[vald76]

News Alert *** if you suffered with Chicken Pox as a kid--

Did you know that the Chicken Pox virus can lay dormant in your body until it erupts (may or may not) when you are 55+ years old?? The way it presents itself is with open, weeping sores on your torso that burn. Your skin condition is so sensitive to this virus that you can hardly wear clothes, therefore you lose about 4-6 weeks away from work while you walk around your house naked under a muu-muu. The weeping part of the lesion makes your muu-muu stick to this tender sore. Ouch. This virus is called "shingles."

Not fun.

There is a vaccine shot that will keep it away. It's pricey and not all doctors carry this vaccine in their offices. Its demand is just now growing, so doctors are getting on board, but check with your own on this point. My doctor told me to go to Dominick's Pharmacy in the Dominick's Food Store where they have the vaccine & will inject "over the counter" with your Doctor's Rx handed over by you. THEIR COST IS UPWARDS OF $260.00. Dominick's told me I'd have to pay them in full and submit the receipt to my health insurance company for repayment.

But I'm wiley like a fox. I called my ins. Company first & they said they'd only cover about $150 of the fee because Dominick's Pharmacy/Food Store is not in their doctor's network. Then I'd be stuck with $110 out of pocket with no recourse.

In my area (Chicago-land), a super-large medical group ("Advocate Medical Group") is a network of doctors who banned together, in part, as leverage against insurance manipulation. This group has a doctor-finder referral hotline. They were great in this regard. I told them I needed a doctor who had this vaccine on hand. They found one in a nearby town adjacent to a large teaching hospital. One Caution -- you must use the term "Shingles Vaccine" (only one injection needed) rather than "the Shingles Shot". I used the latter and the doctor thought I had an outbreak and wanted relief from having the disease which would require repeat visits for a while which they didn't want to commit to a temporary, walk-in new patient. (ahh, doctors... sigh & head shaking)

Also, my ins. Company would only cover me in full if I were over 60 years old. So those 5 years from age 55, you have to 'hope' not to contract this disease before ins. Wants to deal with you. Furthermore, be patient with the phone clerks at your insurance company. This is new enough that some are not up to speed on it. Keep asking questions & requesting supervisors when necessary. After all, it's cost effective for insurance to pay for the vaccine rather than your recovery.

I received my vaccine at the age of 60 years & 6 months, just to be safe. No side-effects of any kind. But now I can sleep at night. Please spread the word to all the seniors in your life. It's better than a Random Act of Kindness!!

[Choux]

I had chicken pox as a kid and got shingles as an adult... about age 57. The shingles went away after they ran their course. :)