This morning my Dad woke up with a rash under his L armpit, on his chest, and back. He went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Shingles. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm really worried that this will turn furious as his immune system is so down 3 weeks post chemo. My worry level has now shot up and I'm SO frusturated. It's been 3 weeks post treatment and everything is getting worse, not even slightly better. Mucous is horrible, he's gagging so much he's throwing everything we put down his feeding tube. Ughhhhhh!!!!!!! I hate cancer!!

I had shingles about 8 months after chemo, and is related to the chicken pox virus, so if you had it or were exposed to it, it remains in your system. There is prescription medication I was given for this, to help with the pain, and there is a vaccine to help prevent it from recurring. They can be painful, and can take a month to heal. Good luck.

I got shingles this summer between surgeries. I was given pain patches to wear on affected areas. Stress can be a trigger, and cancer definitely qualifies as stress! Hope he feels better soon.

Many cancer patients will get shingles down the road. There is a shingles vaccine available. Problem is its only available to people over 60. It is covered by insurance and medicare.

I wish it was available to people under 60 so I could get it. If I am still here when I turn 60, I will be getting that vaccine for sure.

The vaccine is now approved by the FDA for people age 50 and over.

Ask your Doctor for a prescription to get the shot if you are under 60. I believe that Docs can prescribe it in unusual circumstance.

Many of us have reported getting Shingles post Tx and it is painful and it can and should be treated immediately.

Re the 3 weeks post Tx and not getting better, unfortunately that's par for this treatment. We go overboard telling newbies to expect the worst the few weeks post Tx. It is usually around this time that many of us finally "walk out of that tunnel" and start our long recovery road. Even when he starts to feel better there will be bad days mixed in with the good ones and slowly those bad days will go away. This recovery can and usually does take 2 years with the 1st year usually the worst so patience is the key to getting thru this with sanity intact.

I have asked my pharmacist a couple times and they told me it was 60 years old to get the shot with medicare. HMMM??????

HUMMM????

If the vaccination is of reasonable cost at a clinic, wouldn't an option to be just pay for it? From what I hear, shingles can be quite painful and last a lot longer than a month as stated above. And if it quite common in cancer survivors, it almost seems to be a no brainer. don

Don, I was just estimating how long mine may have lasted three years ago, and like with all matters, everyone is different. Some don't even have the painful blisters, and severity may differ.


http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Shingles.aspx#