Hello, glad to hear you are recovering nicely....
Yes, you can go ahead and get the Shingles vaccine...research shows that for those who do get the vaccine, the future outbreaks are not as bad as opposed to those who don't and it cuts the rate almost in half for those who will get the outbreaks period. So, it's worth the chance.
As far as what causes Shingles....it doesn't always have to be a weak immune system or stress....after having chicken pox, the virus lays dormant and can 'reactivate' for no apparant reason sometimes...there doesn't have to be a cause, per se. Stress and compromised immune systems does increase the chances, but does not always contribute to the development of Shingles.
Shingles is not contagious. You cannot get chicken pox or shingles from anyone who has shingles.
Hope this helps...follow up with any additional questions if you have them.
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Nurse
17 years exp. in all areas of nursing including emergency medicine, hospital, and private practice.
Hello
Yes, you can have side effects from the vaccine...injection site soreness/redness, swelling and headache.
The Shingles vaccine runs about $100-$150 at my clinic and I'm in the Southeast...some insurance companies will cover it but not all. You can call your insurance carrier to see if your plan covers vaccines (if you have insurance).