My dad got shingles three years ago, and I’ve never seen him in that much pain. He’s the guy who walked around on a broken toe for two weeks before finally going to the doctor, so when he says something hurts, it really hurts. The shingles rash wrapped around his side and back, and he couldn’t even put a shirt on without wanting to scream. This went on for like a month, maybe longer. Then, even after the rash cleared up, he had this nerve pain that lasted almost a year. Just constant burning and stabbing sensations that nothing helped.
He was 68 when he got it. And he told me later his doctor had mentioned the shingles vaccine a few years before that, but he never got around to it. Classic dad move – ignore medical advice until something bad happens.
So when my doctor brought it up at my physical last year, I actually listened. I’m 52, which apparently is when you’re supposed to get it now. I thought you had to be way older, like 65 or something. Nope. Fifty. I ended up getting mine done at Soma Pharmacy over on Route 9 in Howell, NJ, because my doctor’s office was booking appointments like six weeks out, and the pharmacy just takes walk-ins.
Did You Get Your Shingles Vaccine?
Let me tell you what I learned about this whole thing, because the information out there is kind of all over the place.
What’s Actually Happening When You Get Shingles
So shingles is caused by the chickenpox virus. Which I had when I was like seven years old, covered in itchy spots, my mom putting calamine lotion all over me. That virus never actually goes away. It just hangs out in your nerve cells doing nothing for decades. Your immune system keeps it in check, and you forget all about it.
Then you get older. Your immune system isn’t quite as sharp as it used to be. And that virus wakes up. Just decides one day it’s time to make your life miserable. It travels along a nerve and creates this rash that follows the nerve path, which is why it shows up in a band on one side of your body. Usually around your torso, but sometimes on your face or neck. My dad’s went from his spine around to his stomach on the left side.
The pain is apparently insane. People describe it as burning, stabbing, or electric shocks. The rash itself looks gnarly – these fluid-filled blisters that eventually crust over. Takes a few weeks to heal. But here’s the kicker – about 10 to 20 percent of people end up with something called postherpetic neuralgia. That’s basically nerve damage that keeps hurting long after the rash is gone.
That’s what got my dad. The rash sucked, but the months of nerve pain afterward were what really wore him down. He couldn’t golf. Couldn’t sit comfortably to watch TV. Just this constant background pain that he said made him feel ten years older overnight. He tried different pain medications, some cream the dermatologist gave him, but nothing really touched it. It just had to run its course.
Watching him go through that was enough to convince me to get the stupid vaccine.
Who Actually Needs This Thing
CDC says everyone 50 and up should get it. Not 60, not when you retire, not when you feel old – 50. I didn’t know that. I think most people don’t know that. The vaccine they use now is called Shingrix and it’s apparently way better than whatever vaccine they had before.
You’re supposed to get it even if you already had shingles. My neighbor Bob got shingles when he was like 63. Horrible experience. He figured he was done with it – you get it once, you’re immune, right? Wrong. His doctor told him that you can get shingles multiple times. So he still needed the vaccine. He went to the same pharmacy in Howell, NJ that I used because his doctor’s office didn’t have it in stock, and he didn’t want to wait.
You also need it even if you got the old shingles vaccine years ago. The old one was called Zostavax, and apparently, it wasn’t nearly as effective. When I went to Soma Pharmacy, the pharmacist was explaining this to an older lady who got vaccinated like ten years ago with the old one. She had no idea there was a new, better version. Nobody had told her.
There are some people who shouldn’t get it. If you’re sick with something, wait until you’re better. If you’ve ever had a bad allergic reaction to any part of the vaccine, obviously, skip it. Pregnant women have to wait. But for most regular people over 50, there’s really no reason not to get it.
Why They’re Saying 50 Now
Your odds of getting shingles go up as you age. At 50, your immune system is still pretty good, but it’s starting to slip a little. That chickenpox virus sees an opening and takes it.
Something like one in three people gets shingles at some point in their life. Those aren’t great odds. After 50, the risk keeps climbing. By the time you’re 85, about half of the people have dealt with it at least once. Getting vaccinated at 50 means you’re getting ahead of the curve before your risk really jumps.
I know people who say they’ll wait until they’re older. But the pharmacist told me the vaccine actually works better when your immune system is still reasonably strong. If you wait until you’re 75 or 80, it might not be as effective. Your immune system is already pretty weak at that point. Getting it at 50 or 55 gives you better protection.
Plus, why wait? You could get shingles at 52, 58, or 63. There’s no magic age where it suddenly becomes a risk. It can happen anytime after about 50, really. My coworker got it at 54. The guy at my gym got it at 59. It’s not some rare thing that only happens to very old people.
You Need Two Shots and the Second One Sucks
Shingrix isn’t one shot, and you’re done. You need two doses. They’re supposed to be two to six months apart. I got my first one in March and went back for the second in May. The local pharmacy sent me a text reminder, which was good because I absolutely would have forgotten.
Both shots matter. The first one gives you some protection, but you need the second to get the full benefit. The studies show it’s like 90-something percent effective after both doses, which is really good for a vaccine.
Now here’s what nobody told me upfront: the side effects are rough. Not dangerous, just uncomfortable. After my first shot, my arm was sore for like three days. Not just a little sore – I couldn’t lift it over my head. And I felt like I was coming down with the flu. Tired, achy, just blah. Lasted about a day and a half.
The second shot was worse. Same deal but more intense. I actually called in sick to work the day after because I felt that crappy. My wife had the same experience – she said the second shot knocked her out for a day.
Some people apparently skip the second shot because the first one made them feel so bad. The pharmacist at Soma told me they see it all the time. People come in for the first dose, feel terrible afterward, and never come back for the second. But you need both. One shot gives you maybe 70 percent protection. Both shots get you over 90 percent. Worth feeling lousy for a day or two.
Where to Actually Get It
You can get it at your doctor’s office if you want to wait for an appointment and deal with that whole thing. Most people just go to a pharmacy because it’s easier. I went to Soma Pharmacy in Howell because it’s on my way home from work, and they do walk-ins. Didn’t need an appointment. Just showed up, asked if they had it, they did, got the shot, done in like fifteen minutes.
Insurance covers it if you’re 50 or older, usually. Medicare Part D covers it. My regular insurance covered it. The pharmacist can check your coverage right there before you get the shot, so you know what you’re paying.
If you don’t have insurance, it’s expensive. Like $200-something per dose, I think? So close to $500 total. That’s a lot. But the pharmacist mentioned there are sometimes manufacturer coupons or assistance programs. Worth asking about if money’s tight.
Why Pharmacy Was Easier
The thing about going to a pharmacy instead of your doctor is that you don’t have to plan it out weeks in advance. I literally just stopped in on my way home one day. Took less time than picking up a prescription.
The pharmacist asked me some basic health questions, made sure I didn’t have any reasons I shouldn’t get the vaccine, gave me the shot in my arm, and had me sit for 15 minutes to make sure I didn’t have any weird reactions. That’s standard for any vaccine. Then I left. Easy.
My doctor’s office wanted me to schedule it as a nurse visit, which meant waiting for an opening, taking time off work, the whole production. The vaccination in Howell, NJ, at the pharmacy was so much simpler. In and out.
Just Get It Done
Here’s the thing I learned from watching my dad suffer through shingles – you don’t get a warning. One day you’re fine, the next day you’ve got this horrible rash, and you’re in agony. There’s nothing you can do to prevent it except get vaccinated.
I used to think shingles was an old person’s disease. Like something that happened to people in their 80s. Then I started noticing it’s way more common than I thought, and it hits people in their 50s and 60s all the time. A woman I work with got it at 53. The guy who cuts my hair got it at 56. It’s really not rare.
Getting vaccinated at 50 feels weird when you still feel young and healthy. I don’t think of myself as old. But that’s actually the right time to do it. Before your immune system gets any weaker. Before your risk climbs. When the vaccine will work best.
I’m glad I got mine done. It wasn’t fun – those side effects were real – but it was two days of feeling crappy versus potentially weeks or months of the kind of pain my dad dealt with. Easy choice when you put it like that.
If you’re 50 or older and you haven’t gotten the shingles vaccine yet, just do it. Stop at your local pharmacy – Soma Pharmacy here in Howell does walk-ins all the time – and get the first shot. Then go back in a couple of months for the second one. Deal with feeling lousy for a day. And then forget about it, knowing you’re protected.
My dad says all the time he wishes he’d done it when his doctor first mentioned it. Would’ve saved him a year of misery. Don’t be like my dad. Get the vaccine.
