Dillards 40: Majoring in Grifting

[Exposed Collarbone]

6 hours ago, HarryPotterFan said:

Who would stop them? How are these things regulated?

When I traveled to Egypt I had to prove my vaccinations to get a visa. Many countries in Africa will not let you in if you are not properly vaccinated, which means Derick is vaccinated. Yet another reason to question his life choices. (Basing this on the presumption that the children are not vaccinated.)

[Kittikatz]

I got chicken pox when I was six. It was a miserable two weeks, and some of my least fond memories include 'pox parties' - every bloody day some mother was bringing their children over to play with me in the hopes they would catch chicken pox. All I wanted to do was to be left alone to sleep or wallow in solitary misery, and instead I had strange children (I'd never even met many of them) playing with me and being instructed to hug me and kiss me. It was weird AF and just about the definition of sick introvert hell.

Shortly after I got chicken pox, my father broke out in shingles over half his face, and I was informed that this was my fault. It was very confusing to six year old me - I couldn't understand how my pox could result in that (never fear, it was explained in detail - repeatedly), but - yeah fun times at the Katz house. Not.

I wish I could have been vaccinated against chicken pox, and will be getting the shingles vaccine as soon as I'm eligible at 50 - sooner if in can convince my GP.  

[Chickenbutt]

*raises hand* I was the mom who exposed my younger son to the older son with chicken pox. Older came home from kindergarten with them and I put the boys in the tub together, made them hug each other, sleep together, etc. 7 days later, younger had them. Got that over and done with....lol.

CP vaccines were not available in the early to mid 80's.

[Chewing Gum]

In The Netherlands we don't vaccinate against chicken pox and it will be a long time before we do (and I'm glad). General consensus when a kid has them is "good luck with the itching/oh ok/ can my kid come over?" I will be one of those moms to take my youngest to the next outbreak. Dealing with them at 1-5 years old is a hell of a lot better than 6+. My oldest got them while in France (3yo) on vacation and that was great (no sarcasm) because they dried right up because of the heat. She looked terrible but it affected her very little. 

[Ms Lucy Fur]

Hey if non dead Derick goes to Malawi, maybe Madonna would try to adopt him. 

[Fundie Bunny]

We don't get the vaccine here in spain either. If you haven't the disease it by age 10, you'll get ithe vaccine before turning 14.

I had the pox when i was 4, i remeber itching, and staying at home with my father doing schoolwork. And that other two of my friends got it around the same time

[Kangaroo]

Here I believe chicken pox vaccination is at 18 months, then again between 10 and 15 years old.

I've never had it (my older brother had it when I was a newborn so my parents were very cautious). There was a big outbreak when we started high school at about 12/13 years old, and I didn't get it then either!

I'm personally rather happy to be vaccinated, because I'd really prefer not to catch it now!

[Foudeb]

3 hours ago, Chewing Gum said:

In The Netherlands we don't vaccinate against chicken pox and it will be a long time before we do (and I'm glad). General consensus when a kid has them is "good luck with the itching/oh ok/ can my kid come over?" I will be one of those moms to take my youngest to the next outbreak. Dealing with them at 1-5 years old is a hell of a lot better than 6+. My oldest got them while in France (3yo) on vacation and that was great (no sarcasm) because they dried right up because of the heat. She looked terrible but it affected her very little. 

 

That reminds me of when I lived in the Netherlands and did a lot of gardening. I went to the doctor's for my tetanus booster that was due and he said I "didn't need it". Er.

I went to a French doctor when I was back home for the holidays and he wouldn't even believe a medical professional would say that. He gave me the shot, I never got tetanus, and therefore am here to tell the tale.

I get cultural differences, I really do, and medicine is one of those areas where they can be strong, and usually a different way to do things is not better or worse, but no vaccines, really? In what universe is a disease in any way better than preventing that disease?

It's like saying seatbelts are bad, because if there's an accident you'll get seatbelt marks on your body, and also being violently ejected out of a car in an accident during early childhood, when the bones are still soft and recovery times are shorter, is a great life lesson that every child should experience before they grow up. And if you are lucky enough to have a neighbour who drives very unsafely you absolutely should get your own children to ride in their car with no seatbelts on so that they too can get hurt.

[Chewing Gum]

I knew I probably got a post like yours and thought about deleting mine but at least you know how the status is here. 95% of Dutch kids get it before the age of 6. The vaccine can cause the outbreak in some cases and some of those can be contageous. I know immunesuppressed kids are at risk which is a real concern that I do share and acknowledge. At the same time a lot of kids have had them young which protects them in the future. Giving them a vaccine that is not 95% effective (83%) and can cause the disease you're trying to prevent seems counterproductive to me when 95% of them get them naturally without issues. 

[Foudeb]

21 minutes ago, Chewing Gum said:

I knew I probably got a post like yours and thought about deleting mine but at least you know how the status is here. 95% of Dutch kids get it before the age of 6. The vaccine can cause the outbreak in some cases and some of those can be contageous. I know immunesuppressed kids are at risk which is a real concern that I do share and acknowledge. At the same time a lot of kids have had them young which protects them in the future. Giving them a vaccine that is not 95% effective (83%) and can cause the disease you're trying to prevent seems counterproductive to me when 95% of them get them naturally without issues. 

Fair enough - I also knew I would get a response to my post - I appreciate the measured answer.

[OyToTheVey]

I was one of the unlucky ones. Got the vaccine in the country I was born, ended up with chicken pox of a different strain at 12 in the US. It was horrible. I still have spots were I scratched. Missed almost 3 weeks of school. 

[Drala]

Old Derick is dead.  THAT explains the tweeting cult zombie.

[MayMay1123]

all three of my children were exposed, multiple times, to chicken pox while in preschool and elementary school, but not one ever caught them. they all got the vaccines when they came out too. but when my daughter was pregnant she was found to still not be immune, weird. and y'all have convinced me to get the shingles vax, so thanks!

[Eternalbluepearl]

9 hours ago, Kittikatz said:

I wish I could have been vaccinated against chicken pox, and will be getting the shingles vaccine as soon as I'm eligible at 50 - sooner if in can convince my GP.  

I had chicken pox at age 3 and just recently, while pregnant, I broke out in shingles. I had it for 6 weeks and still have some pain and itching now 3 months later. It is the worst pain I have had and I had to go through without pain medication because I'm pregnant. The chicken pox vaccine wasn't around when I was 3 and I'm not old enough for the shingles vaccine. Chicken pox and shingles are the devil. My child will never experience this. 

[Snarkle Motion]

10 hours ago, JenniferJuniper said:

Yeah, you probably would have been better off not getting infected, but your mom probably thought she was helping you not get a worse version later in life like I did.  I believe the shingles vaccine can help ward off another attack, but depending on your situation, you may have to pay for it out of pocket.

I'm not mad at my mom, she was trying to do what was best for me, but more just mad in general that I missed out on the vaccine.

[MamaJunebug]

9 hours ago, Kittikatz said:

Shortly after I got chicken pox, my father broke out in shingles over half his face, and I was informed that this was my fault. It was very confusing to six year old me

Raising hand in sad sharing. My beloved BigMamaJB got shingles while I was away and the pain was so unbearable that it changed her personality temporarily. When I returned home she yelled at me that it was my fault.  I was in mid-teens at the time but still recall the bewilderment, fear, revulsion at the rash, and feelings of terrible guilt for something I wasn't sure how I caused..  At just 6 years old, your experience had to be even scarier and more confusing.  Hugs from here. 

PS: I got the shingles vaccine the minute it was available, gladly paying the full cost. I could not imagine waiting til the age when my insurance would cover it. That's how much of an impression BMJB's suffering made on me.

A friend's husband contracted shingles and said it was "like being on fire from the inside of [his] skin."  

22 minutes ago, Drala said:

Old Derick is dead.  THAT explains the tweeting cult zombie.

Many graveyard chuckles!!!!!

[cascarones]

Had the chicken pox as an infant, but vividly remember my best friend coming over to stay with us when she had them since her Mum was pregnant and had never had them, while all of us had. I told her I'd pretend to be sick with her and we just watched endless Disney movies.

Because I'm on the younger end (29) and US, people are always really surprised when they see my smallpox vaccine scar and like to ask about it. I wonder if joy and Austin got their polio boosters before going to Israel?

[Eternalbluepearl]

2 minutes ago, MamaJunebug said:

A friend's husband contracted shingles and said it was "like being on fire from the inside of [his] skin."  

It very much feels like being covered in burns. My skin felt swollen, tight, burning pain for weeks. Then the itching started and it was so bad I couldn't sleep at night. There was one topical my doctor approved for me to use in pregnancy and that was calamine lotion. So several times a night I'd get up and spray myself down in calamine spray. It only helped for an hour and it stained every shirt I owned but it was better than nothing. For the rest of my life I'll be saying "it could be worse, I could have shingles." 

[CoveredInBees]

Today is "19 years later" in the Harry Potter universe. I'm pretty sure that makes Derick Voldemort...............

[NotQuiteMotY]

13 hours ago, Lurker said:

I remember her being really miserable with really good reason.  I had them when I was four and my case was very mild and non traumatic.

Oh yeah. A cousin of mine is, well, fundie. Doesn't seem to believe in birth control, definitely doesn't believe in vaccines. At one point, the five or six kids they had then all got it. The baby only got a couple of pox, mostly under his diaper; the oldest daughter, a teenager, got them EVERYWHERE and had a bad time of it. The mom actually put up pictures online, and I hurt for that poor girl smiling for the camera with her face just covered in pox.

11 hours ago, Snarkle Motion said:

I'm of the age when the chickenpox vaccine just came out and missed it. I was infected before but many other kids my age received the vaccine. My mom made me get exposed to it by hanging around infected kids from kindergarten. I'm so pissed that I will likely get shingles again (had a mild case about 8 years ago and it sucked) and my younger siblings won't.

When I had it, it was in kindergarten or first grade, so I was maybe six, and I had a mild case; this was right before or right as the vaccine was coming out. It still sucked being hot and itchy and bored for a week solid. Between that and my mom having had shingles a couple of years before, when the ped said, "Chicken pox vaccine?" at Little NQ's 1-year appointment, I said, "Yes, please."

[JesSky03]

My cousins had the chicken pox when I was 2 or 3 (I'm 26 now) so my mom offered to babysit so my sister and I would get them. I assume we had mild cases because no one has ever told us any horror stories and I don't remember it one bit. I did have to do a titer to prove I did actually have them when applying for clinicals. 

[momofsquid]

I had The Pox at 13 and missed my middle school graduation. I remember noticing a couple of blisters on my arm at the 8th grade grad dance and have often wondered how many schoolmates I infected before we realized what it was.

When my firstborn came down with it at 4, I wanted to confirm that dadofsquid had already had it too. He couldn't remember. Fair enough, maybe he was too young. We asked his mother, and she had no idea either! I really wonder about that woman. Babysquid caught The Pox from her sister but dad didn't, so I assume he must have had it as a child and his mom entirely forgot about it. I find that baffling.

[SuffolkNWhat]

38 minutes ago, CoveredInBees said:

Today is "19 years later" in the Harry Potter universe.

I'm pretty sure that makes Derick Voldemort...............

Or perhaps 

Spoiler

The Augerey #CursedChild

 

[onekidanddone]

58 minutes ago, CoveredInBees said:

Today is "19 years later" in the Harry Potter universe.

I'm pretty sure that makes Derick Voldemort...............

By his 'logic' the old Derdork has been dead for 19 years.  So..err shut up Drertwit

[zygote373]

5 hours ago, Chewing Gum said:

The vaccine can cause the outbreak in some cases and some of those can be contageous. I know immunesuppressed kids are at risk which is a real concern that I do share and acknowledge. At the same time a lot of kids have had them young which protects them in the future. Giving them a vaccine that is not 95% effective (83%) and can cause the disease you're trying to prevent seems counterproductive to me when 95% of them get them naturally without issues. 

I recognize that maybe the situation is different in other countries, but this is just not true for the American vaccine.

It is true that the vaccine is a weakened live virus, and may cause a very mild case of the chicken pox in 2% of people given the vaccine. But someone who contracts chicken pox this way will 1) have a much less painful case and 2) be much less contagious than someone who contracts the virus the old fashioned way. And those who are vaccinated and catch the disease later will, again, have a milder case and be less contagious. Here, 90% of people who are vaccinated will never come down with the disease.

http://www.webmd.com/children/vaccines/chickenpox-varicella-vaccine#3

As I said above, I don't know the differences between the American vaccine and the vaccine in your country. Maybe it is not the same formulation and the epidemiology may be different. But I wanted to make sure US based readers are not misinformed about the situation here. Before this vaccine was introduced, there were 100 deaths and 11,000 hospitalizations per year from the disease. (Info from page 1 of the above link.) It may not be as deadly as some of the other diseases we vaccinate against, but in my opinion, the benefits of widespread vaccination outweigh the risks for the population as a whole. Especially since the vaccine will also help prevent shingles in the future.