When I had shingles, I had a period of INTENSE pain before the rash showed up. It was so bad I wondered if I had acute pancreatitis or liver cancer. It felt like organ pain, not skin pain. A few days later I decided to go to the ER because I was hurting so bad. When I was changing from PJs to clothes (it was after midnight) I saw the rash and instantly knew what it was. I was so relieved to know it was “only” shingles!
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Ugh. You guys are making me want the shingles shot so badly, but I have almost 18 months to go. I’m super paranoid that I’ll get shingles when I’m 49 and 11 months.
H did hear that if a doctor prescribes it, you can get it earlier, but I don’t have a PCP and I’m not sure if insurance would pay for it early. And at this point, I may as well wait until I’m 50. It might be my 50th bday present.
My second Shingrix vaccination left me with lingering side effects. The day after receiving my second shot, my knees were swollen, stiff and tender when I got out of bed. The swelling eventually went down after 3-4 days, but I was left with inflammation in both knees that got very bad over the next 2-2.5 months. (Bad enough the pain would wake me at night or prevent me from falling asleep, Bad enough I had difficulty walking & keeping my balance while standing.) My D–who is a physician and whom I was visiting when this was at its worst --put me high dose (prescription strength) ibruprofen to “break the cycle of inflammation”. Six months after that vaccination, my knees still aren’t right. Pain, stiffness and a restricted range of motion. My PCP sent me for X-rays and a MRI. There is no physical damage to the joints (no tendon or ligament tears, no damage to the meniscus, no bone chips or spurs) that would cause my symptoms, so it’s probably just lingering inflammation.
My PCP did note that joint inflammation is a lesser known but relatively common side effects of any vaccination, but it rarely lasts this long.
You could always get a quote for the cost and decide if you want to self pay for the vaccines. I understand the worry!
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just step into your local Rx and give them your Rx card adn ask if Shingrix is covered and if not, what it would be to pay out of pocket…$100 may be worth it to allay your concerns.
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Last I checked, Shingrix was about $160 to $200 per shot (need two).
In terms of price, Costco < WalMart < everywhere else.
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Shingles is one of those things that appears later in life with depressed immune system vs getting it when young, hence the 50 year age requirement.
My 29 year old S has had it twice (and he has had chicken pox twice). It will be interesting to see how the vaccine is used as time goes on.
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There is no such thing as “pro-vax”. There is the antivaxx cult, ignorance, and everything else.
What next? “Pro-Gravity”? “Pro-Oxygen”? “Pro-Water”?
“Pro-vax”, my foot.
Vaccines have been proven to work, just like the antivaxxers have been proven to be selfish and wrong.
The reason that people in “red” states or counties are reluctant to get vaccines has to do with a massive campaign of disinformation, which was amplified by the antivaxxer cult.
Israel has proven, beyond any doubt, that the vaccines work and are safe. There is a reason that the many people who subscribe to the COVID vaccine conspiracy theories also subscribe to QAnon theories like the Jewish Space Lasers. Some of these antisemitic narratives seem to have been invented specifically to discredit the success of the vaccines in Israel.
Also, equating “didn’t get a vaccine” with “anti-vax” is yet another antivaxx illusion.
The vast majority of people agree that the flu vaccines work, yet more than half do not get them. People are lazy and/or busy, and will rarely go out of their way to engage in something that is even slightly unpleasant, if it is even somewhat inconvenient.
If vaccines become a requirement to be allowed into concerts, shows, and other locations, and if politicians cared enough about the health of their constituents to make access to vaccines easier and more convenient, we would see much higher rates of vaccination.
In Israel, the numbers really started dropping around the time that about 55% were with one shot, and 45% were fully vaccinated. I expect that we may start seeing drops in New England and in states like New Mexico soon
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Ran into a friend yesterday who told me she is “waiting” to get the vaccine. After talking for a few minutes, I figured out that she actually has no plans to get it. She cited a history of odd reactions to various medications (not vaccines, though) so she just isn’t comfortable with it. IDK - I don’t tolerate a lot of meds either, but I was fully vaccinated as soon as I had an opportunity.
This is not a political thing or misinformation or a “theory” for her. She has long been like this. She has decent insurance coverage through her employer but has never been one for preventative care. Different point of view for sure.
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I think that for many, they don’t see the connection between the way we’ve been living for the past year and their part in it.
Ehhh, I’ll let other people do this. Like it’s a minor irritation.
I really think that for many, they are going to punt until it affects things they want to do. If airlines decide to show proof of vaccine to fly. Or they want to go to a concert. Or a cruise.
I think our world has changed. No one wants to be inconvenienced. And I’m not sure if our country will be able to make it inconvenient for those who don’t want to be vaccinated.
It’s not about rights either.
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I personally support vaccination. But I don’t know how this vaccine works and how many times it needs to be done.
My neighbor also doesn’t know how the vaccine works. But, unlike me, he is categorically against vaccination and agitates not to do it to everyone who communicates with him
I completely agree. It’s like someone I used to work with who didn’t get flu shots because she would let other people get them.
What puzzles me about the friend I talked with yesterday is that her H has had serious heart disease. Not sure why she isn’t more concerned about HIS risk.
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Over the past year I’ve read a handful of stories talking about the Spanish flu. Humans haven’t changed a bit. The whole range of humanity and how they reacted to the pandemic was identical back then. The only difference really is we have better medical care now making it easier for people to survive.
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I have a friend who doesn’t want it because she doesn’t want to be told what to do. Umm, OK! Do you stop at stop signs?
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Yikes! And people pay a lot of money for their kids to attend this school? Anyone know what their enrollment is? To each their own I guess, but I sure wouldn’t want my kids “educated” at a place like it:
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Bizarre! You’re right…to each their own.
I googled them. Their website says, “almost 300 students” from pre-school to middle school, so roughly 11 years worth age-wise (assuming pre-school starts at age 3) or a little less than 30 per year if they average out.
Now I’m wondering if enrollment will go up or down due to their weird take on it all (not just anti-vax, but some very odd things they believe about it).
ETA: No surprise that the school is anti-vax to start with, so they probably won’t lose any students, but their claim about Covid vaxes is still way out of line and nowhere near the “health freedom” they claim to have on this page:
"Your son or daughter may not be able to attend their first day of school until they are fully vaccinated. While these regulations were established to help protect all children, the amount of unknown risks associated with vaccinations will have you seriously second-guessing whether this policy should be upheld.
Rather than helping children’s immune systems, there is a large belief in the United States that the excess of mandatory vaccines is actually damaging them. In fact, in the past 20 years, U.S. statistics prove that children are experiencing doubled rates of Attention Deficit Disorder and learning disabilities, doubled rates of asthma, tripled rates of diabetes, and a rise in autism in every single state at the rate of 600 percent.
…
At CA we believe in health freedom. We know that every child and family at our school is unique. There is no one size fits all to vaccines."
https://centneracademy.com/medical-freedom-from-mandated-vaccines
It will be great…until it’s not.
The increase in all of the things they mentioned could also be the advancement of testing and acceptance of said disorders.
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I just want to really know how vaccinated people disrupt other people’s menstrual cycles and how do the administrators even know that? So insane!