I had shingles 5 l/2 years ago, running from my left hip to the foot. It was the most painful thing I've had, but the pain was helped a lot by demerol in the hospital. Also one of the anti-shingles drugs (forget which one) cured it rapidly. That is the key for me--that there are medications which cure shingles rapidly. So, knowing that if I got it again it could be cured rapidly, I would rather not risk taking the vaccine.
For me, the problems with vaccines are the adjuvants, the things they add to make the disease-related part work better. I've looked at lists of adjuvants in flu vaccines and I know they would make me sick, as they are usually poisonous in themselves. For many people, detoxing these poisons is a job their metabolism takes care of easily. For others of us, the metabolic process may not work so well to detox these things. That's why I can't take them any more.
It took me two months after shingles to walk without a walker, and I was on demerol for a few weeks afterwards. It was not fun but there WERE things to help, that's the ticket for me.
Erika, one question: If L-Lysine helps with Shingles, would it help neuropathy? I have neuropathy in the legs and feet, and sometimes the neuropathy runs down the same nerve as the shingles did, only less severely (not at demerol level). I take a lot of supplements to fight this, especially including magnesium, and often I can fight off all of the pain, although not the numbness in the feet, which is dangerous in walking, although good shoes (Wolky sandals) help a lot. I have not had success with taking amino acids in singularities, but I am still curious as to what L-Lysine does in this case.