Shingles: when to stop taking prophylactic medication, after FCR

[Guest guest]

I finished FCR treatment seven months ago and had been on

prophylactic Acyclovir 2x400 mg daily throughout my

treatment and 6 weeks thereafter.

Shingles manifested itself in the left area of my face (near

the ocular region) about 10 days after stopping the

Acyclovir.

Luckily, I detected the symptoms early and re-instated my

daily medication which brought the shingles under control.

Twenty two weeks after FCR, I stopped the Acyclovir again

only to have the shingles resurface on the right side of my

face (in the ear and palate).

Here again I started taking the medication again and it

brought the shingles under control. In both cases, it was a

relatively mild manifestation albeit a scary one.

In the second instance, I also developed a middle ear

infection and took Amoxycillin for a week. I still have a

relatively mild pain in my right ear which is subsiding

gradually.

I developed severe febrile neutropenia during FCR rounds 5

and 6 and have otherwise not had any infections after

completing treatment.

Is there a reliable indicator for when to stop taking

prophylactic Acyclovir, post FCR ?

Thanks++

Y, 58, indolent CLL except for fatigue and falling

platelets. FCR 2010, 5 years post diagnosis.