Prevnar 13 is not a live virus, or so I was told. Do your own checking too. It is paid for by insurance once in your life unless you have incredibly good insurance. You must be at least 50 to get it.

Fortunately, I'm not worried about insurance payment, but the website for Prevnar 13 does not say whether it's live or not.

My Rheumatologist recommended both to me, so they think neither are live virus vacs.

I had a vaccine for pneumococcus in 2015. It is taken every 5 years. My new rheumatologist recommended it.

I have had hardly any respitory infections, and I will take it again.

My husband also gets it, because he has no spleen. He almost died a few time from serious infections. When, we moved to Alberta, years ago, we forgot to renew the vaccine, and he was incredible sick, in ICU, missed our son’s wedding. Alberta would not let him get it renewed, they said he only needed once in his life, although he had had it 3 times. When we moved back to B.C., he got it the same time as me. We are both doing well.

How is this different than the old vaccine? And is it really only a one time vaccine? What does it target? The shot we get targets Strep B and Staph A, I think!

@Marlene Good question. There are two pneumonia shots. Prevnar 13 and one that ends in 23. I had the 23 and at the time was told it lasted 5 years and needed to be renewed. I went to renew it and was told now that insurance only allows it once in a lifetime. This makes no sense to me, especially if your disease has lung involvement. Prevnar 13 is also a one time shot. They also made it sound like it would wear off, so if you get it too soon, you are out of luck.

Makes me think this is not a medical recommendation but more of a financial decision. It is starting to look like rationing, not need based medicine.

Just my very frustrated opinion.

I sure hope we can renew our shots in 2020! My husband could die without it, from a simple bacterial infection. And my life was pretty miserable without it. Well, hopefully we will be able to, since my husband had it 3 times before we moved to Alberta. There, I fought a lot of stupid bureaucrats, telling them he had it 3 times, yet was near death before they found out the best antibiotic to use- penicillin! And yet the answer I got was that he only needed it once! And he never even had it in Alberta!

both are current. just got out of the hospital one week, for pneumonia. dmard and biologic free for 2 months when I got pneumonia.

Oh, DepotBlue, So sorry to hear that. How are you feeling now? Are you/have you been on Prednisone??

yeah 160 pred in the hospital for lungs for days then 120 then....breathing was very bad. yes that and the iv antiboitics cured me. i felt like a ballerina on high pred just think no ra laughing,

the taper is at zero. treating for bronchiectais now with the harsher saline inhalations and azythromycn (spelling) at home. no ra treatment. and per pulmonologist NO pred. she wants me to get better using the cystic fibrosis protocol where you inhale harsh saline and cough and not pred now that breathing has stabilized. i also thought of you, after discharging with pneumonia this month to a home plan I fell on my property and broke my arm. 2018 can go now, please.

OH NO! You broke your arm! Dominant? Who is with you to help you?

What were you on prior to pneumonia? Does your rheumy think t will work again? How is your RA feeling now that you're off the pred? How long till you can get back on something for the RA?

Also - did you ever have a pneumonia vaccine??

dominant - right. visitng nurse, visiting OT, friends, family stop in's, left handed warrior.

on a two month hiatus from finishing a 4 month fail of xeljanz (stomach) - starting to feel stomach joyful and better when pneumonia hit.

after getting to a -0- pred finishing taper, the RA rebounded to worse than before, as usual. It is cruel and inhuman mentally as much as physically. I don't get a re-set or a "reboot" - but OF COURSE I daydreamed that the disease was gone for good since I felt ra gone with the wind for 34 days.

both pneumonia vaccines current. it could be worse. i could have hit my head on the diving board when I fell on the cement. i consider this a success. laughing. not bad huh typing with my left? falls are multi faceted I have not addressed the torn toenail bed since it is not infected. who cares for now. stay upright group. it is easier.

@depotblue
Sometimes you just have to laugh... mostly because the only other option is to cry. Been there. Luckily, not lately.

Feel better.

OMG Depot....You definitely deserve this year to over and done! I surely hope next year is all good for you on all fronts.

I got pneumonia vaccine for the first time in my life this year at my rheumy's almost insistence. I don't know which one I got - didn't even know there was more than one.

I know she will be pushing hard for the flu shot too. I've never gotten it and overall success rate isn't even 50% effective. Considering that I am currently not treating RA with anything that is working, I am assuming my immune system should do just fine.

Sending love and hugs. Have you ever been on Orencia? I think you've been on Enbrel & Humira, is that right? Not surprises Xeljanz would/could cause stomach issues. Any med that ingested holds that possibility as opposed to injected or infused. So much for their "unjection" commercials!!

You can probably also get meals-on-wheels and most grocery chains deliver.

thank you, thank you and thank you.

i tend to laugh and cry. the crying was mostly at the 160 and 120 mg pred. believe it or not. I think I cried more from not sleeping for almost a month on those high doses of pred for my pneumonia then than when I fractured my arm.

Yeah I am doing some supermarket deliveries. also friends and family have been great. I am the usual nurturer so this is an about face. I can read recipes I just can't make them.

orencia. yeah I have been on it mutiple years. first go around a year or two on injections. second go around years later the rheum asked me to try the infusion orencia and said the formulary on the infusion sometimes affects some of her patients favorably over the injection. so another year on orencia this time on infusion.

yep did humira years ago. Have been on enbrel twice.

had to take an eppi pen for rituxan adverse reaction and had pneumonia and esophageal infection (f a i l).

my gut feeling is that the pumonologist is going to say that the bronchiectasis and recurrent pneumonia are not going to marry with the the rheumatologist's new plan of simponi by end of October. the anti tnf's and lungs for me have not been a dance. I have no idea what is going to happen. I am in the throes of lung and fracture right now. I can't see the future quite yet.