenpox vaccine. My PCP looked up the dose and determined that the dose of virus in the shingles vaccine was 42x that of the chickenpox vaccine. I brought this to the forum of MS nurses under the IOMSN (International Organization of Multiple Sclerosis Nurses) and several said that in immunocompromised adults (those with MS,)they would NEVER give the shingles vaccine but only give one dose of the chickenpox vaccine (2 doses routine) to a person with MS so as not to institute a reaction that would culminate in Shingles or herpes encephalitis which can kill a person with an immune system deficit. Will copy and paste dialogue with the nurses if anyone really feels they need it for documentation.

[agate]

For what it's worth, the National MS Society has this to say about the shingles vaccine:

Shingles vaccine (Zostavax®). A live-virus vaccine to prevent shingles. MS neurologists do not recommend live-virus vaccines for people with MS because these vaccines can lead to an increase in disease activity. However, Zostavax is an exception because most people have had chicken pox earlier in their lives and therefore already have the virus in their bodies. Each person needs to discuss the potential benefits and risks of this vaccine with her or his healthcare provider.

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[ssusan]

Youch! Sorry to hear this, Cat. I had one shingle (a very mild case a few years ago. Very uncomfortable. My neuro at MS clinic had me get vaccine right away to ward off future recurrence. I did get vaccine. I thought it bizarre then since I had it but now really perplexed given the live virus discussion.

It's also really expensive. I don't remember why but it was at least a few hundred dollars. Maybe I had reached the donut hole or...it wasn't covered.

[Cat Dancer]

I didn't know there was a vaccine, so didn't ask about it. The nurse practitioner who treated me didn't mention it, but then she was too busy treating what I had! Anyway, most all the blisters have opened up, leaving flaky dry skin, cherry red. Most of the intense nerve pain is gone, too. So now it looks ugly but doesn't hurt, just itchy like a bad sunburn with peeling skin. One more day of the medication and that's done. Another chapter in the days of my pitiful life :)

[agate]

So maybe it's running its course and that will be the end of that particular plague. Let's hope this will be the last of these torments that have been trying you to the limit.

ssusan, I had the shingles vaccine some years ago and it was covered. I was aware that there were some questions about giving it to people with MS but went ahead anyway because I most definitely did not want shingles. The vaccine doesn't seem to have done me any harm.

[ssusan]

Jeanie, I think I had just reached the donut hole.

I asked a friend who is a physician although not an MS specialist, she didn't think the live virus would be an issue because if you had had chicken pox and/or shingles, you already have the virus in your system.

[Cat Dancer]

Now I'm dealing with intense itching. The blisters are gone but the whole area is one intense itch. I wake up at night and I'm scratching myself raw. I was almost in tears this afternoon because even after using two different analgesic creams I still had the intense itch. I'm trying not to scratch but.... I so hope I get some relief soon!

[Lazarus]

Ouch! dirty rotten rasa frat?! What is that expression? Whatever it is it does seem to fit your shingles!