The shingles vaccine ruined my life. I was 100% healthy before receiving the shingles vaccine in 2014, but within two weeks developed rather severe neuropathy in both feet. My toes were completely numb and I had difficulty walking. In addition, the vaccine also caused a relatively rare condition known as erythromelalgia, which causes the feet to turn bright red and burn terribly.

Doctors were baffled by the sudden onset of two semi-debilitating conditions concurrently, until a brilliant podiatrist I saw diagnosed my conditions as being a reaction to the shingles vaccine I had received. He had experience with other patients who had the very same conditions and, like me, had received the shingles vaccine within a short time before the conditions manifested. He put me on gabapentin (1200 mg per day), which I still take to this day. It helps lessen the pain and burning, but does not cure or even come close to curing either condition. I refuse to take any opioids or other addictive painkillers.

It is now 2022 and I still suffer from peripheral neuropathy and erythromelalgia. I have "learned to live with it" but am no longer the very athletic, very fit person I was before the onset of these terrible conditions. I can no longer run, use a treadmill, do heavy weight-lifting, go mountain biking or hiking, play basketball or flag football, or enjoy any of the other strenuous or semi-strenuous activities I used to do on a regular basis. Now I must live a sedentary lifestyle and can be on my feet for no more than 20 minutes, max. My feet hurt and/or burn 75% of the time. Fortunately, immersing my feet in a pan of very cold water stops the burning, which I need to do several times a day. I can no longer wear socks of any kind, and can wear only extra-wide Crocs with a huge toebox. And no, I do NOT have diabetes; in fact, I'm not even close to being PRE-diabetic!

As a result of my life-altering negative experience with the shingles vaccine, I decided to forgo getting ANY type of vaccine, period. I have received NO vaccine of ANY type since 2014 and have not contracted a single virus, to include influenza, COVID-19, or even the common cold. (It no doubt helps that I take 20 immune system-enhancing supplements every day.) My only health issues are with my feet, thanks to the (expletive deleted) shingles vaccine. If you have not received the shingles vaccine and are undecided on whether to get it, my advice is to skip it. Why take a chance on experiencing the nasty, long-term side effects of the vaccine, as I have? Trust me, it's infinitely better to endure a single bout of shingles than a lifetime of pain and misery caused by neuropathy and erythromelalgia.