Shingles and the Prostate Cancer

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, here's a public health announcment filmed by Terry Bradshaw (the 4x SuperBowl winning HOF QB w/the Steelers) on getting a shingles vaccination:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSI2AZQmEsU

Planning on getting mine today.

Swingshiftworker said:

Terry Bradshaw on Shingles

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, here's a public health announcment filmed by Terry Bradshaw (the 4x SuperBowl winning HOF QB w/the Steelers) on getting a shingles vaccination:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSI2AZQmEsU

Planning on getting mine today.

Well, got my shingles shot today -- less than an hour ago.

The shot is subcutaneous (like a TB test shot) and it still feels a bit uncomfortable.  It cost $225 including tax, which is fully reimburseable by my health carrier. Don't know why they just don't pay for it, rather than require me to request reimbursement.  PITA but it doesn't matter as long as I get the money back.

The flyer they gave me at the pharmacy, where I got the shot, says that the shot only reduces the probablity of getting shingles by 50% and reduces the felt pain if you get shingles anyway.  Guess that's better than nothing.

Anyway, got my flu shot and my shingles shot.  So, all done w/shots for this year.

Vasco, can you get shingles more than once?

So sorry to hear about the shingles I have friends that have them and know first hand how debilitating it can be.

Just wanted to let you know my thoughts and prayers for a full recovery be with you soon.

Builder23

Old-timer said:

Shingles shots no, pneumonia shots yes

Conferred with my primary care doctor today. She said shingles shots are not recommended for persons over 80 (I am 88). She told me that Medicare announced three days ago that they are now covering pneumonia shots. I accepted her recommendation to take that one.

Hope I made the correct decisions. I am comfortable with them.

Old-timer

That's interesting.

FWIW, the pharmaceutical companies seem to be really pimping both shingles and pneumonia vaccines on TV big time.  While there is apparently a legitimate reason to promote the shingles vaccine, I'm wondering why there's NOW such a push for pneumonia vaccinations too.

While I don't recall a specific shingles vaccine recommended -- usually it's just a PSA (public service announcement -- I've seen lots of Prevar13 (Pfizer) pneumonia vaccine commercials on my cable channels, which (if it costs as much as the shingles vaccination does) means a lot of $ to Pfizer.

The question is -- Is there really sufficiently a HIGH RISK of getting pneumonia to require the "blanket" vaccination of everyone over 50 (the eligible age) for it?  I think not. 

Of course, there may be people who are at risk for pnemonia for certain reasons.  I've not nothing against vaccinating peope for it on a case by base basis.  It's the claim that anyone over 50 is "at risk" for getting pneumonia and should be vaccinated against it. 

According to Prevnar's site, about 300k adults over 50 contracted pneumonia in 2004 and had to be hospitalized.  Assuming this # has been constant over the past 6 years, it represents only 1/10 of 1% of the US population  (over 300 million) and about 1/4 of 1% of the population of people over 55 (about 77 million) based on the 2010 Census.  So, this doesn't seem like a very great risk to me statistically.

FWIW, I've known a lot of people my life over 50 and NONE of them ever contracted pneumonia at ANY AGE -- not my mother (who's still alive a 101), my father who died at 89, my sister who's over 70, my 12 other anuts and uncles who all died of "other causes" at age 65+ and none of my over 15 so immediate 1st and 2nd cousins who are now all over 50 too.  Ironically, the only person I know who EVER had pneumonia was ME, when I was in my 20's.

So, while getting the pneumonia vacciation probably won't hurt, I really question the real "need" for a generally policy of preventative vaccination for it.  Shingles is different because, if you get it, it really can't be treated and makes your life pretty miserable.  So, it's a good idea to get vaccinated for it, if you are at risk for it, even if the odds are fairly slim that you'll get it and that the shingles vaccination may not even prevent it.

BUT, if you happen to get pneumoia, which is fairly rare and pretty easily diagnosed, you can just take basic antibiotics (like penicillin) to treat it.  That's how they treated me when I got it at an early age.  So, why bother vaccinating yourself for a rare event which is easily treatable?

I don't get it and I won't get vaccinated for it, unless a doctor can explain why s/he thinks I am personally "at risk" for it and should get vaccination to prevent it.

VascodaGama said:

Is it a "long term side effect" in PCa affairs?

Swing;   It seems that, in some places or regions more affected by air pollution, it makes sense to get the pneumonia vaccination. Old guys are more at risk because they may be less receptive to antibiotics. Our senior Jerry, though, yet just an aged friend, not yet an old guy, could probably avoided the vaccine, but for being a long PCa patient with years in treatment it makes sense in having it. His immune system may be better prepared to sustain the pneumonia vaccine than the shingles one.

The link provided above by Hopeful (Ira) explains everything. They advice NOT to take the Shingles vaccine if one:
1)  Had a life-threatening or severe allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin, or any other component of shingles vaccine.

2)  Has a weakened immune system because of cancer therapy.

Interestingly, it also comments that the vaccine is protective for a period of 5 years only. It does not suggest repeating vaccination but it tells that 51% of naive guys in a trial managed to avoid an outbreak, and it protected 67% for guys you had it (post-herpetic neuralgia).

Well, which line should we follow? I believe my body is not well prepared for such a vaccination. The radiation therapy and then the hormonal manipulations may have had a meaning in my outbreak.

Better safe than sorry. I would recommend to all, who have not the experience yet, to get vaccinated. Shingles could very well be considered a part of the so called “long term side effects” from PCa treatments, because of the precarious status we become from being a PCa survivor.

I wonder about the Swing's experience with the December vaccination. Any particular to be pointed out?

Thanks to everyone who have shared their views about Shingles.

VG

 

In deciding whether to follow my doc's advice, I considered Shingles and Pneumonia shots issues separately. On a different doctor's advice seven years ago, I said no to Shingles vaccination. That recommendtion was partially based on the information that I had not had Chicken Pox. Right or wrong, yesterday, I reconfirmed that decision.

Accepting the pneumonia shot was easy for me because, over the years, I have observed that many 'old" people die when they come down with pneumonia. I know about modern miracle drugs; they saved me when I had pneumonia at the age of 60. I also profess that I am not particularly afraid of dying; nevertheless, considering my age, this seems like a worthwhile insurance policy.

Old-timer

VascodaGama said:

Is it a "long term side effect" in PCa affairs?

Swing;   It seems that, in some places or regions more affected by air pollution, it makes sense to get the pneumonia vaccination. Old guys are more at risk because they may be less receptive to antibiotics. Our senior Jerry, though, yet just an aged friend, not yet an old guy, could probably avoided the vaccine, but for being a long PCa patient with years in treatment it makes sense in having it. His immune system may be better prepared to sustain the pneumonia vaccine than the shingles one.

The link provided above by Hopeful (Ira) explains everything. They advice NOT to take the Shingles vaccine if one:
1)  Had a life-threatening or severe allergic reaction to gelatin, the antibiotic neomycin, or any other component of shingles vaccine.

2)  Has a weakened immune system because of cancer therapy.

Interestingly, it also comments that the vaccine is protective for a period of 5 years only. It does not suggest repeating vaccination but it tells that 51% of naive guys in a trial managed to avoid an outbreak, and it protected 67% for guys you had it (post-herpetic neuralgia).

Well, which line should we follow? I believe my body is not well prepared for such a vaccination. The radiation therapy and then the hormonal manipulations may have had a meaning in my outbreak.

Better safe than sorry. I would recommend to all, who have not the experience yet, to get vaccinated. Shingles could very well be considered a part of the so called “long term side effects” from PCa treatments, because of the precarious status we become from being a PCa survivor.

I wonder about the Swing's experience with the December vaccination. Any particular to be pointed out?

Thanks to everyone who have shared their views about Shingles.

VG

 

I was NOT questioning Old-timer's choice to NOT take the shingles vacccination OR his decision to get the pnenumonia vacciation. Old-timer definitely falls w/in the guidelines against the shingles vaccination and, as he mentioned below, had previously contracted pneumonia late in life so was probably "at risk" for it.

FWIW, I was just "pondering" the general question of whether it is good "policy" to suggest that people over 50 (or even 65) get "routinely" vaccinated against pneumonia.  I don't think the statistics justify such a blanket policy and that it would (as in Old-timer's case) be administered on a patient by patient basis. 

The additional data provided for those over 65 provides further evidence of the LACK of general necessity for general policy for pneumonia vaccination.  The link Vasco provided reports that just 13 thousand people in the US over 65 contracted pneumonia in 2013.  However, the population of people in the US over 65 in 2010 was 40 million.  That means that only 3 out of 10 thousand people (or about 3 one thousandth of 1 percent of the population) over age 65 contracted the disease.  That's really a very low risk for the population of people 65 and older generally.

As for my shingles vaccination, I did not experience any apparent side effects.  I don't know if it was just a coincidence or not BUT, about a week or so after the shot, I did experience a strange "rash-like" irritation along my left ribcage and by left tricep (where people who get shingles report that the rash often occurs) BUT there were no blisters or redness of the skin associated with this feeling, which went away w/o treatment after a couple weeks or so.