I've just spoken to my GP who has done some research and found that its OK for me to have the shingles vaccine when it comes out as I'm on less than 40mg of methotrexate. Its worth thinking about this as she says she was told that we RA patients are on a low enough does of immunosuppressants to be OK. So people on other meds may also be able to protect themselves against this horrible disease. Both my parents suffered horrible from shingles and the side effects of it and it blighted their latter years.
AND although I'm not 70 (yet) she is able to get it from NHS Scotland so I can have the jag free.
I'm sure not everyone will want to try this but I have confidence in my GP and in vaccines generally and promise I'll let you all know how things go. Vaccines arent available for about another month.
Cathie
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cathie
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Hi Cathie, that's good news for you and others possibly. You may want to edit the heading of this post though? I must say I was intrigued at the thought of a singles vaccine - I wondered whether it was a vaccine to help people remain single or a vaccine to prevent them from becoming single?! X
The Shingles vaccine scares me to death!! I think it is available here, others have asked if I was getting it, but right now NO! It's a personal reason, I usually trust vaccines and know they have a place in the practice of preventive medicine.
But, last summer, our family went through a terrible ordeal for nearly 5 months, because my former hubby, and my sons' Dad, developed Shingles Encephalitis, a brain infection caused by the Shingles virus, which hybernates in the brain after one has had chicken pox. His brain just shut down everything, he was in a coma for 29 days, was on all the life support, plus dialysis 5xs a day, had a previously installed pacemaker/defibrillator, continuous brain wave studies..on and on. He gradually came out of it, but still needed all the other life support except the ventilator. Then he got worse and passed away in October last year.
With our seriously diminished immune systems, I don't want to take the vaccine and by any means wake up the sleeping giant! But, what if I don't take it? Dunno.
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