No, not at all. But allow me to ask about these most recent comments:

Are you suggesting there's a tie in between the C vaccines and shingles? Is there legitimate and valid evidence suggesting this is a measurable risk taken from the experiences of hundreds of millions of people who have been treated? I think the answer is no.

"I choose to make my own decisions on my medical care"

You don't see medical doctors or if you do, you disregard their advice as it suits you to? Based on what factors?

"My time will be at the right time, regardless of what shots I get."

"Shots" are just one manner of administering medicines. Have you never taken any medicine? No antibiotics for infections? Did you have no inoculations as a child? If you have done either, you do understand that the effect of doing so likely prolonged your life. How do you pick and choose, are you trained and educated to do so? I think the answer is no.

Well, if I had shingles right now, and had had a booster, I would want to know that other people had that experience…similar to the ”Reactions to Shingrix shot” thread. Useful info that your doctor (unless your are friends, as we are, and she calls and tells you…) is probably not going to tell you.

I DID NOT say I did not see doctors….I DID NOT say I am against this vaxx, or any others. I told MY own experience, and because of that, and what I SEE around me, I am not getting a second, nor any boosters.

@Springroz I'm not sure I'm understanding. Did your friends get shingles shortly after having the booster, or shortly after having Covid? How long after having booster or Covid?

Correlation isn't always causation...

"I think the answer is no." And you think this from what? Your years spent in the medical field? Stop it Elmer, you practice exactly what you accuse Springroz of.

The reason the varicella-zoster virus is reactivated is unclear, and a link to the vaccine and shingles has already had research into the subject to determine if there is a link. One study of 54 cases came to this conclusion. "We could not establish definite link but there may be possible association between COVID‐19 vaccine and shingles. Large‐scale studies may help to understand the cause‐effect relationship."

Shingles could become a side effect with a low percentage risk, just like many drugs developed listing side effects by the risk percentage including death. So stop the bulling of people with your cocky know it all attitude and apologize to springroz for being such a jerk.

Correlation is NOT causation.

Just got my second booster today.

Something else struck me, a delayed reaction:

"She had a shingles shot last year,"

Shingrix is a two-dose treatment. Maybe you meant she had her two-shot treatment, with the second 2-6 months after the first. If she had only one, she did not receive the result provided by the medicine when it is properly dosed.

If she had the one dose Zostavax, that's known to be much less effective than Shingrix.

Last Zostavax expired in 2020.

Absolutely! It is the best way to protect my family and myself. As well I have no choice in my mind as my sister whom I spend a lot of time with has several illnesses which makes her vulnerable. They aren't offered yet except for to the most sick. Although I think she falls in that category since she is mobile and can live by herself. She is not as vulnerable by far as those in care homes that's for sure.

Thanks for the Zostavax clarification, mdln. The one vs two dose Shingrix question remains open.

When it's available here (Canada) I will. I am in a longitudinal study about side effects and efficacy with mixing and matching vaccines. I was initially eligible because I got AZ as a first shot. It's a great study, I'd be happy to continue with them if they want to keep boosting me. The researchers (unaffiliated with any company) test my immunity after every dose at about one-month and six-month intervals.

My main reason for taking it now will be much like a yearly flu shot - to avoid the worst effects if I do get sick and to minimize the chances of me passing something on to my parents or my kid. I think I probably have good enough base immunity at this point to stay out of the hospital if I did get sick. Much like the flu I feel like everyone's immunity will get boosted occasionally either by vax or by exposure - I'd rather go with the vax.

I feel like one of the only people around me to escape omic-B but it's likely only a matter of time (we had a lower case rate of Omic-A in January than most jurisdictions but now the tail is dragging out forever or even going up).

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For data on vax/boost vs unvax you can look at literally any jurisdiction - here's Texas as an example.

https://www.dshs.texas.gov/immunize/covid19/data/vaccination-status/

Here's data from the CDC comparing unvax to 2 to 3 doses. You can see that boost probably cuts risk of death substantially - maybe even a third compared to 2 doses. But of course the biggest jump is from unvax to 2 doses. Most of the variation in that graph is driven by the 65+ age group (as known from the start Covid is a lot deadlier the older you are) but you see a lot happening in the 50-64 group as well (you can break it out by age on the site).

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#rates-by-vaccine-status

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-11/repeat-booster-shots-risk-overloading-immune-system-ema-says#:~:text=European%20Union%20regulators%20warned%20that,to%20the%20European%20Medicines%20Agency.

This is the last I have to say….I KNOW better than to reply to these cross-posted threads!

I KNOW correlation does not equal causation.

I do not know the exact timeline of my friend’s life. I had not seen her in several months. We were discussing MANY things, and running back and forth helping her DH repair the horse trailer.

^^^OMG…that article read my mind! That was my intuitive thought process!😂 I really missed my calling….

That article doesn't say much besides relating personal opinions. Studies and research are required for medicines and protocols submitted for FDA approval. Its assessment and that of the CDC are based on the consensus scientific opinion of the best experts in the US. That counts more than intuition and unsupported hunches for me.

I will take any booster they are giving, as will my family. The five of us have complied with rules, but we have also travelled and eaten out; our lives have been back to normal for a while. None of us sick; I credit the vax. Esp w 2 kids in dorms and 5 family vacations during COVID.

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/why-a-4th-covid-19-shot-likely-wont-provide-more-protection

Only adding to this thread to give an update: my son is still ill but because he is 2x vaxed and 1x boosted, and younger he is okay. Chills, headache and some aches and pains. Deep coughing mostly at night.

My husbands aunt died in the covid unit yesterday afternoon. She was in her 70's.

My 3 day in a row of doing antigen tests show I'm still negative, but I do have a sore throat. I feel fine otherwise.

@Springroz sorry, I wasn't trying to start anything. I was curious because I do know that shingles can be brought on by stress, etc. and I was thinking a case of covid could sure be stress. I wondered too if the vaccine/booster could be stress. I did read there are cases where the covid vaccine/booster has caused a reactivation of shingles, but mild cases.

I agree with @mtnrdredux_gw as we have been pretty much back to normal - with some precautions. We traveled last year, and again last month, but we are careful about where we go, etc. My only concern about the second booster is when to get it. I'm not sure that I want it at 4 months out, thinking maybe to wait till 6 months. I plan to discuss with our dr and go from there. Neither of us have been sick thus far, and I would like to keep it that way.

summersrhythm, I'm not sure what you're trying to say. Aside from doing searches and posting links to word matches that come up, what's your take on what people should or shouldn't do and, additionally, what's your view of the conduct of the public health orgs and their leaders?

Seems to me that an opinion can be inferred from the choice of articles shared...

@WittyNickNameHere ;) I am so sorry to hear about your aunt.

Sure it can but that last article had different opinions. I was wondering which caught her attention.

As an aside, anything and everything can be found on the internet. I'm careful about giving too much immediate credibility to content aggregation and neo/pseudo-media sites like that one. Info is legit when cited but opinions always vary and for technical topics, authors don't always have the training or experience to speak with authority or understanding.

Seems to me some are saying the world may not be flat based on information gathered from outside the village. To question the Ah kin's knowledge of the sun god meant you were next on the alter, and it really sucked for Oz when Dorthy pulled open the curtain.

My axillary lymph nodes are still bigger than normal after almost 4 months, I had the booster shot on Dec 6th last year. My immune got weaker after 3 shots.

Summersrhythm just a thought: there are multiple causes of swollen lymph nodes. Perhaps you should seek medical advice, it would be tragic to ignore those symptoms and have it turn out to be one of the more serious causes.

Lucille, thanks for your thought. Axillary lymph nodes suddenly got bigger right after the booster shot (on the same night). Now after all these months they are much smaller than before, but still bigger than normal. I visited my doctor 2 weeks ago, he said it happened to a lot of people after the booster shot. I have to wait and see. I am working on rebuilding my immune system. I don't have any medical conditions, and I am not a drinker or a smoker. I added zinc and vitamin E to my daily vitamins, and I have been eating healthy. Hopefully the lymph nodes will be back to normal soon.

How does one do a personal assessment of the state of one's immune system?

Lucille's advice was excellent - I hope you can see a physician to assess the reason for your swollen lymph nodes. A doctor saying "I've seen this before" has not investigated possible causes. I'd see another one.

Yes, when I can find the time. Have fun!

The third dose increases immunity, so after the fourth dose you are protected. Once 80% of the population has received the fifth dose, the restrictions can be relaxed as the sixth dose stops the virus from spreading. I am calm, and believe that the seventh dose will solve our problems, and we have no reason to fear the eighth dose. The clinical phase of the ninth dose confirms that the antibodies remain stable after the tenth dose. The eleventh dose guarantees that no new mutations will develop, so there is no reason to criticize the twelfth dose.....

We have appointments at our Rite Aid on Monday.

@Elmer J Fudd she saw her dr. two weeks ago.

Monday afternoon at CVS.

Tina Marie, she said

"he said it happened to a lot of people after the booster shot. I have to wait and see."

If that had been said to me, I would consider it to have been neither an investigation nor a diagnosis. The doctor blew it off. I'd go to another doctor.

Sorry Elmer, I didn't read (or maybe comprehend LOL) that part. Sometimes I read through a post too quickly. Apparently it has happened to many (hmm at least women) and we are being cautioned about when to have a mammogram. That's another factor in me scheduling the booster, I need to schedule a mammogram first. But I agree, her doctor should have checked her out more thoroughly. Perhaps he did bloodwork, etc. I hope so. I hope it is nothing other than the vaccine.

Are there any negatives /detriments to getting boosted in terms of protection from the virus? If you get boosted too many times, is there anything adverse--like your body no longer reacts to the booster and the vaccine doesn't do it's job? I'm not a science-y person. I am doing whatever CDC says. CDC offered boosters to those 50 +--I'm 53 1/2. Getting it. Just curious. A friend was trying to tell me that too many boosters is bad. This is why I'm asking.

either way, it's like what.... 2-5 data points? maybe 10? out of millions of healthy, happy booster recipients. honestly I think the doctor mishandled that information if they were spreading the word that a handful of his patients happened to get shingles. especially since correlation does not mean causation. that doctor should have known better.

Elmer, thanks for your thought. There are truly many people experiencing the same issue after the booster. It looks like I might have a long wait., a long journey to 43 weeks mark. "Screening mammography should not be delayed after COVID-19 vaccination because axillary adenopathy is a common imaging finding and persists for as long as 43 weeks."

https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.213227

"A friend was trying to tell me that too many boosters is bad."

What's your friend's credentials? Does your friend have any advanced science degrees? Where did your friend get their information? The National Enquirer?

See where I'm going?

Both DH and I got ours today. We are traveling to Hawaii in 2 weeks, so I happy to have the extra booster since we’ll be way outside our bubble. Aloha!

What's your friend's credentials? Does your friend have any advanced science degrees? Where did your friend get their information? The National Enquirer?

See where I'm going?

HaHa--yes--I see where you are going. I went there too but then I decided maybe I was uninformed.

wildchild2x2👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

What ever came of this, from earlier in the year?

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/why-a-4th-covid-19-shot-likely-wont-provide-more-protection

FOAS - I think the emphasis in your link was on proper spacing of the vaccinations more than on concerns about lack of protection. Here in Aus the government is approving a fourth shot only for the over 65s, those who are in aged care or disability homes, the immune compromised, and indigenous people over 50 - in other words, the most vulnerable. Spacing is 4 months from first booster, which for most Aussies is going to be April or later. So, the timing should provide extra protection as we head into winter here. 

I'll be getting mine as soon as I'm eligible, end of April.

I read it as being pretty specific that four months may be too early, and potentially detrimental.

"articles and our very own doctors and medical journal studies ALL have to be approved by Elmer"

No, not at all. Opinions vary from person to person, facts don't. At times when someone confuses anything ranging from baseless articles, opinion or politically motivated propaganda pieces with what's factual and authoritative, I'll share my observation and/or ask about it.

Sometimes it's done innocently. Sometimes it's deliberate. There are media "sources" - radio, TV, websites- that purposely put out comments they know are untrue/unfounded but they do so to influence opinions. They know many people swallow their falsehoods whole without giving any of it further thought. And spread the falsehoods. That's when I speak up.

Sadly, it seems facts have become something that can vary, depending on the person...

As I work daily with huge animals that have bad vision….This quote struck me..

”Seeing too MANY patterns may be safer than seeing too FEW”

Seeing patterns is one of the things that allowed horses to evolve to this point…. Those lions blend in well.

Can you explain please, I don't understand the pattern comment. Thanks