Shingles

I bet you folks thought shingles were a roof covering to keep out the rain and snow made of asphalt, wood, or slate. For those of us in the 50+ age bracket, shingles is a dreaded word that conjures up a very painful skin rash. People over 50 out here in Colorado are urged to get a one-time shingles shot to prevent us from getting this ailment. Anyone who has had chicken pox can get shingles because the chicken pox virus stays in your body and can reappear as shingles. Shingles is a painful skin rash which usually appears on one side of the body or face and lasts from 2 to 4 weeks. A shingles rash is usually accompanied by blisters which break and drain, adding to the misery. Some shingles infections can cause pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness, encephalitis, and in rare cases....death. Many years ago I can remember my dad having shingles and how miserable he was. Pam's mother-in-law had shingles in her hair and eyes and had a terrible time with it before it run its course. The up-side of shingles is there is a vaccine which prevents shingles in about 1/2 of the people over 60 and also reduces pain associated with shingles for many others. The down-side is this one-time shot costs over $200 from a pharmacetical place. My local pharmacy where I get all my drugs is part of the grocery chain where I shop. Their price for the shot was $199.99 with no insurance. Fortunately, my insurance picked up all but $3.10 of that cost. It was hard to picture getting a shot at a grocery store, but they have two registered pharmacists who also give flu shots because those of us with good health insurance can get shots cheaper at the pharmacy than at our doctors'. I've been very fortunate with all my numerous health problems as I have Medicare Part D as my prescription drug plan. My doctor said he'd have to charge me the full price if I had the shot done in his office. To make a long story short....if you or anyone you know is over 50 years old, encourage them to get this preventative shot as the alternative is far worse than the cost of the shot.