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Post by SweetieBugs on Aug 30, 2019 19:48:57 GMT
About 5 weeks ago I got the first shingles vaccine and I had a bad reaction. I felt pain and hotness right from the start but didn't look at my arm until the next morning. I had a bright pink rash the size of a little more than a quarter about a 1/2 inch from where the injection site was. That patch was very painful from the skin right down to the bone. It felt both like a 2nd degree burn but also like someone punched my arm in that small spot really, really hard.
Over the next two days, the rash grew outward and more than doubled in size. By the 4th day, it was receding and lightening and after about 8 days or so, it felt normal. Of course the initial reaction didn't intensify until Friday evening so I never went to the doctor as it was improving on Monday morning.
What is strange is that ever since the vaccine, I've had ghost itchiness. It's almost like how I would think hives would feel but there is no swelling or redness to my skin. I get these mysterious flashes of itchiness on my head, neck, face or torso and they come and go pretty quickly. I'm under a lot of stress at home and work so that could factor in. However, I've always had a high amount of stress and it's never manifested itself like this.
Has anyone had this happen and how long did you feel this way?
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Post by hennybutton on Aug 30, 2019 21:06:24 GMT
I haven't had that vaccine yet, but you do need to report your reaction to your doctor ASAP. I'm pretty sure health agencies track this data, but only if reported.
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Post by flanz on Aug 30, 2019 21:33:10 GMT
I'm considering getting the 2 part series and someone else recently told me about a very uncomfortable local reaction that lasted about 4 days. I haven't heard of the ghost itchiness.
good luck!
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Post by femalebusiness on Aug 30, 2019 21:48:22 GMT
I got a shingles vaccination for me and my husband as soon as I could and I am not someone who gets vaccines. It was a little sore but no big deal. My mother and a couple of other people that I knew had shingles and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. They all really suffered. Whatever the residual effect you are having from the vaccine it is worth it not to get shingles. That is much, much worse and can last for years.
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Post by artgirl1 on Aug 30, 2019 22:35:52 GMT
I had the 2 part vaccine, and it is uncomfortable. The vaccine itself is 'thicker' than most injections and you can definitely feel it. I also had a reaction with a rash and and a softball size knot in my arm. The first injection was worse than the second.
However, I have also had shingles and I would have the vaccine every year if I had to to avoid getting shingles again.
But if you are concerned you should discuss with your Doctor.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Aug 30, 2019 22:41:07 GMT
I haven't had that vaccine yet, but you do need to report your reaction to your doctor ASAP. I'm pretty sure health agencies track this data, but only if reported. Yes, you should report your reaction in detail. |
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 20:04:38 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2019 22:42:27 GMT
I had the original shingles shot 4 years ago. I had a horrific reaction like you describe. The swelling, redness, and itchiness went from my elbow to my shoulder. It was awful. I have been advised not to get the new shot. I did get a pneumonia shot a month ago, and I ended up with a 2"x2" moveable lump in my arm. It also itched. I will not be getting that again either. Sorry you are suffering. It's terrible. My doctor did say her mother had the same reaction you did too, and her mother will also not be getting another one.
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Post by Basket1lady on Aug 30, 2019 23:42:17 GMT
I had my first Shingrix about 2 months ago. I ran a fever for about 24 hours and felt yucky for a few days. But I do have horrible itchies! I don’t know if it’s related, but it does bug me. I’m due for the second dose, but am waiting until we get to Belgium. I don’t want to have a fever on the plane!
I had a reaction similar to Patter to the pneumonia vaccine and they researched the Shingrix vaccine pretty thoroughly before giving it to me. The nurse said that they are seeing worse reactions in younger patients (those closer to 50 vs 60+). But that it was supposed to be a lot more effective than the old shingles vaccine.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Aug 31, 2019 0:29:30 GMT
I did get a pneumonia shot a month ago, and I ended up with a 2"x2" moveable lump in my arm. Fortunately that is a very long lasting shot! I don't even remember how long ago I got the regular pneumonia shot, but the Prevnar13 was 7-8 years ago. |
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 20:04:38 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2019 0:37:13 GMT
I had the two part Shingrix vaccine. I was pretty sore at the infection site and was very flu like for 2-3 days after the first shot. The second shot was similar but not quite as bad. To repeat what others have said...I would do this time and again if it means avoiding shingles.
I definitely think you should report this to your doctor.
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Post by pjaye on Aug 31, 2019 1:10:34 GMT
It sounds like it's within the normal range of side effects, maybe a little worse than average but nothing too extraordinary. The whole point of a vaccine is to introduce a part of the virus protein into the body and to make the body react & defend itself by creating antibodies, and this process is going to cause side effects. Side effects like swelling, redness, hard lumps, feeling unwell, fever etc are all pretty common for a few days and sometimes more while your immune system is fighting off this "illness" and in the process it is creating antibodies. When you have that red, hot, swollen, painful arm...just remind yourself this is your immune system creating the antibodies that will prevent you getting this disease in the future. but you do need to report your reaction to your doctor ASAP. No you don't have to report it to your doctor...any person can make a VAERS report (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) and there is no specific time frame that it needs to be made in (so you do not have to do it "ASAP" although doing it while you still have the symptoms will help your report be more accurate) You just go to the website and fill out the online form. If the side effects are severe enough to see your doctor, then your Dr may fill out the report on your behalf. Known side effects of the shingles vaccine are: |
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Post by CarolinaGirl71 on Aug 31, 2019 1:44:16 GMT
I had the original shingles shot 4 years ago. I had a horrific reaction like you describe. The swelling, redness, and itchiness went from my elbow to my shoulder. It was awful. I have been advised not to get the new shot. I did get a pneumonia shot a month ago, and I ended up with a 2"x2" moveable lump in my arm. It also itched. I will not be getting that again either. Sorry you are suffering. It's terrible. My doctor did say her mother had the same reaction you did too, and her mother will also not be getting another one. I had the same reaction to the original shingles shot and am afraid to get the Shingrix shots. Sorry you had the reaction but I'm glad to not be the only one with this crazy reaction. |
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snugglebutter
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by snugglebutter on Aug 31, 2019 3:25:36 GMT
I had my first Shingrix about 2 months ago. I ran a fever for about 24 hours and felt yucky for a few days. But I do have horrible itchies! I don’t know if it’s related, but it does bug me. I’m due for the second dose, but am waiting until we get to Belgium. I don’t want to have a fever on the plane! I had a reaction similar to Patter to the pneumonia vaccine and they researched the Shingrix vaccine pretty thoroughly before giving it to me. The nurse said that they are seeing worse reactions in younger patients (those closer to 50 vs 60+). But that it was supposed to be a lot more effective than the old shingles vaccine. Interesting. I had a mild case of shingles 6 years ago when I was 36. My doctor advised me to hold off on getting the vaccine because I wasn't in the target age group for it and he thought it would be better to wait for an updated version. I'm not sure when I will get it. |
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tincin
Drama Llama
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Jul 25, 2014 4:55:32 GMT
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Post by tincin on Aug 31, 2019 3:41:16 GMT
I had the two-part vaccine and I didn’t have any issues that I recall. I had a mild case of the shingles a couple years back and it wasn’t bad at all but I didn’t want to have it again
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Post by crittsmom on Aug 31, 2019 4:15:32 GMT
I just got the first shot a couple of days ago. Probably about a silver dollar size redness area, hot and tender to the touch. Took Motrin and felt ok. Just a little tender today. I actually had the shot given to me by the pharmacist, it was easier than going to the doctor's office. As the others said, I would rather have the pain from the shot than have shingles, that is one horrible,nasty and painful thing to have.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 20:04:38 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2019 10:26:41 GMT
I had the original shingles shot 4 years ago. I had a horrific reaction like you describe. The swelling, redness, and itchiness went from my elbow to my shoulder. It was awful. I have been advised not to get the new shot. I did get a pneumonia shot a month ago, and I ended up with a 2"x2" moveable lump in my arm. It also itched. I will not be getting that again either. Sorry you are suffering. It's terrible. My doctor did say her mother had the same reaction you did too, and her mother will also not be getting another one. I had the same reaction to the original shingles shot and am afraid to get the Shingrix shots. Sorry you had the reaction but I'm glad to not be the only one with this crazy reaction. Sorry you had the reaction too. Based on my reaction to the original shot, my doctor recommended against getting the new Shingrix shot. She saw her own mother's reaction to the first Shingrix shot, and she said her mother won't get the 2nd one. She also said I should not get it especially after seeing her mother's reaction. Now she knows exactly what happened to me too. I love my doctor. She is awesome!!! |
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Post by jcm28 on Aug 31, 2019 13:00:32 GMT
I have the phantom itching problem, too. No reaction at all with the first one. Then quite the reaction with the second one. My arm blew up, was very painful. Fever, chills. Now I get the itchies in the evening. But it is getting better. Hopefully, it will pass soon.
Janet
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