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Nope, don't have shingles (save for the roofing variety), but this is about ensuring that I never get it (save for the roofing variety).
I previously had a shingles vaccine, but there is a new one which is vastly more effective named Shingrix. It's a two-injection process, the second about 2-6 months after the first. There was a waiting list at my doctor's office until recently but I was called when a slot became available January 31.
The injection itself was a simple process, and my insurance covers it with no copay. What came after was harder.
The injection site on my upper left arm was a bit sore throughout the morning. By the late afternoon, I was feeling flu-like symptoms: congestion, headache, temperature sensitivity and extensive muscle aches everywhere. I worked at the data center until 1am and was really feeling horrid by that time. Since much of the US seems to be overwhelmed with the flu this year, I presumed I finally caught some version of it, especially since a doctor's waiting room filled with sick patients would almost by definition expose me to a variety of flu virus strains.
By the morning though the worst of the symptoms had abated. The congestion was reduced and my temperature sensitivity was back to normal, but my body still ached. By the end of the second day, everything seemed mostly normal again.
It's now been four days and the injection site on my arm is still pressure-sensitive. The rest of me is fine. I'm writing this up as a flu-like reaction to the injection, my immune system ramping up fiercely to counter a perceived threat, as an immunization shot should trigger. I hope the second injection in early April isn't as fierce or uncomfortable.
I previously had a shingles vaccine, but there is a new one which is vastly more effective named Shingrix. It's a two-injection process, the second about 2-6 months after the first. There was a waiting list at my doctor's office until recently but I was called when a slot became available January 31.
The injection itself was a simple process, and my insurance covers it with no copay. What came after was harder.
The injection site on my upper left arm was a bit sore throughout the morning. By the late afternoon, I was feeling flu-like symptoms: congestion, headache, temperature sensitivity and extensive muscle aches everywhere. I worked at the data center until 1am and was really feeling horrid by that time. Since much of the US seems to be overwhelmed with the flu this year, I presumed I finally caught some version of it, especially since a doctor's waiting room filled with sick patients would almost by definition expose me to a variety of flu virus strains.
By the morning though the worst of the symptoms had abated. The congestion was reduced and my temperature sensitivity was back to normal, but my body still ached. By the end of the second day, everything seemed mostly normal again.
It's now been four days and the injection site on my arm is still pressure-sensitive. The rest of me is fine. I'm writing this up as a flu-like reaction to the injection, my immune system ramping up fiercely to counter a perceived threat, as an immunization shot should trigger. I hope the second injection in early April isn't as fierce or uncomfortable.
