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My dad was 61 (about five years ago) when he went to the pharmacy to get his shingles shot. At the time, just Zostavax (the live vaccine) was on the market. The pharmacy was out of stock and told him to come back another day. My dad didn’t think too much of it and didn’t remember to go back again after that first attempt.

Not too long after (a matter of a few months maybe), he began having back pain one day and my mom took him to urgent care. There was nothing visible on his skin, but based on the location of the pain (one side of his torso), the doctor diagnosed him with shingles. My mom was in communication with me throughout. Eventually, the rash erupted.

The pain and suffering my dad experienced from the infection lingered for at least a year, and one of the biggest problems he faced was getting comfortable and restful sleep. He was on medication (gabapentin) to help with the nerve pain, and he tried to wean off it once, but had to go back on it.

Prior to getting shingles, my dad had a double total knee replacement—and he has said the pain and subsequent recovery from that was much easier than shingles. When the new shingles shot (Shingrix) became available, I stressed the importance of him getting this shot, and my mom called around to find it since it was in short supply. He did ultimately get both doses of that shot, so he should be protected from shingles going forward.

-Liz K.
#WorldImmunizationWeek