A mysterious itchy bump resembling a bug bite started me on a
journey of twists and turns in my complicated shingles saga. I might not even
have known what to look for if my husband, Mike, hadn’t been trying to get a
shingles vaccination, for months. His story is just one of the side notes to
the entire shingles story, but it might have helped me to know what to look for
and to push me to get help early.
Mike’s doctor had been encouraging him to get the shingles
vaccination. Anyone over the age of 60 and who has had chickenpox is encouraged
to get vaccinated against shingles. Shingles lies dormant in your system if you
have had chickenpox and can flair up in people of any age, but particularly
after the age of 60. The guidelines recently changed and now people 50 and
older should have the vaccination.
The symptoms can range from mild to severe with months of debilitating
pain. That is why it’s important to know what to look for and to get
vaccinated.
The vaccination is a live virus, so you cannot be sick
before you get the vaccination. Mike had a series of respiratory illnesses
which delayed his getting the shot. Also, we were told that we had to pay $214
up front and then get reimbursed by Aetna. So, we had to save the money, plus
he had to be well, so he had been talking about shingles for a while, so we
kind of had it on the brain. We have since found out that if you have the shot
at a clinic, Aetna covers it upfront. If it’s done at a pharmacy, you have to
pay first and then get reimbursed. It’s some crazy policy for insurance companies.
As I said, this can be a very complicated endeavor.
Finally, when he was well, I checked with Safeway to see if
he could get the shot. We were told that Safeway was one of the only places to
get the shot. Safeway said that they
couldn’t get the vaccine because of Hurricane Sandy. They couldn’t get the supply. As I said, this entire process has been one
hurdle after another.
Now, back to my story. I was feeling a bit run down. I
noticed a welt, almost like a bug bite on my upper chest. It was itchy and
there was a slight electrical type pain radiating from the bump. The next day,
an extremely bright red rash appeared, like the color of a tomato or apple. It
had white blistery bumps on top the red rash, and it was about the size of half
dollar. I thought that it was just a rash,
but the next day, I felt like something was really wrong and since we had been
talking about shingles so much, I did some research on it. It appeared that my
symptoms matched shingles. I went the CVS minute clinic. The nurse practitioner
diagnosed shingles and started me on antiviral medication. She showed me a
chart of where the shingles might spread and sure enough, they spread exactly
where she said that they would. Apparently, it affects one nerve. The saving
grace here was that I started on the antiviral medication early, which is very
important. The new rash spots were not as severe as the first rash and that is
because of the medication. She asked me to follow up with my regular doctor in
a week.
Mike got his shingles vaccination the day after my
diagnoses.
Shingles is contagious to people who have not had
chickenpox. This happened right before Thanksgiving, so Mike and I spent Thanksgiving
at home, not attending the family gathering. I did not want expose my pregnant niece
and I could not be around my daughter who has a suppressed immune system
because of Crohn’s. As you can see, there are lots of rules with this disease
and lots of variables.
After a week, I saw my regular doctor and she prescribed steroids
to prevent nerve damage. The additional rash spots were not as severe and she
said that was because I started the antiviral medication right away.
After two weeks, I am recovering. The virus has made me very
tired, but hopefully, I will be feeling back to normal soon.
I was very lucky because it could have been a lot worse than
it has been so far. I had many people praying for me. I am not out of the woods
yet, but am optimistic that I over the worst of it, for now. I have heard
stories of people not getting treatment quickly and having a very long illness.
So there are many lessons learned here, but the most important lessons are to
get the shingle vaccination for anyone over 50 who have had chickenpox and if
you suspect that you have shingles, get to the doctor right away and get on the
antiviral medication.
