Shingles Shot

I wasn't planning to get a shingles shot... What was the worst that could happen?! I remember my dad's shingles experience. It didn't seem that bad. 

Look, he said, showing me his back. It was completely covered with a rash. 

It's very itchy, he added. Then he put his shirt back on and nothing more was said.

It can't be that bad, I surmised. He's living life as normal and he's not complaining.

That was 40 years ago...

In recent years, I started hearing more about a shingles vaccine that doctors were advising older people get. Remembering my dad's rash, before shingles vaccines existed, I concluded that I could handle a little itchiness, so I didn't think I'd bother getting the shot.

But Terry, who is immunocompromised (he has chronic lymphatic leukaemia) was advised by his doctor to get immunized for shingles. Terry encouraged me to get the shot too. 

So recently, even though I didn't think I needed it, we both had our first shots - with second shots to follow in a few months. 

BUT THEN, I got an email from my brother, informing me that he currently has shingles, describing how AWFUL his case is. This is how he described it:

I got a terrible case of shingles about 6 weeks ago.  The nerve in my left ear was so inflamed that it affected my ear drum.  I could not walk, and my face drooped due to Ramsay Hunt syndrome associated with the shingles in my ear.  I had to drink from a straw and could not open my mouth to eat normally.  Steroids and strong anti viral meds for a month.  I am back to about 90 percent with still some equilibrium issues if I bend over or turn my head too quickly.  The first couple weeks was the most pain I can ever remember.  Point of that story is to get the Shingles shot.

(So glad I did!)