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dear michelle, a 76 year old friend recently had a flu shot and developed a case of shingles. any connection? coincidental? thanxs so much
Jean
Has anyone ever heard of this or had this happen to them?
Michelle
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yes, I received a flu shot on November 10 and immediately started feeling ill. My symptoms were headache, and severe pain in the back of neck. Two weeks later I learned that I had shingles. The actual blisters did not appear until November 28, but that initial neck pain was the onset of shingles.
April 5, 2010 - 7:09amThis Comment
Anon,
Thank you so much for responding. And we're so sorry you had to deal with the shingles. They can cause nearly unbearable pain. I hope you recovered quickly and that all your pain is completely gone. Do you normally get flu shots? Will you do so again?
April 6, 2010 - 8:20amThis Comment
I recieved the H1N1 flu shot and developed shingles exactly 2 weeks later.
sheila
January 19, 2010 - 12:32pmThis Comment
Can you tell us more about your situation? Are you thinking that a vaccination caused shingles, even two weeks later?
January 19, 2010 - 3:38pmThis Comment
My doctor explained the flu shot vs shingles because there is live virus in the serum which lowers the immune system enabling the ganglion on nerve endings to come to life again after all these years.
January 19, 2010 - 8:19pmImagine that? Well, let me tell you.....I've never had such excrutiating pain in all of my 70 years. This week I did learn, however, that taking L Lysine helps to heal the Shingles.....and that's good because I do not like being dizzy and whoozy on Neurontin.
Jacqueline
This Comment
Azorian babe,
Thanks so much for the explanation from your doctor. I'm so sorry you experienced the shingles. I agree, it was some of the worst pain I'd ever felt in my life. I'm glad that L Lysine helped you; are you doing better now? Has the pain and sensitivity started to go away? (Mine took several weeks, and even a few months later sometimes I felt it.)
January 21, 2010 - 8:57amThis Comment
Hello Diane,
January 21, 2010 - 4:16pmThis is my 10th week of Abdominal/back shingles, and happy to report that it seems they are going away just as quickly as they arrived. One month ago I didn't believe that to be possible.
I don't seem to need the Neurontin any longer; but I notice the nerves on one leg (the same side that was affected) seem restless when I try to go to sleep at night.
Sometimes an Advil helps.
Thank you for communicating.......this helps, too.
This Comment
I am a 52 year-old male. Had the chicken pox when I was little. Never had the flu in the last 10 years. This year, two months after getting the regular seasonal flu vaccaine shot, I develop Shingles (around New Years Eve). I know of two other people who have also just gotten the Shingles after receiving the seasonal flu shots. Doctors told us that is is due to stress. But we were all having fun over the holidays. No real stress.
January 11, 2010 - 12:12pmThis Comment
Hi Anon - Thanks for writing. If you weren't stressed during the holidays, you probably are now. I'm sorry to hear you're dealing with shingles, which occurs in people who already had chickenpox. Shingles is a reactivation of the dormant varicella zoster virus. After causing the initial chickenpox infection, the virus does not leave the body. Instead, it settles in the nerve roots near the spinal cord. Once reactivated, the virus travels along the nerve paths to the skin. There it causes pain and a rash.
While stress is one of the risk factors listed for shingles, it's not necessarily the cause. Most cases occur in those with no known risk factor other than age. While shingles can't be cured, it can be treated, and I hope your doctor is working with you to help you best manage your condition.
January 11, 2010 - 5:14pmTake good care,
Pat
This Comment
Hello,
December 23, 2009 - 5:17pmI received my flu shot in October, and on November 12th I came down with a violent case of shingles around the waist and right side. I have been to E.R. twice feeling as though my gallbladder or appendix was going to burst. My rash circled my waist and trunk on the right side and only lasted about a week; but the Herpes Zoster Neuralgia that still remains in very painful. Today is December 23, and it does not seem to be getting better.
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