Only recently, I have been reminded how debilitating it can be. I am not sure my wife could survive it. I take lots of vitamins and eat a lot of fruit and I have never been susceptible to herpes things like fever blisters etc. Still, based on recent information, we will both be getting the vaccination.

I didn’t think I’d ever had chicken pox, so turned down the vaccination for years. When I volunteered at the hospice a screen they took showed I had had it. I got the vaccination immediately.

“Prevention

A live vaccine for VZV exists, marketed as Zostavax.[27] In a 2005 study of 38,000 older adults it prevented half the cases of herpes zoster and reduced the number of cases of postherpetic neuralgia by two-thirds.[28] A 2007 study found that the zoster vaccine is likely to be cost-effective in the U.S., projecting an annual savings of $82 to $103 million in healthcare costs with cost-effectiveness ratios ranging from $16,229 to $27,609 per quality-adjusted life year gained.[29] In October 2007 the vaccine was officially recommended in the U.S. for healthy adults aged 60 and over.[27][30] Adults also receive an immune boost from contact with children infected with varicella (chicken pox), a boosting method that prevents about a quarter of herpes zoster cases among unvaccinated adults, but that is becoming less common in the U.S. now that children are routinely vaccinated against varicella.[9][31] The shingles vaccination can cut the risk of the severe disease by 55 percent.[32] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends shingle vaccine for use in people 60 years old and older to prevent shingles, but it is not recommended to treat active shingles or post-herpetic neuralgia (pain after the rash is gone) once it develops.[33]
In the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, population-based varicella immunization is not practiced. The rationale is that until the entire population could be immunized, adults who have previously contracted VZV would instead derive benefit from occasional exposure to VZV (from children), which serves as a booster to their immunity to the virus, and may reduce the risk of shingles later on in life.[34] The UK Health Protection Agency states that, while the vaccine is licensed in the UK, there are no plans to introduce it into the routine childhood immunization scheme, although it may be offered to healthcare workers who have no immunity to VZV.[35]
A 2006 study of 243 cases and 483 matched controls found that fresh fruit is associated with a reduced risk of developing shingles–people who consumed less than one serving of fruit a day had a risk three times as great as those who consumed more than three servings, after adjusting for other factors such as total energy intake. For those aged 60 or more, vitamins and vegetable intake had a similar association.”

I had to wait for a while listening to Muzak and public service announcements before a real person actually answered the phone.

The lady’s accent was impenetrable, I couldn’t understand a word she was saying. Finally, in desperation, I asked her “Habla Usted Espanol?” She answered “Si!”, and we transacted our business in no time flat.

Maybe I should consider it….you just scared the hell out of me. I didn’t realize the odds were that high. I think I’ll call the VA, they might have it in stock, and I’m not quite eligible for Medicare yet. I’ll turn 65 this month.