Shingles Vaccine does not mix with Martinis

I keep getting texts from my pharmacy to get the shingles vaccine (among others, they texted me about a hepatitis shot the other day, I also have been nagged about pneumococcal pneumonia).

I never remember having chicken pox, in fact I am almost 100 percent certain I never had it, but 1) the makers of the vaccine say 99 percent of people have the virus laying dormant in them, so 2) if that is really true, it would mean I was exposed but never had symptoms.

In any case, a month and a half ago, I was talking to my sister (who is an MD) about the ridiculous number of vaccines they are trying to sell people and about what the reality might be for my the risk for shingles. ... She hadn't had the shingles vaccine either (she's in her 60s) and never remembered having chicken pox either, and her take was something to the effect of, "Well, it's really unnecessary. ... until you are dealing with the pain from shingles and then you are like, 'why the fuck didn't I get that vaccine?"

Cut to 2 days later, and I gota text from her saying that she thinks she has shingles. ... right after we had that had that conversation! She had a breakout on her back and it was getting really uncomfortable.

It turned out to be infected mosquito bites all over her back from having been at the beach, but until I spoke to her and she told me that, I was like, "What are the odds we have a weird conversation like that about the shingles vaccine and she immediately contracts it?"

 

Just had an annual checkup and doc recommended the shingles vaccine. That one knocked me down for a good three-quarters of day. Never had a reaction like that before. Second one in October.