So it turns out my body just hates vaccines. The Covid jab hit me harder than actual Covid, and yesterday I got the shingles vaccine (yay 50s!) and this morning I feel like I got run over by a truck. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@stevebrady A decade or two ago, I went to a pharmacy to get the shingles vaccine. I sat for a very long time while they tried to determine whether my insurance would cover it. It turned out that my insurance would not cover it, but I had a friend who had recently gone through shingles and was willing to pay quite a bit to avoid it. “Quite a bit” turned out to mean $400, which I agreed to pay.
After the shot, they told me it decreased my odds of getting shingles by 50%. For $400, I wanted a gilt-edged guarantee. (I understand that a new vaccine generation is more effective than that.
@stevebrady I got the Shingrix vaccine last year and it also hit me hard, especially on the second day. Like @ReaderJohn I wasn’t covered, but it was a bet I was glad to make - even if vaccinated people eventually get shingles, chances are it won’t be as bad as if they didn’t get the vaccine in the first place.
@chrisfoley I have a chronic illness, I had shingles in my 20s, I still have damage from it and my terrible (US-based) insurance at the time (in the 90s) denied coverage of the anti-viral because they like to blame things that people need anti-virals for on the people.
@anniegreens I’ve known several people who had shingles in addition to Bell’s palsy, and they had a terrible time with it. My GP spelled out the exact stats for each of the vaccines that are currently offered. I was thankful for the info and got Shingrix last September. A couple of days feeling miserable is nothing compared to the actual risk of getting shingles.
That being said, I hope that you’re fully recovered from your bout in the 90s, and that you never have to experience it again!
@anniegreens a thread relevant to my interests. I had shingles about 15 years ago; felt like a heart attack. Fortunately no long-term effects (that I know of). Planning to get the vaccine next week, and expect it to be unfun for a day, but better than the real thing again.
@ReaderJohn Its a 2 shot cycle now with the second shot coming 3-6 months afterward. 90+% protection though!
@stevebrady I had a bad reaction to the Shingrix shot. It knocked me out for all but an hour or two a day for two days. On the other hand, I had essentially no side effects to any of my Covid shots.
@stevebrady I had similar side effects with the COVID boosters. Not a big deal, I just don’t plan anything for the next day or two.