Hello @pinkpam,

I had the same question after a bout with Shingles a little over a year ago. My rash was small and disappeared quite quickly after I took the anti-viral med. The intense pain, however, was really terrible and I took a lot of Gabapentin to deal with the pain. Even though it has been a year since my bout with Shingles, the pain still comes on a pretty regular basis, especially if I'm overly tired or stressed.

I asked my PCP if I should keep the anti-viral on hand and she said that I should just notify the office if it comes back. However, your transplant team may provide you with another answer given your transplant history.

How intense is your pain right now?

I look forward to hearing from you. Will you post again after your appointment and let me know what has been suggested for you?

@pinkpam, I am a transplant recipient, have not had shingles, have had the vaccine, I am listening to this conversation so that I can be prepared if/when I get it.
Did you you get the Shingrix vaccine?

@pinkpam,
I hope at you got some relief. While reading about your Shingles experience, I began to wonder whether transplant patients can take longer to get over it. I have not had shingles, but whenever I have a health issue like a cut, abrasion, etc, it takes me longer to heal than is suggested. Do you ever experience that? I wonder if that could be contributing to your prolonged rash and pain?

How was your meeting with the dermatologist last week? Did you get any answers to your question about being over the Shingles? Did you learn how that can be decided?