I've just recovered from a bout of Shingles, which broke out about a month after my radiation was finished... and all of that following chemo. I know it's not earth shattering, but just when I was hoping to start feeling better, it was hard to go through something painful when it seemed like it could have been prevented by a vaccine. Now that I've read a little more about Shingles, it seems like it's something that is happening to a lot of people after chemo and radiation.

Are any doctors paying attention to this? Should all cancer patients be advised to get the Shingles vaccine before they go in for surgery? Would this allow enough time for the immune system to respond to the vaccine before chemo starts? For the patients who don't get chemo, wouldn't the vaccine be a good idea anyway?