Is it safe to get shingle shot after 6 wk & still have virus?

We cannot contradict your professional's advice. None of us replying is likely to be a physician, and even if he/she were, it would be to follow your doctor's advice. They don't know anything about you, nor do I. Sorry, this may sound cold and unhelpful, but you really are stuck with what has been offered to you. I would follow the original prescription and get the shot at the six-week-mark...if that helps even a little.

And we understand that you are truly in hellish circumstances. Nobody reading would want this for you, and we would offer anything except advice that counters what your own physicians say is the case. Can you take an analgesic, a steroid, an anti-inflammatory....anything? Were those suggested by any of your caregivers?

@gloaming: As I mentioned earlier, the Dermatologist was not helpful at all. They didn't even give me any instructions on how to care for the shingles, ie, how to clean it properly. So I've just been cleaning it daily with warm water and soap. The medications that I presented to them that I found on Chatgpt was something that they did not have the authority to prescribe, so why go to a specialist who cannot not properly treat you? Won't do that again with a Dermatologist. So for now I will just start taking shots of whiskey to see if that will make this pain more bearable.

@evillarreal Your family GP, or a walk-in doctor, should, perhaps, offer steroid creme to help speed healing. As for cleaning, you may be doing more harm than good. I would keep it as dry as possible, possibly only a barrier cream, but really just a gauze pad and tape over it. If it's not infected, you don't have fever or chills, night sweats, etc, it is probably not infected. So, keep it clean means don't go mud wrestling, avoid sweating, maybe just pat the area with a damp clean cloth when you have to bathe...that kind of thing.

I wish I had something in my bag o' tricks to suggest to you, but other than riding it out as suggested by the experts, I don't know how else to help you. I do hope you get some natural relief soon.

@gloaming I guess I am between a rock and a hard place. The one thing the Dr. recommended was to apply calamine lotion and lidocaine to ease some of the pain. Those work fairly well for a short period. But then I have to wash off the lotion daily while taking a bath and then pat dry after the bath and stay dry while sleeping or throughout the day. I guess I can try not using the lotion and the lidocaine and stay dry as much as I can. Finally, it appears that you concur with the ER Dr in that I should get the shingle shot after 6 weeks. Keep in mind he did not mention that I needed to take the shot while the virus is still active or not. I'm only guessing that there should not be a problem taking the shot while the virus is still active. Thank you so much for your advice. I really do appreciate it!

@evillarreal, you must have been feeling horrible for quite a while.

I do not know much about shingles but I did find a bit of information to help. From the overview I notice a recommendation under the self-care section that you may already be trying, “ Taking a cool bath or using cool, wet compresses on your blisters may help relieve the itching and pain. And, if possible, try to lower the amount of stress in your life.”
- Shingles and alchohol: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shingles/expert-answers/shingles-treatment/faq-20057928
- Mayo Clinic Shingles Overview: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shingles/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353060

Have you tried cool baths or compresses? Do you have a primary care doctor you could call for advice?

@evillarreal I hope you won't take anything I suggested as advice. I offer only what I might try experimentally IF I were averse to what was being offered to me professionally....which I am not. I do advise, though, that you carefully interpret the reservations of the pharmacist. He/she may be onto something. I had a pharmacist caution me about taking zopiclone as prescribed by my family physician when I had problems sleeping in the days following an angiogram in preparation for a catheter ablation of my pulmonary veins to stop atrial fibrillation. Both events, the angiogram and the ablation, left me in half-sleep some of the time at night. The pharmacist leaned over close and in a low voice said, 'Does your physician know you have sleep apnea?' I leaned closer still, and in a low voice said, 'Yes.' 'We don't normally see such prescriptions for apneic patients, so would you consider taking half the recommended dose?' I said I would agree to that, and did so the first night taking the zopiclone. It worked rather well, and I went back to my GP and told him of what I had learned experientially. He approved because he is averse to prescribing any sleep aids....if he can help it..., and was glad I was getting by with just half his prescribed dose. It wasn't a week before I was fine and stopped taking any more of it.

@gloaming Sorry for getting back to you so late. I've literally been in bed for the last 2 or 3 days. I've lost track of time. I appreciate your advice and that is just what I have been doing. I have decided to follow the advice of the pharmacist and wait until the lesions are gone. Unless a Dr can verify that taking the shingles shot while still infected with the virus is Ok, I have no choice but to not take the shot and to suffer through this nightmare. Many thanks for your perspective on this issue and feel free to send more info if you have something that I can consider.

@jlharsh Sorry for the delay in responding but I've been in bed for the last 2 or 3 days and have lost track of time. I appreciate your info on the drinking while having the virus. I find it very hard to place anything on the lesion because it is so sensitive. I started out washing the infected area using Hydrogen Peroxide, soap and a soft wipe for about a month and found out that the Peroxide maybe too harsh, so I've been using warm water and soap. But someone suggested that this maybe to harsh as well. Hell, at this point I will try anything reasonable. So now I only use a wipe and warm water and let it dry out. It still is painful to take a daily shower. I have to protect the infected areas while showering. The depressing part of all is that I am 10 weeks into this virus with no end in sight, and it appears the I may have this for another 3 and 1/2 months according to the ER Dr. He says that it is a possibility because we didn't identify the virus until it was in full development with the sores and the lesions. Again, many thanks for the info and if you stumble onto info that may help, please send.