Here's my dilemma,about 3 weeks ago I got my first shingles shot, I had shingles about 12 years ago and don't want it again. My shoulder hurt and I felt punky for a day and a half, no big deal. About 3-4 days after the shot I started breaking out on my scalp, shoulders, and chest. Over the next few days it spread down my arms and back, eventually reaching my left foot, but not the right. The sores looked like chicken pox at first but as they spread they were much blotchier and very dense in some places.
I went to the Doc and he'd never seen anything like it, he put me on a week long course of an antiviral med just as a precaution, it didn't seem to help. So I went to the dermatologist, who also didn't know what it might be. He prescribed a steroidal creme, the lesions started to recede but it didn't really seem to me to be a result of the creme but of course I can't say for sure. The sores heve receded to only a few areas on my back, chest, and scalp. I'm still treating them with the steroid.
So the big question is do I get the second shot? Every doctor I've talked to says get the shot, it probably won't happen again, even though they don't know what it is, of course it may have nothing to do with the shot, it could be just another benefit of old age. The consensus seems to be that the risk of recurring shingles is worse than the risk of having another major breakout. I've got a few months to think about it.
