Shingrix THIRD DOSE

Hi Laura. Thank you for your sweet concern and kind words. No, i did not get a second opinion but this has been my doctor for several years and i am truly blessed to have him. He's never let me down and he's always a phone call away. Due to the severity of my illness, we are even able to contact him on his private cell, 24/7. There have been many times, over the years, that my husband has had to page him for a hospital admission in the middle of the night. Again, i am blessed.

You are correct that these vaccines are very costly but our insurance has paid for every shot, to include paying for this latest vaccine, even though i've already had it once before. The pharmacy only asked for a prescription, filed it to insurance and it paid 100%. Truthfully, we went in expecting to have to pay something this time but didn't have to. We are hoping it works this time but will keep you posted. You take care and stay well and good luck and prayers on your second shot. Hoping it works for you, friend. 🙏

RONDA

I only hope yiu can tell us that your shingles are gone...forever! DID you get the second round of the shingrex? THAT would be a total of four shots right? Id you did pls tell me how are you doing now!

You also said that you was willing to get the live virus vaccine, zovirax?

Best wishes,

myrna

Hello my friend. I could not forget you. So sorry for my delay responding. I'm sorry to hear about your friend. I will pray for her. How are you doing?

I did get the Shingrix vaccines twice, making it 4 shots total. I already had shingles again when i took this vaccine too, so the days that followed were rough but i was back on my feet in about a week. I was still getting shingles but not as severe and the outbreaks were much shorter. About a month after taking the 4th Shingrix, i went back to have the live vaccine again, Zostavax. Of course, i still had shingles when i took this shot too, like every other shot before but i would NOT advise anyone to take the live vaccine with active shingles, unless they absolutely had to, like in my case. After getting over the last vaccine, my shingles were less and i have only had shingles two times in past month, so we are feeling good about it. I don't regret taking the shots and feel it was still my best shot to get it under control. If nothing else, i can attest that re-taking the shots can be done and also that i DID get faster relief from taking the Zostavax (live virus vaccine). The Shingrix worked wonders the first time but it didn't last. That's the good news.

The many years of recurring shingles has left behind some damage. The virus damaged my 5th cranial nerve and i was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia. After years of fighting the shingles and finally looking like i would win, i turn around and find THIS diagnosis waiting for me. I could almost laugh at the irony if i were not so angry with the whole world. Normal opioid pain meds do not stop this pain, so i have found myself with a medicine cabinet full of meds but none to treat this. I tried the CBD oil and did find some relief but it was taking $170 twice a week to control the pain. I have applied for a "Medical Marijuana" card. I've talked to other people who say it works for both Shingles and Trigeminal Neuralgia, but does not make you high, so we are waiting and hopeful. I'm sorry to share sad news with you, my friend. I hope you are doing well. Missed talking to you. Hugs

~Rhonda

Hi Babs,

Yea, you are correct that you are NOT supposed to get the vaccine, with an active case of shingles and even now, having done it, i would strongly advise that no one do what i had to do because the side effects are severe. Even my own doctor advises against it and if i had another choice, i would not have done it either. Not would my doctor have advised it. But in my case, it was my last option. I've had shingles for past 8 years that began on my hip and came back frequently. But 5 years ago, the shingles began to happen in other parts on my right side, to include my right eye, which was the worst. Long story short, after many hospital stays, over 140 outbreaks and shingles becoming near constant, with no breaks in between, i had to eventually take the vaccine, while shingles was active because the shingles was doing constant damage to my fifth cranial nerve.

I did take the Zostavax vaccine too but i had already had shingles many times before i ever had it the vaccine. Because i was only in my mid 40's, no one would give the Zostavax vaccine to me because i was too young, according to CDC recommended age. If i had gotten that vaccine years earlier, my quality of life would have been much better then and i would not be facing so much pain today. Despite the lawsuits, Zostavax did give me some relief, so i am desperate to try anything at this point. Basically, Shingrix gave me most relief but it was short-lived. Zostavax gave me less relief than Shingrix but it DID last longer. Out of options now and i will try anything.

Actually Zostavax is a LIVE vaccine/virus, much like the old measles vaccine, that actually give you a small case of measles and thereafter you SHOULD be immune to measles.

Shingrix is NOT a live vaccine/virus, so it's safer for people with low immune systems. Also, because the Zostavax was a live virus/vaccine, it meant that anyone who had already had shingles in the past, needed to be shingle free before taking the Zostavax.

Shingrix NOT being a live virus/vaccine, meant people who had previous shingles outbreaks COULD still have the vaccine, without a waiting period.

But it is still CDC recommended, that you NOT get either one of these vaccines, while you currently have active shingles. And this CDC recommendation is correct and well-advised. I do not regret doing it myself because i had no other choice but i still would NOT recommend it to ANYONE else, unless it's their last option. Neither would my doctor. I knew the risks going into it and it WAS my LAST and ONLY option left.

...To clarify a statement i made in my last reply to you, the old Zostavax vaccine recommended you to be shingle free for a FULL six months, BEFORE getting the Zostavax vaccine.

Thanks for your detailed replies. I've got several things working against me so I apologize for my curt previous responses.I'm out of town using my iPad and since this website's update it doesn't "play nice" with it so it is a real hassle to use, I'm dealing gab memory and cognitive issues due to my PHN and I had a typo regarding live viruses and the two vaccines. I do know which uses which. You sound like a very thoughtful, informed person doing the best you can with an untenable situation. I've read of too many people who blindly try things, not realizing the risks. I hope something does help. You're a brave, positive person. Good luck.

No worries, friend. I did not take offense to anything you said : )

Sorry to hear you also suffer. The PHN, in itself, is so miserable. I'm sorry. Thanks for the vote of confidence. Yes, i have ready many stories, with many suggestions that i would not try myself either. But i did get some great advice from this site though, especially from a nurse on here, named "Merry".

I have been blessed to have found a wonderful doctor who cares about his clients and takes a personal interest in his patients. I did try different specialists, naturalists, nutritionists and everyone in neuro.....you name it. But my current doctor is a true God-send and has been in this fight with me for several years now. I'm sure your own experience with shingles has shown you that it NEVER happens at a convenient time. For this reason, we have my doctor's private cellphone and he is a phonecall away 24/7, so everything we do is with his supervision. He was as nervous as we were with this latest move. The first few days were rough but i'm back at home now and taking it easy, hoping rough days are over.

Thank you kindly for your concern. Very sweet of you. I sincerely hope that you are having luck with your own treatment. Please feel free to reach out anytime you need a friend : )

I agree, friend that Merry is a real sweetheart. She advised me to try the Famcyclovir, after i had been on Acyclovir 3000 mg every day, 365 days a year, for over 5 years. Her advice came just in time, as the Acyclovir had built up to toxic levels in my body and was causing severe seizures. Taking Merry's advice enabled my doctor's to immediately pull me off the Acyclovir but still have a therapeutic level of anti-viral in my system, since i was already taking the Famcyclovir.

Sorry you are having trouble with the PHN. Do hot or cold compresses help you at all? Most people on here and elsewhere, say they use cold compresses always but cold VERY painfully lights me up like a Christmas tree. I didn't understand this for a long time but since my pain is coming from mostly from Trigeminal damage, instead of PHN, the hot hot hot compresses, heating pads and heated rice socks bring me more relief than cold. Hope you get to feeling better soon.

Hey Patricia. I'm so sorry, friend. I can relate to the depression and disappointment, having the shot let you down. I felt the very same feelings. I just wanted to crawl in the bed and stay there. Wanted to tell everyone just to leave me alone and i recall my spirit was so tired that i didn't even want to talk about it to anyone. It has been a rough go of it, since having the vaccine again, two weeks ago. Like a single day felt like several. The shingles have left me with the Trigeminal Neuralgia, from which there is no medication that gives relief from the pain.

I do have some news though, that i wasn't going to share with anyone until i knew for sure if what i was doing, was going to bring relief or not. But then i saw your message here and you sounded exactly like me a week ago, at the lowest point in my entire existence and didn't even want to even hope for hope. Since my last posting on here, i went outside the realm of normal medicine and i am NOW trying something that i thought i NEVER would consider trying, but out of desperation, i was ready to try anything. I will follow through with repeating the second Shingrix vaccine in February but i am actually having amazing success with something else, than i ever had with conventional meds. Crazy as it sounds...i'm now using CBD Oil "Cannabinoid" oil. Yes, from the marijuana plant. It has no THC, so you dont get high but i'm not only gettimg relief from the PHN but also the impossible, i'm getting nearly complete relief from Trigeminal Neuralgia pain. It only lasts for 2-3 hours at a time and I have to take more, but those few hours are like a new life. It tastes awful but i don't care. I don't do drugs but i would have done mist anything for relief and have found it...no lie.

The CBD oil is legal in all 50 states but it's not FDA regulated, so there's ALOT of hype, false advertising, hype and outright lies from people selling it. There's alot of confusing info out there that takes deep research to even understand their double talk sales pitch. But after ALOT of research and trial and error, i have found a good one that i can live with the price, being only $179 a month. To save you my large dose of confusion, i will just tell you the specifics that i ordered. Apparently, there's a difference between CBD oil and "PURE" CBD oil and the mg listed on the bottles are confusing people because if it says 1000 mg or 3000 mg or 240 mg....it's talking about mg in that whole bottle. Crazy nuts, i know! It's from MEDTERRA, all natural, 3000 mg, in 30 ml bottle is a month supply that someone in SEVERE pain would need. That's ME. But NO drowsiness or nausea or feeling hungover and just wanting to lay around with this. It does NOT make you high at all...zero high. But it does take away the pain. ALL the pain. You just have to get your dose right but since this stuff is all natural and it takes like 25,000 mg, to overdose, it's almost impossible. Only thing is that since it's not yet FDA regulated, ANYTHING you research to take with it, the info says it might not work well together. Like for instance...research online said NOT to take it with my Amitriptyline, Clonazepam or Dilaudid. Well, i don't need Dilaudid if this CBD oil takes away the pain. And same for Amitriptyline. As for Clonazepam, that's for my seizures, so i can't just come off that but since this stuff was originally approved for seizures, i'm hopeful. So far, i've had NO problems, using the oil during the day and with 25 mg Amitriptyline and my Clonazepam at night. I've tried the Koi Naturals oil and the NuLeaf and now the MEDTERRA. Koi was the weakest but i still had pain relief, felt more awake and had no side effects. MEDTERRA is best, since it's pure, so i only take about 10 drops, twice a day. Hardest thing about ALL this was getting past all the hype and false advertising and misleading info out there but at my time of desperation, i was willing to try anything. I am doing well but i got lucky, so PLEASE use MORE caution than i did, friend.

I made this initial move without my doctor but brought my doctor into the situation the following day. Please see your doctor BEFORE you make any changes.

I freely admit that i WOULD NOT have felt so free to try this, if i were on heart meds or blood pressure meds or diabetic. I mean, i would probably still try it but with a whole lot more caution than what I am using now. So PLEASE don't follow anything i suggest without having your doctor approve it. Truthfully, i'm feeling great and i actually have energy, not feeling like i usually do, too tired to even sit up or go anywhere. I'm oddly awake and out of pain.

Like i said before, i was holding back saying anything on here, till i knew more but your message sounded just like me, so sad. So please don't give up. I know you are tired and sick and tired of being sick and tired but we WILL get through this.

❤TOGETHER❤

Sorry Patricia. I have responded to you but for some odd reason, my response is being "moderated". Hopefully, it will be released soon. You hang in there girl and take care of yourself. You are not alone 🙏