Vaccine could offer help against the pain of shingles

It felt like a hundred thousand needles were poking me on the head. Starting at the crown of my scalp to my hairline there was an extraordinary itch that hurt like the devil when I tried to scratch it. But, there was nothing to see when I parted my hair to look.

I didn’t feel good. One of those feelings of malaise that you just can’t put your finger on. A little achy, a little queasy; not sick exactly, but fatigued and listless. When it felt like a hot poker was stabbing my left eyeball I called the doctor.

“Hmmmmmm,” he said, “maybe it’s shingles.” Hmmmm, maybe he was right. A trip to the ophthalmologist confirmed that I had herpes zoster that can infect anyone who has had chickenpox. What happens is that the varicella virus lies dormant in the body until, for reasons not known, it becomes active.

He explained that it was more common for the painful rash to appear as a wide stripe on one side of the torso than on the face, but what he was concerned about was the possibility of complications that would affect my vision. Among other complications is post-herpetic neuralgia that affects nerve fibers and skin for an extended period.

He said that although shingles aren’t contagious, a person in contact with the rash might develop chickenpox if they haven’t already had them.

It took almost a month before I could run a brush through my hair without discomfort, and although my rash was mild, it left a scar on the cornea of my left eye despite the prescribed anti-viral drugs.

I can’t imagine disliking someone so much that I’d wish them to get shingles. But, according to the Center of Disease Control, 99 percent of us over 40 are susceptible and one out of three will develop the disease.

Although it has no age limits, children can get it, the risk increases as we age. Over half the cases are reported in the 60 year old or older range. I was 39.

The good news is that now there’s a vaccine. The CDC reports that in a clinical trial involving thousands of adults 60 years old or older, Zostavax reduced the risk of shingles 51 percent and the risk of post-herpetic neuralgia by 67 percent.

They’re currently doing studies to find out how long the vaccine protects against the virus. CDC recom-mends that everyone over 60 get the shot regardless of whether or not they remember having chickenpox.

If you have any questions talk to your healthcare provider. Have that chat, at any age, if you have an immune disorder.

Side effects from the vaccine are few, mostly just a little rash at the site, but the Zostavax website recommends not getting the vaccine at the same time as a flu or pneumonia shot.

As it contains a weakened virus, ask your practitioner if you should avoid being around newborns, pregnant women who haven’t had nor been vaccinated against chickenpox or someone with a diminished immune system.

Other than the vaccine there aren’t any other precautions, so I will just keep my fingers crossed that none of you come down with it. Makes it a little harder to type, but worth it if it works!

Kathy Hubbard is a trustee on Bonner General Hospital Foundation Board. She can be reached at 264-4029 or by email at kathyleehubbard@yahoo.com.