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Shingles Vac

Pinkorchid

Pinkorchid

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Anyone had the shingles vaccination my surgery phoned today to ask if I would like to have one. I said yes as like the flu jab it must be worth it as shingles can be very nasty especially when you are older
 
Pinkorchid said:
Anyone had the shingles vaccination my surgery phoned today to ask if I would like to have one. I said yes as like the flu jab it must be worth it as shingles can be very nasty especially when you are older
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We asked our doctor for the shingles vaccination recently. He said that a much better vaccine was coming out soon and advised us to wait until then. (This is in the USA.)
 
My surgery offers the shingles vaccine but when I enquired about it, they said for men it's age 75 and over and females age 70 and over.
No idea if this applies at every surgery
 
I had the Zostavax shot several months ago at my GP's, it is supplied free of charge to over seventy year olds here in Australia.

I had no after effects afterwards,
 
Well I am 78 and just been told I can have a shingles vaccination but my husband is 85 but was never told he could have one. Now I read on the NHS web site it is not available for over 80's
 
Pinkorchid said:
Well I am 78 and just been told I can have a shingles vaccination but my husband is 85 but was never told he could have one. Now I read on the NHS web site it is not available for over 80's
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It appears it is not available free to eighty year old here by the looks of it. I suppose you could get it if you paid for it.
 
Apparently the old vaccine (Zostavax) is 70 percent effective but the new one (Shingrix) is 97 percent. I am waiting for the new one, which should be available fairly soon here in the States as it has just been approved.
 
I think the restriction on over 80s is insane. Both people I know who have had it in the past couple of years were in their 80's!
 
Indy51 said:
I think the restriction on over 80s is insane. Both people I know who have had it in the past couple of years were in their 80's!
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I agree, but the NHS gives the reason that it is apparently less effective on those over 80. Again, one size fits all.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
I agree, but the NHS gives the reason that it is apparently less effective on those over 80. Again, one size fits all.
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I think there is a very unpleasant trend in health care where they do less and less (not to mention spend less when they can get away with it) for people the older they get. My next door neighbour got shingles at the same time as he was in hospital having an op to repair a bleed from his kidneys - probably the stress. He was diagnosed with kidney cancer a while back and apart from stopping the bleed, he's been given no treatment options for the cancer itself.
 
I expect there are two reasons for not giving it to the over 80s.
  • A vaccinere quires the body to make white blood cells in response to it, otherwise it offers no protection. It is likely that tests show people over 80 often does not make the white blood cells.
  • Older people are likely to die sooner, so less likely to get shingles, therefore less cost effective to vaccinate.
 
Indy51 said:
I think there is a very unpleasant trend in health care where they do less and less (not to mention spend less when they can get away with it) for people the older they get. My next door neighbour got shingles at the same time as he was in hospital having an op to repair a bleed from his kidneys - probably the stress. He was diagnosed with kidney cancer a while back and apart from stopping the bleed, he's been given no treatment options for the cancer itself.
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That is dreadful. My mum was in her 80's when diagnosed with breast cancer and was given a mastectomy and radiotherapy. She was eventually cleared. I think there may be a reluctance to give chemotherapy due to the side effects and the way it affects the immune system
 
Indy51 said:
He was diagnosed with kidney cancer a while back and apart from stopping the bleed, he's been given no treatment options for the cancer itself.
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In the USA, doctors where asked if they would choose to have treatment for cancer etc when they were old. Most of them said they would not have the treatment that most people demand, as the treatment reduces qualify of life while only adding a few days to how long they live.

Chemotherapy drugs are often approved when the just make the cancer smaller without giving people a better life………
Also chemotherapywith lots of side effects often requiring treatment to last years to get a cure, is of questionable benefit if the person is likely to die of something else whatever the outcome of the chemotherapyis.

When a treatment for cancer is proved to work well, it is offered to everyone who can benefit from it, sadly for most cancers there are still no good treatment options.
 
Pinkorchid said:
Anyone had the shingles vaccination my surgery phoned today to ask if I would like to have one. I said yes as like the flu jab it must be worth it as shingles can be very nasty especially when you are older
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Hi Pinkorchid
I had my first shingles vaccination Two weeks ago and my yearly flu vaccination a few days later,no problems with either better than risking getting either,my daughter in law had the shingles just before I had vaccine that made up my mind for me!K
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Is there an age range for this vac? Hubby and I haven't been invited. I'm 69, he is 71.
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Hi Bluetit1802
Yes the age range where I live is 70 but I have heard it being offered in late sixties, I had it two weeks ago no problems.K
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Thanks. I looked it up on the NHS website. It is 70 for females and 75 for me, available up to the age of 79.
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Hi Bluetit hope you manage to get the vaccination if your in the age range nothing to worry about it's fine.
I wonder if you can do me a favour there are two newbies David1231 and Mike Gibson they need newbie information from daisy1 but for life of me I still cannot get the hang of how to contact her,could you do this please.K
 
Granny_grump_ said:
I wonder if you can do me a favour there are two newbies David1231 and Mike Gibson they need newbie information from daisy1 but for life of me I still cannot get the hang of how to contact her,could you do this please.K
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Just put a @ sign in front of daisy1 and it is done.
 
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