If she never had an antibody test she may never know whether she met chicken pox virus before or not. Maybe she had it but her illness was confused with something else?
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Your sister must have had exposure to the chicken pox virus even if she never had any symptoms of the disease as you can only get shingles if you have had chicken pox.
Shingles is a reactivation of the herpes zoster virus which lies dormant in the body following a chicken pox infection.
Somebody who has never had chicken pox could have chicken pox after being in contact with a person who has shingles but the couldnāt get shingles.
There isnāt a combined vaccine but she may have had both vaccines at the same time, usually one in each arm.
I think thereās a thread about the shingles vaccine already. Iāll try to find it and move all these shingles related posts there.
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From WebMD
If your immune system is healthy:
- In the first several years, your chances of having shingles again are lower than it is for people who have never had shingles.
- Over time, your chances of a second bout go up. One study found that within 7 years, the odds of getting it again may be almost 5%. Thatās about the same as the odds of getting shingles the first time.
The second bit seems to be a good reason for getting the jab and most reputable advice supports that.
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My wife had said that she had never had the Pox as a child but an anti-body test showed that she had. She did this at the time I had the first vaccine and joined me in that. She has had Shingrix vaccine as well now.
What do you mean by āfirst vaccineā?
I posted earlier that before Shingrix was approved I had the less effective one that existed previously. I later had Shingrix too.
I donāt think you qualify for the shingles vaccine if you are under 60, or are immuno-compromised, right?
I had chicken pox as a kid but this shingles thing sounds terrifying (I really shouldnāt google stuffā¦).
Ah, so you thought it was worth it even though you already had the earlier vaccine.
Did you have any side effects from Shingrix? Iām approaching 50 and not sure about the pro/cons of the vaccine.
I did get shingles a few years ago, but was lucky that it got diagnosed immediately and took anti-virals immediately. After a month the rash was mostly gone and the pain a few months after that.
I donāt think you qualify for the shingles vaccine if you are under 60, or are immuno-compromised, right?
I had chicken pox as a kid but this shingles thing sounds terrifying (I really shouldnāt google stuffā¦).
I think it was even 65 but my pharmacy didnĀ“t mind giving me the jab.
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Brother in law got shingles and it incapacitated him for 2 years. He wasnāt able to work during that time and still has headaches and looks quite weak now.
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Bloody hell - OK, thatās a no-brainer then. Iām going to get itā¦ 
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Itās only reimbursed by the basic insurance if you are over 65 or are immunocompromised but thereās nothing to stop you from getting it and paying for it yourself. Or seeing if your complimentary insurance will cover it.
I remember my gran having shingles when I was about 11 and I wouldnāt wish that on anyone.
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Yes, a couple of days (at the most) of discomfort/lassitude is worth it to avoid a potential shingles attack. Ten years ago we lived in a neighbourhood of people who grew up in the 40s, so many had had pox. A good number of them were suffering from shingles, and some very severely.
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To be fair, he ignored it and avoided the doctor for ages until it was too painful to ignore. Perhaps had he got it checked and had the antivirals immediately, it would not have been so bad.
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Yes, there is another thread on the Shingles Vaccine, and also on the additional benefits that it conveys, beyond protection against the disease. BTW, Shingrix is NOT new. Cheers
Actually my diabetalouge recommended I have Shingrix even though I had the previous one. Of course as a T1D I donāt have any issues with insurance coverage, but I would have paid for it myself if they hadnāt. And this was a few years back.
I had my first shot in November and my second in January. Other than soreness and redness at the injection site, I felt very little. Happy to have gotten it.
Iām in my late 40s. In 2021 3 weeks after taking the first dose of Covid vaccine I developed bad shingles. Luckily I went to the dcotor on the first day after I developed rashes and I was given 1 week medication. It took a week to recover, but first 2 days were really painful. Apparently, If it flaresup again later in my life then the medicines may not work. So Iām considering taking this shingrix vaccine.
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If people are wondering about the cost, I got Shingrix vaccination last year - two doses - each dose cost Fr 166
I had mild side effects - didnāt feel great for about one day - but nothing to put you off having the vacination
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