| Author |
Message |
Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - 10:32 am 
You can determine if you have a titer for herpes zoster (chicken pox) along with mumps, rubella.. with a blood test. I found out I had lost my immunity to rubella, so I got a shot.
But anyway, even if you didn't have chicken pox or don't think you did or no one remembers, you can find out.
I actually had a titer to mumps but never had mumps an no one in my family did but we must have been exposed.
As far as the shingles shot, I did get that (covered under medicare but not sooner in most coverage and not cheap if you have to pay out of pocket. Anyway you can still get shingles, and I did early this year, but it was a mild case and that is what they say happens if you had the shot.
As for getting a booster, I don't think it would be covered and I've found arguments on both sides for getting a booster AFTER you actuallty have a case of shingles, or not getting one.
So far I haven't gotten one but would like to talk to an immunologist about it.
I am SO grateful I did have the shot! My symptoms were painful but I figured it out pretty quickly and my doctor phoned in the antibiotic needed and warned about the eys.. mine was on the head/scalp, eyebrow and eyelid on one side.. it usually attacks one side of the body, though I guess more commonly along the torso and I did have the shooting pains which are not fun.
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Roxip
Member
01-29-2004
| Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - 11:48 am
My mother, sister and niece have all had shingles - not fun! My mother had them on her scalp and on her body long before an effective treatment was offered. I remember her being almost disabled from the pain.
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - 12:59 pm
So weird, I got shingles when I was in my 20's, and I had the chicken pox vaccine. Anyway, I went right down for my shot as soon as Kaiser said I was old enough, LOL.
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - 1:09 pm
New Q: Anyone hear dabble in the stock market? I have a "fun" account not associated with my retirement and I am trying to make a decision and want to bounce it off others.
I purchased some Chipotle stock in March, I think it was $506 for 5 shares. Anyway shortly thereafter they had the food issues and it has dropped into the $400, is now about $430.
So here is my dilemma, I have been thinking of selling it and taking the short term loss, and repurchasing it at the lower cost.
I am sure it will recover but not until next year or later, so I just wondered what someone else thought of this plan.
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Kitt
Member
09-05-2000
| Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - 1:33 pm
If you do do that, remember you have to wait 30 days to buy or you'll get caught in the wash rules and won't be able to take your loss (for tax purposes) until you sell the new purchase.
I don't see much advantage in selling and re-buying unless you have some other stock you've sold at a profit, and you want to reduce the tax on your total gains at the end of the year.
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - 2:11 pm
Kitt said "do do" ....he he 
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Colordeagua
Member
10-24-2003
| Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - 3:16 pm
I had the chicken pox as a child. I got my shingles vaccination. For sure!
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Kitt
Member
09-05-2000
| Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - 3:16 pm
:P
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - 5:24 pm
Kitt, thanks I never even heard of the wash rules! Darnit, I can use the loss because I had another stock that ended up in a cash merger so was all sold, something I wasn't expecting and I am going to have a hard time figuring out how to offset that gain, and I need to do so.
Which reminds me, I need to figure out all the spits on that stock so I can offset my gain.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Tuesday, July 26, 2016 - 7:25 pm
Bigdog and I got our shingles shots the very minute our insurance would pay for it.
But I have a cute story about shingles. Bigdog and I were visiting his much older brother and his wife, both in their 80's then. The wife was dithering about getting the shingles shot, thinking their insurance wouldn't pay for it. I made some calls for her and got assurances it would be paid and urged her to get the shot. She was sure she had chicken pox as a child. Brother said he didn't know if he had had chicken pox or not. The bright idea hit me that he could call his (then) still LIVING mother (she was about 108 or so) and ask her, because a mother would know. Bigdog said he'd make the call, and he did. Momma said, oh no, neither one of you boys ever had chicken pox. Huh!!
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Thursday, August 04, 2016 - 8:49 pm
New question:
I know if any of you answer yes, it'll be a generalized answer and that's fine.
Have any of you taken a women's safety/self defense class? Our city is offering one next month that I'm thinking I want Kota and my oldest niece to take, but the class is only the once and only three hours long. I'm wondering, in general because I would assume that classes would be different in different areas or with different instructors, if one three hour class is really going to teach them all that much?
I do know the city offers self defense classes over a longer period of time, but none of those are going on right now (those are spring classes if I remember right.) Both of the girls are 17 now and have a lot more independence than they used to, like being allowed to go out with friends later in the evenings, and I admit it worries me a bit. I'd really like them to get some kind of safety/self defense training.
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Jmm
Moderator
08-15-2002
| Thursday, August 04, 2016 - 8:58 pm
My thoughts would be that what ever they learn in the short class would be more than they know now. You can always sign them up for a longer class later on but a little knowledge is better than none.
ETA: I took one in high school (back when dinosaur rides were a nickle) and amazingly I still remember a lot of it. I'd definitely put them in it.
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Merrysea
Moderator
08-13-2004
| Thursday, August 04, 2016 - 9:29 pm
I never took a class, but back when I worked for the County Assessor, they had a female deputy sheriff come in to talk to the women in the office about self-defense. What I remember most about that class was when the deputy asked us what we would do if a car pulled up and a big man got out and tried to grab us. The answers were all things like, "I'd faint", I'd run, etc. She then asked what we would do if the same car pulled up and a woman tried to grab us. We all said we'd fight. The last scenario she gave us was that we were walking down the street with our five-year-old child or grandchild, and the car pulled up and the big man tried to grab the child. The immediate and unanimous response was "I'd kill him!" The deputy then looked at us and said, "Why wouldn't you fight that hard to save yourself?"
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Brenda1966
Member
07-02-2002
| Thursday, August 04, 2016 - 10:26 pm
I took a self defense class that was one partial day and it was very physical. I went home with bruises. Do I remember all the moves I learned? No, but I think it gives you a sense that you *can* fight back. That you can try to run. That you can and should try to protect yourself. I think it's worth doing for sure. Unfortunately classes are not that easy to find.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Thursday, August 04, 2016 - 10:41 pm
When I was training for rape crisis counselor, we took the women's self defense class offered by our agency and it was a couple of hours, I think and it gave a lot of pointers and we role played too.
I thought it was very good and empowering and also stressed heavily that if you can prevent situations that is best and how you need to be paying attention and alert, which is even more important in the day of people pumping music into their ears and nosed into a cell phone as they walk..
Things like holding your keys between your fingers..
Now there would be techniques using cell phones too I'm sure
And they stressed ways to fight back and NOT be abducted but that if a gun was being held on you not to be stupid.
They taught ways to go for the weak spots, how to fight from the floor or if the person was in back of you, etc.
And when to shout, when to run..
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Colordeagua
Member
10-24-2003
| Thursday, August 04, 2016 - 10:46 pm
Never took a class, but see things on TV re self defense. I always think -- knee HIM if possible. I seem to remember jab something in the eyes. What I do remember all saying is fight to keep from being moved to second location from where originally attacked.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Thursday, August 04, 2016 - 10:52 pm
Another one is to grab the family jewels.. and really mean it (same with the eyes.. you have to mean it)
But a big one is to practice screaming no.. which isn't easy for many women.. especially survivors of sexual assault..
Sandy, I definitely think they should go for it! If they want a longer class later, that's cool.
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Abby7
Member
07-17-2002
| Thursday, August 04, 2016 - 11:32 pm
Yes, it would be good fror them. I've only watched shows on tv re this. I remember when women joggers were being attacked frequently. Many women attacked had ponytails. The man would come from behind and drag them by the hair and pull them to a hidden spot. I was impressed with the technique taught in that case.
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Roxip
Member
01-29-2004
| Friday, August 05, 2016 - 6:38 am
I say go for it - you are almost in the same position as I am where you daughter (and niece) will soon be heading off to college (I assume they are heading into their senior year - and believe me - in the spring they won't have time to take on any more classes - it is so crazy) (15 days for me but I'm not counting). As mothers we should do whatever we can to help them learn how to protect themselves. My daughter is oblivious in public places - looking at the phone, not observing her surroundings, etc. - and I worry about her when there won't be anyone around to notice whether she is at home at an appropriate time (i.e., when she is living in a dorm). I have given her pepper spray (she's lobbying for a taser) but I still know I'm going to worry.
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Roxip
Member
01-29-2004
| Friday, August 05, 2016 - 7:18 am
So further to the discussion above...does anyone have any advice on a tazer/stun gun? After writing the above post I went online and looked and now I can't make up my mind!
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Friday, August 05, 2016 - 3:04 pm
The problem is access TO those items or pepper spray, unless you walk with one in your hand (assuming that is legal).
And those things can be used ON you as well.
We had pepper spray training and a big thing was that depending where you kept it you could get burned just getting it out.
Of course any weapon you carry requires practice and training to make it helpful to you.
So, I really don't know.
I was taught that being aware and even looking strong as you walk can often be the best weapons.
Carrying keys.. a key to the eye of an assailant, if you are serious can be effective.
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Csnog
Member
07-18-2002
| Friday, August 05, 2016 - 7:32 pm
Not sure if I should get into this, but it depends on what action you do when surprised.
What do you do when surprised?
What action is taken by your child when surprised or scared?
It's hard to describe what a person would/could/will do, until it happens. I do.
I surprised myself at an early age at what I accomplished. I beat him with everything I had. screaming/hitting, kicking and using my bag to beat him until he fled. I believe in instinct. Some have it, others don't.
Others I knew as I grew older cowered and submitted.
The bottom line is, that any knowledge, no matter how little time spent learning it, can give you courage.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Friday, August 05, 2016 - 7:50 pm
Absolutely, and wow did you do a good job!
I agree that any knowledge you have tucked away has to help.
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Csnog
Member
07-18-2002
| Friday, August 05, 2016 - 9:32 pm
Maybe so at the time, but I didn't know a thing except to get away instinctively.
I found out later, that it is either natural or not.
At my age now, I carry a bat in my car. Heck I have one tucked away in several rooms and I have security. My keys are in the ready position. I am aware of my surroundings, and will even pass my car and return to where I came from and ask to be walked to my car.
I don't pull over if flashing lights (doesn't happen) but do know to put on my flashing lights and drive directly to an open store (7/11) or fire department.
I learned a lot as an evasive driver and evading to and from abuse homes/hospitals/police/courts using my mirrors constantly and sudden street turns.
You need to know your child's and your reaction.
You drill certain things into them in case of a fire.
This is a new age and new advantages' are needed to keep yourself and your children safe.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Friday, August 05, 2016 - 10:33 pm
Here one threat is actual coyotes. I am looking at really substantial security screen doors to protect my cat (but it will also keep me safer in the summer as well). They have locally clawed through screens into 3 homes to get at pets..
I get angrier about human predators though. When you are 4 years old and they drug you it is hard to fight back at the time.
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