Exposing kids to chicken pox on purpose???

[Imagine20]

I was exposed a few times as a kid and never got them. So, I got a blood test to see for sure, and sure enough, I never did. I got the vaccine, since as an adult chicken pox can really hit you hard. I was told by my doctor that I don't need to worry about the shingles vaccination.  (In a few years, I'll follow up and make sure, I don't want the risk.)

WebMD does have an article that said the vaccine hasn't cause an increase in shingles. I'm guessing the increase is just natural since the Baby Boomers are a large group and they're getting older and losing their childhood immunity. 

[enigmata]

I got chicken pox at 27.  I'm told that I'm really lucky as it can be very bad as an adult.  I just felt very flu-like.

I've never heard of the vaccine - not sure if it is readily available in the UK (read on here that it isn't one of the NHS childhood vaccines like MMR).

My niece got it at about 4 months (she was at a childminder) - she seemed perfectly oblivious to it.  Love this pic with the dots of calamine lotion.

[caszandra]

@enigmata, your niece is a cutie pie, what a wonderful smile.

The CP vaccine in the UK is available from private clinics, cheapest starting price I have seen is £55 all the way up to £250.  You can get it on the NHS but you have to qualify as being in a vulnerable group ie Have AIDS, be immunocompromised etc.

[DarkAnts]

I was the Typhoid Mary. I was the first person in my kindergarten class to get it.  The day I returned to schol, a note was being sent home to the other parents. I remember being embarked when my teacher said that I would not get one. I also exposed al of my sisters friends to the virus. My parents spotted the pox on me right after my sisters birthday party. They had to call all of the parents and break the news to them. I don't think I would want to be the one making that call. 

I had it bad. I have atopic dermatitis and the pox lead to other skin infections. It also caused full body eczema. I would never put a child through that. 

[ADoyle90815]

The chicken pox vaccine wasn't available when I was growing up, but I had it as a baby, but I don't remember what it was like. My brother got it in elementary school, and for me, having it as a baby gave me just enough immunity that I didn't get it again at the same time. As I was in the 4th grade, I was the one who got my brother's school work from his teacher when he was out of school, so he didn't fall behind. I think the year my brother had it, it had been going through his class, so it wasn't exactly a deliberate thing.

My mom, an uncle of mine as well as my grandma had shingles as adults. My mom and uncle were among the Baby Boomers who had chicken pox as children and in their early 60's, and my grandma was in her late 80's when she had it.

[jaelh]

Oh dudes.  I got chicken pox when I was in forth grade; I was the first one in my family that went down and they realised I was ill when I passed on during the class photo.  (you know those shots with everyone?  Yeah. I was in the back row.   Boom!  The actual class photo is me just as I'm about to fall forward, wax coloured and on an angle). 

Anyway - my mother was pregnant with no 6 at the time.  i think 32 weeks?  Everyone got it, except her.  She was terrified of bringing home the new baby with anyone in the house still ill, so poxed and unpoxed kids were bathed together, poxes were rubbed on arms etc.  I think the final sister succumbed at 36 weeks.  My father also got it, terrible bout.

She stayed in hospital a few extra days with baby that time.  

[DaffyDill]

5 hours ago, caszandra said:

@enigmata, your niece is a cutie pie, what a wonderful smile.

The CP vaccine in the UK is available from private clinics, cheapest starting price I have seen is £55 all the way up to £250.  You can get it on the NHS but you have to qualify as being in a vulnerable group ie Have AIDS, be immunocompromised etc.

The vaccine is free here (Australia). The only cost would be the short consult with your family doctor to administer it.

Quote

The varicella vaccine is free under the National Immunisation Program Schedule. To receive immunisation, visit your local doctor or immunisation provider. It is important to note that although the vaccine is provided at no cost, a consultation fee may apply.

http://www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/immunise-varicella

[Vex]

I was 11 when I got it because my after school care provider didn't think it was a big deal and let an infected child come in without informing the other parents. It was very ill and I have permanent scars from the pox. I had so many lesions inside my throat that I couldn't speak. It took almost a month for me to get over it.

I really hate the idea that it's no big deal. It's not a big deal for most children, but it's still an infectious disease and it can make people extremely unwell. The idea that you'd deliberately expose your child to a disease that has even the possibility of causing some fairly serious illness makes no sense to me.

[foreign fundie]

I never thought CP was a big deal. We lived in a country with no CP vaccine, so when my oldest got real sick and was taken into a pediatric ICU, she was still unvaccinated and unexposed. Then one of the patient's siblings got CP. I soon learned that for children with lower immunity (like cancer patients of whom there were many in the unit), CP was a deadly threat. To prevent the virus from spreading, all kids that had never had CP, including mine, had to go in isolation. She was there for weeks and it was no fun. Shortly after her release she did get CP, which was no big deal after all she'd been through. But knowing how dangerous it could be, I chose to immunise my second when we were given the option.

Later a young boy in our community who suffered from leukemia got shingles and almost died. 

If a vaccine can protect the weaker members of society, why not put it in the normal immunisation program?

Btw I got shingles in my late twenties. Because I was pregnant I was not allowed any medication. I don't know if a vaccine could have prevented that. 

[caszandra]

7 hours ago, DaffyDill said:

The vaccine is free here (Australia). The only cost would be the short consult with your family doctor to administer it.

http://www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/immunise-varicella

The NHS in the UK still sees CP as a mild childhood illness in most cases which is why it isn't in the vaccine schedule here.  If the vaccine had been available free of charge on the NHS I would have been there like a shot to get my daughter protected just like I did with all the vaccines that are on the schedule.  http://www.nhsinform.co.uk/health-library/articles/c/chickenpox/introduction/

 

  

[Four is Enough]

I should probably discuss the shingles vaccine with my doctor. My history is this:

I had varicella at 4, as I said. FF to nursing school, and I had no "proof" of having had it, just my own report. I had to have a titer drawn. Interestingly, it came back zero. I had to have the varicella vaccine pre-Pediatric rotation. FF to my BS program. (My first nursing school was a diploma program) I told them I had the vaccine. Had to have another titer drawn. Still zero. Couldn't work the NICU until I had the vaccine again. 

Haven't had any more titers drawn, haven't had shingles, hope to never get shingles, but I'd like to know my risk.

[DaisyD]

Maybe you're a carrier too Four. I have no idea what a blood draw on someone who's immune would look like, but that seems like a likely explanation to my admittedly unmedical mind.

[lovemygsp]

I came down with it at Disney world. I was about 6 and my brother was a newborn. The Disney trip was an almost birthday and here's some love for being pushed aside by baby. It fing sucked and my parents just thought I was grumpy from being up late at first. I only had one noticeable spot at first and they thought it was a bug bite. It wasn't until I woke up so so sick the next day that we realized what it was. 

They also "joke" about how many people I must have gotten sick. Yikes.

[mockingbird]

I got it in Kindergarten and I think it had been going around the class. I had a pretty mild case, just on my stomach, and I remember the calamine lotion not working, too! haha. I had to get the shot for med school because my titers were borderline. Hilariously, when they re-checked my titers they were through the roof. We used to get this kids' news magazine in class, and that year or the next the vaccine was approved and I remember reading about it in that magazine.

 

ETA: As far as the parties, I think I remember hearing about them. I don't think my parents would have participated but I understand where the idea comes from, at least pre-vaccine when getting it early was the best idea of prevention available. 

[Chickenbutt]

My older son came home from kindergarten with the CP. That night I made him and his little brother (age 3) get naked and hug each other. Then I bathed them together and I made them sleep together that night. Lo and behold, the little one came down with them too. This was before vaccines. They both had them, recovered and we carried on with life.

[Kittikatz]

@Chickenbutt now that you mention it, I do have a vivid memory of having to hug and give each of the children I was supposed to infect a kiss on their cheek. Kind of godfatheresque in a nasty sticky calaminy way...

Actually mentioned the pox to my mother today. Apparently I was spotty and oozing nicely for two and a half weeks. She said the reason why there were so many play dates was because I was a super successful infection vector, infecting almost all of the children who were exposed to me. Word spread, and people my mother had never even heard of were calling to invite themselves over. So glad for improvements in medical technology

[Trynn]

Just adding- Shingles isn't just an "old person" disease. My husband was hit last year at age 37. He still gets periodic nerve pain in the arm where the rash was.

This. I knew a girl in my high school who had it. I'm still trying to convince the doctors to give me the shingles vaccine.

Before the vaccine, pox parties made sense. As an adult, chicken pox can be fatal, so you would want to catch it young.

Unfortunately, my parents tended to be wary of new vaccines (this may not actually be a bad thing) and the vaccine came out when I was 5. I got the disease just before my 7th birthday. My parents said they were looking into getting me the vaccine (difficult to do research mostly pre Internet, and my mom was pregnant with my brother.)

Long story short, I got the disease before my parents were ready to think about getting me the shot.

I grew up with stories about kids getting chicken pox, what to expect when you get them, how to take care of yourself, etc.

It's so weird to me that, at least here in the US, those books aren't really being made anymore, and for all I know the ones that exist aren't regularly circulated. I should ask my little cousins sometime if they even know what chicken pox is, and that it doesn't turn you into a chicken.,

[refugee]

On 2/14/2016 at 6:49 AM, Four is Enough said:

I should probably discuss the shingles vaccine with my doctor. My history is this:

I had varicella at 4, as I said. FF to nursing school, and I had no "proof" of having had it, just my own report. I had to have a titer drawn. Interestingly, it came back zero. I had to have the varicella vaccine pre-Pediatric rotation. FF to my BS program. (My first nursing school was a diploma program) I told them I had the vaccine. Had to have another titer drawn. Still zero. Couldn't work the NICU until I had the vaccine again. 

Haven't had any more titers drawn, haven't had shingles, hope to never get shingles, but I'd like to know my risk.

You sound like one of my kids. Had CP three times in about five or six years, even though people say once you get it, your body develops immunity and you can't get it again.

[nolongerIFBx]

One of my earliest memories is getting an oatmeal bath because I had chicken pox. I have a permanent scar on my eyelid which makes eyeliners pretty much out since it looks like I have a bite out of the liner. I got shingles the year I turned thirty. Fortunately not a bad case. My mom got shingles probably three-and-a-half years ago and has nerve damage that still has not completely resolved. If she lifts something heavy or is up moving around a lot (like cleaning house) for more than a few hours she is in a lot of pain. She was told to wait until the symptoms were gone and then get a shingles vaccine. So she's still waiting and hoping she will clear up and have time to get the vaccine before she gets it again. Fortunately, neither of us got it on our faces.

My fundie chickenpox story is that my younger siblings both picked it up at a Christmas party for the church's bus kids (i.e. underprivileged kids had to sit through a sermon to get Christmas gifts) and then had to go to church with the chicken pox because the rule was that you had better be in church every time the doors were open unless you were in the hospital or dead. Since they weren't, we were still in attendance exposing everyone else (who wasn't in the hospital or dead!).

[HerNameIsBuffy]

This went on our regular vaccine schedule when my eldest was in kindergarten.  Unfortunately while I already had their appointments scheduled (for the older kids - my youngest was too young) my middle kid brought it home from pre-school.  

I was 27 and had never had it...until then.  Super fun with all four of us pocky at the same time.

We must have had a really mild case because the kids weren't too sick and even I didn't feel that bad...like a mild flu.  Although benedril knocks me out so maybe I was miserable but slept through it so didn't know.  

When I was a kid my mom never went in for the deliberate exposure thing (and I have older siblings who pre-date MMR so they had the measles and mumps as well) but she didn't quarantine the house either.  If someone got it she took reasonable measures to try to keep the germs contained, but no one was shipped off to relatives or anything.

But we have no one with compromised immune systems or any medical issues so fortunately for them the childhood diseases had no lasting effects.  

Still pisses me off about that chicken pox vaccine...the appointment was less than 2 weeks out!

 

[Gossamer1]

On 2/12/2016 at 2:27 PM, Black Aliss said:

If you're in the US, at age 60 you can get the shingles vaccine free of charge (preventative medicine).

Too bad I got shingles at 45/46 (started a couple of days before my brithday.) It was a miserable experience. Fortunately(ish), I had a mild case and it confined itself to my left leg. My grandfather had it, most of his back was covered and he was in pain for weeks!

[DarkAnts]

On February 13, 2016 at 6:13 PM, DarkAnts said:

I was the Typhoid Mary of my kindergarten class and of my sisters birthday party. The day I returned to class, a note was being sent home to the other parents. I remember being embarked when my teacher said that I would not get one. My parents spotted the pox on me right after my sisters birthday party. They had to call all of the parents and break the news to them. I don't think I would want to be the one making that call. 

I had it bad. I have atopic dermatitis and the pox lead to other skin infections. It also caused full body eczema. I would never put a child through that. 

I hi have a "Micky mouse" scar on my forehead. I have other scars but this one is the most visible.