Yes, I came down with a case - fortunately pretty mild - in January. I am one of those people who can't get live vaccines... so I took my chances and lost. Had a few blisters along the right side torso nerve line and a few on my stomach. But, as I said, my case was mild and I took the anti-viral meds for a week and really didn't suffer much.

I would strongly encourage anyone who can safely get the shingles shot to do so.

I had a case, said to be mild, a year ago in March. Got the anti-viral meds the day the rash broke out, still suffered for a month. And I had had the vaccine, too. It's maybe 50% effective, and it may lessen the intensity of an outbreak. But I'd still get the vaccine again. I'd hate to see what a bad case is like.

If you do a search you should be able to find several threads about shingles at the KT. I had shingles in 2010--milder than many I've heard of, but painful enough to keep me out of work for two weeks. (I couldn't lie down.)

Had the shot, a couple of years ago, and then got a small case of shingles on my eyelid this year. Once again, anti-virals helped a lot. I'm another one who recommends the shot.

I know stress brought on my shingles, so...I did it to myself! Fortunately, I was seen immediately and given the anti-herpes meds within the 72-hour window. I had a very mild case involving only the upper right quadrant of my head. Both DH and I had the vaccine after my attack cleared.

I had the shot this week. I had a mild reaction to it (see picture - I hope the picture doesn't come up as big for you as it does on my screen. LOL) and haven't felt the best for a couple of days. Tired and achy. Don't know if that has anything to do with the shot. I have not had the shingles. I just turned 60 two weeks ago.

As for stress, I don't recall anything unusual happening at the time. Same old same old. So stress didn't do it/

I was stressed (in a good way, had just moved into my smaller home.) I had a very painful case and over 3 years later still feel pain in the area at times.

I had shingles and then got the vaccine. I was under stress at the time. You have to have had chicken pox at some point in your life in order to get them if I remember correctly. Mine were painful but didn't last long, I, too, got an rx for the appropriate medication.

No shot here, and a very mild case. Having ha a serious spider bite previously, I thought that was what I had on my right eyebrow. Took meds...at the near end of the 'window' and all was well. However, at times, that area does get my attention, and I rub it before thinking about it.

I had the vaccine a few years ago, but got shingles a year ago, in my left eye and had horrid headaches, along with ear pain. l had no rash, other than my eye. I got the anti-viral meds, along with prescribed eye drops. It wasn't too bad, so I think having had the vaccine was a plus. What I don't care for is the fact that I still have itchy and mildly painful eyebrow and eyelid, along with picky feeling scalp on that side. Not serious, but aggravating.

little bug, I had the shot and got a reaction. Pharmacy said do not take Benadryl. Ended going to the Dr.'s and they said to take Benadryl. The itching drove me crazy!!

Two summers ago two of my kids, in their 20's and not living in the same city, both got shingles on their torsos within a month of each other. Their cases were mild and they went about their normal lives. With meds they both recovered in a week or two.

I got the vaccine and did not suffer any side effects.

Lindsay, the first time I had shingles, yes. Stress weakens our immune system, so it's no wonder it can trigger a shingles outbreak. It does the same thing with cold sores--also a herpes virus.

Before my first shingles experience, I was madly cleaning house and cooking in preparation for a visit from cousins I'd never met. No identifiable trigger with the second outbreak though.

Joaniepoanie, what an odd coincidence!

Thank you to everyone who responded to my question. Yes, I had chicken pox as a child (as well as the measles, mumps, and scarlet fever). I have to make a decision whether or not to get the shot, and I am really torn over it. I was under a huge amount of stress starting a little over two years ago that lasted about six months. It was a situation at work because of a reorganization and a new supreme -itch boss who had no knowledge of what any of us network administrators did. My doctor even said that I looked like the poster child for severe stress. I resolved it by retiring (which turned out to be great because my income went up!). I can't help but think that if shingles are stress induced, I would have gotten them in late 2013, and since I didn't, maybe I don't need to get the shot...

The first and hopefully only time I had shingles was during a highly stressful period in my life. I was in my late 20s and generally healthy. I had taken a leave of absence to care for my mother who was dying. And in the middle of that, I got shingles.

I had shingles when I was diagnosed with end stage renal failure. so I guess it was stress related. My case was mild. I had them on my back around the bra area. Its been about 2 years for me. It was very painful but I didn't have the blotches of blisters. I had all the childhood diseases. I have not had the shot but am thinking about it. I have heard it is in some cases covered by insurance. Mary

I've known three people who had shingles. My brother in law, but I don't know much about how bad his was. . A sister in law on the other side of the family. I know she had a pretty bad case. She came down with it just about the same time I got my kidney transplant. I take immuno-suppressive drugs so of course we couldn't visit. Her arms and neck were blistered. Her boss told her to stay home (without pay) until the rash was gone because he was afraid she was contagious. And the third case was my daughter. When she was about 20, she got a rash on her abdomen. Went to the doctor, who said it was pretty much healed and anti-virals would not be effective. But he did say it was unusual for someone so young. Of course, since I'm still immumo-suppressed, I cannot get the vaccine.

Lindsay, as I'm sure you know, stress isn't the only thing that can lower our resistance. As one example, the simple act of growing older changes our immune system. The herpes zoster virus, like all herpes viruses, it seems, just waits for an opportunity to activate.

Most of the cases of shingles reported in this thread were relatively mild, but we were lucky. Having shingles can be absolutely wicked, with long-lasting consequences. If you look through some of the other KT threads on shingles, you'll see people losing an eye, etc. I don't think the shot is that big of a deal, but shingles certainly can be.

NIH re aging's effect on the immune system

I have never had shingles, but I know people who have. My great grandmother had them so bad it put her into a long term care facility. I got the shot this winter. Had a slight reaction to it at the injection site. If you are able to handle the live vaccine, I would highly recommend getting it.

My husband is just getting over a case of shingles. He wasn't under any stress, but he did complain about pain in his shoulder about two weeks before he broke out. He got the antiviral within 48 hours. He has a high pain threshold, but he was bothered by the pain. I got the vaccine a little later, and I had a reaction similar to the picture above.

I had shingles about 7 years ago; was given the meds as soon as the first pink rash appeared so I never got the blisters, but the pain was so intense for 7 weeks that I could not sleep through a night. I took the vaccine injection two years ago, because I am afraid of a relapse. It was awful. And I don't recall any particular stress at the time.

I forgot to say - my shingles shot was covered by my health insurance. The county health department told me that if it wasn't, it would have cost me $208 (since I'm 60).