Oy. Shingles.

[MHunterB]

((((((((((((Gracie)))))))))), I had it more than 50 years ago and honestly don't remember just how bad it felt..... it was probably not nearly so bad because I was so young.

 

[Gracie]

It is much better today. Much better.

Thanks, hon.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

My health was kick ass 2 years ago. Want an engine pulled with or without the bell housing? Need a fence installed in your front yard? Want that antique dresser delivered? No problem! No, no need to call someone. I can do it myself.

Until I got RA. Then my immune system got shot all to hell and back. I have never had the flu either...until the roommate brought it home. Swine flu. I was 1 month out of surgery for my mastectomy. I STILL have a cough due to that damn flu. It was awful. So yeah..I will take a flu shot for the first time in my life because I am 60 now, and my body needs the help fighting whatever wants to land in me.

I don't take anything for the RA. The "remedy" for RA is worse than the RA itself. Most of the drugs I see on tv all state "do not take if you are prone to infections", or "May cause lymphoma", etc etc etc. But a flu shot? Yeah. No problem. But I gotta look it up before i do it. I google everything.

And, no, I may not die of shingles, but my nerves can. Or rather, not die, but instead make me be in agony where I wish I WAS dead.

Your nerves can die, trust me on that. I will never be broke in my life because I have gold inside my eyelid.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

If y'all have insurance and can get the vaccine...I'd probably recommend it cuz this is NOT fun...even though it is mild. I don't do the flu shots either, but I'm going to start doing them this winter. Had the flu in January right after my surgery, compliments of the ex roomie. I don't ever want that again. And I never want another outbreak of Shingles either. That guy on the commercial is right. You do NOT want this.

I don't do the flu shots and have never had the flu.

The shingles aren't going to kill you, so I think I'll hold off on the shingles vaccine. Shingles don't kill you. Maybe they make you wish you were dead, but they don't kill you. And I don't think I had chicken pox as a kid, so i'm not at risk.

I mainly worry about stuff that will kill me. The flu can, but I seem to have a natural immunity, God knows why, so i don't mess around with those nasty flu shots.

I'd rather build my immune system through a healthy lifestyle.

If you did not have chicken pox you can get chicken pox as an adult, which is actually more dangerous.

Chickenpox is rarely fatal, although it is generally more severe in adult males than in adult females or children. Non-immune pregnant women and those with a suppressed immune system are at highest risk of serious complications.

(quote is from Wikipedia)

Yes, but just how much should I worry about it? I never even thought about or considered the possibility of betting chickenpox until within the last year. Didn't even know it was a possibility. Seemed to get along just fine in life without worrying about chickenpox!

I've recently been exposed to two people with shingles and didn't get chickenpox. Maybe I did have it as a kid...I just don't know for sure.

As for the shingles vaccine...they recommend it for people 60 and over. Yet my boss and my other coworker who got shingles were both younger than 50! What ya gonna do!

Be happy, don't worry! : )

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

My health was kick ass 2 years ago. Want an engine pulled with or without the bell housing? Need a fence installed in your front yard? Want that antique dresser delivered? No problem! No, no need to call someone. I can do it myself.

Until I got RA. Then my immune system got shot all to hell and back. I have never had the flu either...until the roommate brought it home. Swine flu. I was 1 month out of surgery for my mastectomy. I STILL have a cough due to that damn flu. It was awful. So yeah..I will take a flu shot for the first time in my life because I am 60 now, and my body needs the help fighting whatever wants to land in me.

I don't take anything for the RA. The "remedy" for RA is worse than the RA itself. Most of the drugs I see on tv all state "do not take if you are prone to infections", or "May cause lymphoma", etc etc etc. But a flu shot? Yeah. No problem. But I gotta look it up before i do it. I google everything.

And, no, I may not die of shingles, but my nerves can. Or rather, not die, but instead make me be in agony where I wish I WAS dead.

Your nerves can die, trust me on that. I will never be broke in my life because I have gold inside my eyelid.

Oh, wow, I googled gold eyelid! You have gold weight in your eyelid to help your eyelid close? Fascinating. Did you have Bells Palsy?

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

And he was an MD, not just an NP.

How many years of medical school have you had? You, my dear, are an idiot, a self-infatuated narcissist.

Yeah, well I'm a pretty healthy idiot!

A doctor once told me that a healthy lifestyle was much more important than anything he could do for me.

I always love it when I go to a doctor and they ask what medications I take and I reply, "None." They always ask again, apparently it's not the answer they expect from a 60-year-old woman.

Medication is the last resort for me. I thought I had high blood pressure a couple of years ago and immediately started a fitness campaign, lost 30 pounds, etc. Because I SO didn't want to end up taking blood pressure medication. Then it turned out I didn't have high blood pressure in the first place, my blood pressure cuff was too old and malfunctioning. Still enjoying my new thinner body, though. : ) I'm soooo beautiful and awesome!

 

[editec]

Yeah, shingles is NOT a one-time thing. It can be, but most people continue to have flare ups for the rest of their lives. They may not be as severe as the first.

It's a herpes virus. It's not going anywhere.

Ah yes, herpes...the gift that keeps on giving.

 

[JakeStarkey]

And he was an MD, not just an NP.

How many years of medical school have you had? You, my dear, are an idiot, a self-infatuated narcissist.

Yeah, well I'm a pretty healthy idiot! :

You have been fortunate, and good for you, but you are not a MD, so I a reasonable person am going to skip what you have to say.

 

[Sunshine]

Just be very very careful about seemingly "normal" prescription medication that doctors might prescribe just to get you out of the office so they can keep their golf date. Many drugs that you can probably do without actually lower your immune system. The fine print that drug companies have to tell you by law include some horrific stuff and fatal episodes.

I am an NP. Retired as of today. So.........

Yeah, well sorry if this offends you, but you're the very people who blithely tell us that these medications are "okay." So you don't necessarily have a higher level of awareness about the risks. In fact, the medical community seems to hav a pretty laid-back attitude towards these powerful medications, etc.

My gynecologist once handed me a free sample of Welbutrin to take for my panic attacks/anxiety, said he would write me a prescription if it helped. Or if I "liked it," as he said. Luckily, I researched before taking them and found out that Welbutrin can often make panic attacks WORSE. Needless to say, they went in the trash where they belong.

And he was an MD, not just an NP.

Many insurances will not pay for a gyn or any other non specialist to give psych meds. My specialty beyond bachelor's level nursing is psych and my master's degree is from Vanderbilt. I also have post masters study in advanced physiology and pharmacology. I had to take the same advanced general pharmacology the MDs take, and an entire course of advanced psychopharmacology which the MDs don't have to take. I am retired now, but I practiced as an NP for 17 years, got referrals all the time from primary care and women's health, and I never killed anyone. Apparently those MDs were quite OK for 'just and NP' to be treating their patients in a specialty field. And no one with any sense would give Wellbutrin for panic attacks. It just makes them worse and could cause you to go psychotic. So your 'real doctor' was just using you for a guinea pig. Makes you all warm and fuzzy inside doesn't it.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

I don't do the flu shots and have never had the flu.

The shingles aren't going to kill you, so I think I'll hold off on the shingles vaccine. Shingles don't kill you. Maybe they make you wish you were dead, but they don't kill you. And I don't think I had chicken pox as a kid, so i'm not at risk.

I mainly worry about stuff that will kill me. The flu can, but I seem to have a natural immunity, God knows why, so i don't mess around with those nasty flu shots.

I'd rather build my immune system through a healthy lifestyle.

If you did not have chicken pox you can get chicken pox as an adult, which is actually more dangerous.

Chickenpox is rarely fatal, although it is generally more severe in adult males than in adult females or children. Non-immune pregnant women and those with a suppressed immune system are at highest risk of serious complications.

(quote is from Wikipedia)

Yes, but just how much should I worry about it? I never even thought about or considered the possibility of betting chickenpox until within the last year. Didn't even know it was a possibility. Seemed to get along just fine in life without worrying about chickenpox!

I've recently been exposed to two people with shingles and didn't get chickenpox. Maybe I did have it as a kid...I just don't know for sure.

As for the shingles vaccine...they recommend it for people 60 and over. Yet my boss and my other coworker who got shingles were both younger than 50! What ya gonna do!

Be happy, don't worry! : )

Chicken Pox/Shingles is only contagious for a short period of time, and simply being around a person with it does not mean you will catch it.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

My health was kick ass 2 years ago. Want an engine pulled with or without the bell housing? Need a fence installed in your front yard? Want that antique dresser delivered? No problem! No, no need to call someone. I can do it myself.

Until I got RA. Then my immune system got shot all to hell and back. I have never had the flu either...until the roommate brought it home. Swine flu. I was 1 month out of surgery for my mastectomy. I STILL have a cough due to that damn flu. It was awful. So yeah..I will take a flu shot for the first time in my life because I am 60 now, and my body needs the help fighting whatever wants to land in me.

I don't take anything for the RA. The "remedy" for RA is worse than the RA itself. Most of the drugs I see on tv all state "do not take if you are prone to infections", or "May cause lymphoma", etc etc etc. But a flu shot? Yeah. No problem. But I gotta look it up before i do it. I google everything.

And, no, I may not die of shingles, but my nerves can. Or rather, not die, but instead make me be in agony where I wish I WAS dead.

Your nerves can die, trust me on that. I will never be broke in my life because I have gold inside my eyelid.

Oh, wow, I googled gold eyelid! You have gold weight in your eyelid to help your eyelid close? Fascinating. Did you have Bells Palsy?

Shingles. It paralyzed half my face, which is why I recommend that people get vaccinated, I know the worst that can happen.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

And he was an MD, not just an NP.

How many years of medical school have you had? You, my dear, are an idiot, a self-infatuated narcissist.

Yeah, well I'm a pretty healthy idiot!

A doctor once told me that a healthy lifestyle was much more important than anything he could do for me.

I always love it when I go to a doctor and they ask what medications I take and I reply, "None." They always ask again, apparently it's not the answer they expect from a 60-year-old woman.

Medication is the last resort for me. I thought I had high blood pressure a couple of years ago and immediately started a fitness campaign, lost 30 pounds, etc. Because I SO didn't want to end up taking blood pressure medication. Then it turned out I didn't have high blood pressure in the first place, my blood pressure cuff was too old and malfunctioning. Still enjoying my new thinner body, though. : ) I'm soooo beautiful and awesome!

It is the same answer they get from me, I hate to take meds, even when I need them.

 

[syrenn]

I am an NP. Retired as of today. So.........

Yeah, well sorry if this offends you, but you're the very people who blithely tell us that these medications are "okay." So you don't necessarily have a higher level of awareness about the risks. In fact, the medical community seems to hav a pretty laid-back attitude towards these powerful medications, etc.

My gynecologist once handed me a free sample of Welbutrin to take for my panic attacks/anxiety, said he would write me a prescription if it helped. Or if I "liked it," as he said. Luckily, I researched before taking them and found out that Welbutrin can often make panic attacks WORSE. Needless to say, they went in the trash where they belong.

And he was an MD, not just an NP.

Many insurances will not pay for a gyn or any other non specialist to give psych meds. My specialty beyond bachelor's level nursing is psych and my master's degree is from Vanderbilt. I also have post masters study in advanced physiology and pharmacology. I had to take the same advanced general pharmacology the MDs take, and an entire course of advanced psychopharmacology which the MDs don't have to take. I am retired now, but I practiced as an NP for 17 years, got referrals all the time from primary care and women's health, and I never killed anyone. Apparently those MDs were quite OK for 'just and NP' to be treating their patients in a specialty field. And no one with any sense would give Wellbutrin for panic attacks. It just makes them worse and could cause you to go psychotic. So your 'real doctor' was just using you for a guinea pig. Makes you all warm and fuzzy inside doesn't it.

it tell ya, nursing is most of the same training as an MD.

 

[Sunshine]

My parents insisted that I get chicken pox. When one of my friends got it, they brought me over for a "play date" specifically so I would catch it from him.

Well, that's how they did it in my day too. But if you don't have a very bad case, then your antibody titer is too low to fight off shingles if it decides to rear its ugly head in that manner. My varicella antibody titer is very high. And all medications have side effects and problems. It is a matter of weighing the risks to benefits on any drug be it for varicella, diabetes, pneumonia, or anything else. Because of the gravity of the disease I have, I was advised by 2 doctors to take another pneumnia shot with less than 5 years between them, so I did. The muscle hemorrhaged and I looked like I had been beaten with a crowbar. Taking an unneeded varicella shot just puts me at risk more more adverse reactions and for what? I don't need the shot. The problem with health care today is that there have been too many unnecessary procedures done under the guise of keeping med mal insurance down and costs low. But it does just the opposite, it increases cost because the costly procedures are unnecessary. And a first year nursing student knows enough to know when a varicella antibody titer is adequate.

 

[Sunshine]

Yeah, well sorry if this offends you, but you're the very people who blithely tell us that these medications are "okay." So you don't necessarily have a higher level of awareness about the risks. In fact, the medical community seems to hav a pretty laid-back attitude towards these powerful medications, etc.

My gynecologist once handed me a free sample of Welbutrin to take for my panic attacks/anxiety, said he would write me a prescription if it helped. Or if I "liked it," as he said. Luckily, I researched before taking them and found out that Welbutrin can often make panic attacks WORSE. Needless to say, they went in the trash where they belong.

And he was an MD, not just an NP.

Many insurances will not pay for a gyn or any other non specialist to give psych meds. My specialty beyond bachelor's level nursing is psych and my master's degree is from Vanderbilt. I also have post masters study in advanced physiology and pharmacology. I had to take the same advanced general pharmacology the MDs take, and an entire course of advanced psychopharmacology which the MDs don't have to take. I am retired now, but I practiced as an NP for 17 years, got referrals all the time from primary care and women's health, and I never killed anyone. Apparently those MDs were quite OK for 'just and NP' to be treating their patients in a specialty field. And no one with any sense would give Wellbutrin for panic attacks. It just makes them worse and could cause you to go psychotic. So your 'real doctor' was just using you for a guinea pig. Makes you all warm and fuzzy inside doesn't it.

it tell ya, nursing is most of the same training as an MD.

It is, any MD who is honest will tel your that too. There have been studies done in various sectors that show most people would rather go to an NP. That is largely because we don't talk to you with our hand on the doorknob. I go to an NP at Vanderbilt Breast Center, and I have seen the NP at my cardiologists office. I would be happy to see one at the PH clinic if they had one, but I am perfectly at ease leaving messages with the RNs there. They are outstanding. If you check you will find that NPs do not get sued at the same rate as MDs. I was the sole psychiatric prescriber in my clinic and my last job I didn't have a supervising MD, I had a collaborating MD. They've been tryingto work up a standardized progress note at that place for 10 years. Before I retired, they asked for mine because they really like it. I was never sued, and IMO if MDs wan to stop getting sued, they need to stop malpracticing. Doctors don't run the hospitals, nurses do. Anyone who doesn't believe that should ask their MD they think runs the place about staffing patterns at the facility. At night you have 1 MD there who is to be called for emergencies only.

 

[Gracie]

Calf hurts today. Feels like the muscle but I know its the nerve. Had to take a pain pill.
Rash is almost gone, though. And I can live with this dull throb but I thik this is a case of it gets worse just before it gets better. I hope.

 

[syrenn]

Many insurances will not pay for a gyn or any other non specialist to give psych meds. My specialty beyond bachelor's level nursing is psych and my master's degree is from Vanderbilt. I also have post masters study in advanced physiology and pharmacology. I had to take the same advanced general pharmacology the MDs take, and an entire course of advanced psychopharmacology which the MDs don't have to take. I am retired now, but I practiced as an NP for 17 years, got referrals all the time from primary care and women's health, and I never killed anyone. Apparently those MDs were quite OK for 'just and NP' to be treating their patients in a specialty field. And no one with any sense would give Wellbutrin for panic attacks. It just makes them worse and could cause you to go psychotic. So your 'real doctor' was just using you for a guinea pig. Makes you all warm and fuzzy inside doesn't it.

it tell ya, nursing is most of the same training as an MD.

It is, any MD who is honest will tel your that too. There have been studies done in various sectors that show most people would rather go to an NP. That is largely because we don't talk to you with our hand on the doorknob. I go to an NP at Vanderbilt Breast Center, and I have seen the NP at my cardiologists office. I would be happy to see one at the PH clinic if they had one, but I am perfectly at ease leaving messages with the RNs there. They are outstanding. If you check you will find that NPs do not get sued at the same as MDs. I was the sole psychiatric prescriber in my clinic and my last job I didn't have a supervising MD, I had a collaborating MD. They've been tryingto work up a standardized progress note at that place for 10 years. Before I retired, they asked for mine because they really like it. I was never sued, and IMO if MDs wan to stop getting sued, they need to stop malpracticing. Doctors don't run the hospitals, nurses do. Anyone who doesn't believe that should ask their MD they think runs the place about staffing patterns at the facility. At night you have 1 MD there who is to be called for emergencies only.

lol, we all said that too!

 

[Sunshine]

it tell ya, nursing is most of the same training as an MD.

It is, any MD who is honest will tel your that too. There have been studies done in various sectors that show most people would rather go to an NP. That is largely because we don't talk to you with our hand on the doorknob. I go to an NP at Vanderbilt Breast Center, and I have seen the NP at my cardiologists office. I would be happy to see one at the PH clinic if they had one, but I am perfectly at ease leaving messages with the RNs there. They are outstanding. If you check you will find that NPs do not get sued at the same as MDs. I was the sole psychiatric prescriber in my clinic and my last job I didn't have a supervising MD, I had a collaborating MD. They've been tryingto work up a standardized progress note at that place for 10 years. Before I retired, they asked for mine because they really like it. I was never sued, and IMO if MDs wan to stop getting sued, they need to stop malpracticing. Doctors don't run the hospitals, nurses do. Anyone who doesn't believe that should ask their MD they think runs the place about staffing patterns at the facility. At night you have 1 MD there who is to be called for emergencies only.

lol, we all said that too!

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

If you did not have chicken pox you can get chicken pox as an adult, which is actually more dangerous.

Chickenpox is rarely fatal, although it is generally more severe in adult males than in adult females or children. Non-immune pregnant women and those with a suppressed immune system are at highest risk of serious complications.

(quote is from Wikipedia)

Yes, but just how much should I worry about it? I never even thought about or considered the possibility of betting chickenpox until within the last year. Didn't even know it was a possibility. Seemed to get along just fine in life without worrying about chickenpox!

I've recently been exposed to two people with shingles and didn't get chickenpox. Maybe I did have it as a kid...I just don't know for sure.

As for the shingles vaccine...they recommend it for people 60 and over. Yet my boss and my other coworker who got shingles were both younger than 50! What ya gonna do!

Be happy, don't worry! : )

Chicken Pox/Shingles is only contagious for a short period of time, and simply being around a person with it does not mean you will catch it.

Okay, but just to clarify...chicken pox is contagious...shingles is not. You can get chicken pox from someone with shingles, but you can't get shingles from them.

Of course, I'm not an MD, so I'm probably wrong about that!

(not)

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

How many years of medical school have you had? You, my dear, are an idiot, a self-infatuated narcissist.

Yeah, well I'm a pretty healthy idiot! :

You have been fortunate, and good for you, but you are not a MD, so I a reasonable person am going to skip what you have to say.

It's not just a matter of being fortunate. I eat specific foods, keep my weight down, don't smoke or drink (or do drugs), keep very active, and live my life in such a way as to avoid illness. Including avoiding medications unless as a last resort. Don't take antacids, pain meds, cold medicines (almost never get a cold...once every 2-3 years), none of that crap. If I get a headache (very rare) I just wait for it to pass...and it does. No need to pop pills.

I also live with 12 animals, and I think they have a positive impact on my health. I've walked thousands of miles I probably wouldn't have were it not for my dogs, for example! : ) I also think hanging around with animals all my life has helped me not develop any allergies.

I guess you won't be listening to most of the others on this thread, because I don't think they're MDs, either.