I woke up this morning to find my 5 year old son has chicken pox , not that i was overly upset about it , but in fact quite happy he had it so young and hoping my 2 year old daughter might get it as the younger you are the better better chances of recovery.
So laughing and joking with my wife about it she said she had had chicken pox and still had a scar on her head where she had it, but me i wasnt too sure if i had had it so i called my ever mindful Mother and asked BUt to my dismay i have never had it.
So now i have the chance of getting shingles which as far as i know can be life threatening if not bloody sore for quite a long time and can lay you up for up to 6 months :(.
So heres where Trucknet uk comes in:
A; Have you ever had shingles? and whats it like is it as bad as they say it is?.
B: I,m going to phone the doctor tomorrow about this one but does anyone know if there is any prevention methods i can take or use?..
Jammy last year my son got Chickenpox I was glad that @ 4 it was the best time to get them!
He had the worst time possible which included an overnight stay at out local Hospital , When I asked that is was sopposed to be better to have it as a child the Dr told me it is/was an old wifes tale!
I know you dont need telling but watch him, My son was just about to start fitting because of it and thankfully the hospital cooled him down!
I am sorry(well I am not) I have never had shingles but I was told by the same Dr that it doesn’t matter if you have had chickenpox before or not(its another old wifes tale), you can get shingles regardless! not nice by all acounts but I would have gladly had it if it saved my son 1/2 the suffering and pain he went through!
Sorry to tell you this, but I hope your son is better soon!!
Thanks TC so far (1st) day of it my son seems to be coping ok he has been promised a new toy truck of his choice if he doesnt scratch so that should work short term.
Well ■■■■ me i just rang nhs direct (0845 4546) and this was the outcome…
You are more at risk of getting shingles if you have had chicken pox ( happy mutt).
It is also possible to have had chicken pox but not have had any symptoms spots etc etc.(unhappy mutt 4 of my family had it when i was young).
So heres how it stands its possible i may never have had chicken pox so i have practically no chance of getting shingles, BUT it is possible that i may have had chicken pox but didnt know it, so i could in theory just get adult chicken pox providing i haven`t had it before, it is a little bit more painful than if you had it as a child but there is no way to tell until i get either one of them…
The one sure thing is i will get one of them but which one nobody seems to know the best possible prevention is to avoid contact with my son who at the minute is just about to go through hell, if however i avoid cuddling him and giving him the love he needs right now then i have a fair chance of not getting either, so it looks like i am going to get something because i cant stay away from him when he is suffering.
So watch this space because the Mutt is going to need a lot of sympathy from his fellow TN members i just hope to God i get the pox and not shingles…
TC you were 100% spot on mate.
My sphincter has just gone in to overdrive at the thought of it.
I’ve had shingles twice, the first time as a ten year old (very rare for kids to get it, so it seems I was unlucky!) and again only a few months ago as a 31 year old!
Shingles can be caused by a number of things, although mostly caused by a drop in the immune system or can even be brought on by high levels of stress or worry.
Apparently, Shingles is more common in older people and the symptoms can be bad but luckily for me, I only had a mild dose. (That was bad enough)
I had a few days when i was suffering from upset stomach and being sick all the time and then thought I was OK. About 5 days later, I started with pains in my side (As if my ribs were sore) This made it difficult to sit down or lie on my back. About 3 days later came the rash of spots on my side and lower back. I thought these would itch like mad like from the previous time I had them. Luckily they weren’t too bad and the itching eased with a bit of calomine lotion.
Shingles can be treated with drugs although my doctor did not prescribe any this time.
The main problem I found with Shingles was coming into contact with anyone who has not yet had chickenpox, especially children.
If you have shingles, you can not pass it on to someone else. I am almost certain however, that my doctor said you could pass it on as chickenpox to someone who has not already had chickenpox.
There are a lot of websites about that describe everything you need to know about shingles. I found several websites through “Ask Jeeves”.
Try typing the medical term in the search box: Herpes Zoster
Hope this helps (And hope you haven’t got shingles!)
You cannot catch shingles from someone with shingles or pox… you get shingles from the Herpes Zoster virus laying dormant in your own body ie: you get shingles from yourself.
If you haven’t had pox before, you may catch that from your son.
If you have had a mild case of pox you can’t catch pox from him.
You CAN get shingles from someone that has the chicken pox. Both are caused by the Varicella virus… So being around someone with chicken pox is enough of an exposure to Varicella to reactivate the herpes zoster. If you get shingles, then it probably means that you had the chicken pox in a very mild way, sometimes not even having had any symptoms of it… meaning that it wasn’t a strong enough case of it to establish immunity. The worse the chicken pox are when you have them, the stronger the immunity level will be, and the less likely that you’ll ever have shingles. It’s possible that if you had a mild case that you get them again, or your body might react to the varicella virus with shingles. There’s no way to really know til you get it, and alot of it depends your body chemistry at the time.
5 - Is shingles infectious (catching)?
People do not catch shingles from each other. A person with shingles cannot give another person shingles, nor can you catch shingles from someone with chickenpox. In fact, it has been found that when people who have had chickenpox encounter the disease again, it increases their immunity and means they are less likely to develop shingles.
Sorry Kate but i think ill stick to the medical version who all say you cannot catch shingles form anyone it is either in your system or it is not.
jammymutt:
Sorry Kate but i think ill stick to the medical version who all say you cannot catch shingles form anyone it is either in your system or it is not.
This is what my doctor told me. Apparently the virus lays dormant in your spine until triggered. I am not sure if it can actually cause chickenpox in someone else (if they have not already had chicken pox)
JEEZZZZZZZZZZUS ! Tomorrow I have a delivery in Sudbury MA and reloading in Providence RI with a full load of ’ SHINGLES’ I’d better be carefull.
On a serious note though, My Mum had shingles in the early 80’s, she was in agony for weeks and it left her blind in one eye. I think it all depends on what part of the body the illness affects
jammymutt:
I have been told by someone on a medical helpline a doctor and have seen it on this website,
5 - Is shingles infectious (catching)?
People do not catch shingles from each other. A person with shingles cannot give another person shingles, nor can you catch shingles from someone with chickenpox. In fact, it has been found that when people who have had chickenpox encounter the disease again, it increases their immunity and means they are less likely to develop shingles.
Sorry Kate but i think ill stick to the medical version who all say you cannot catch shingles form anyone it is either in your system or it is not.
The information I gave you isn’t NON-medical. And one online doctor isn’t “ALL” medical versions. I’d be interested in seeing a copy of his medical degree. I’ve been a nurse for 12 years, I have seen shingles and have treated shingles. You can keep your website for those who might be interested. When I need medical information I have enough hard copied reference books right here on the shelf, and the information I gave you was taken from the Tabers Cyclopedic Medical Reference…one of the most widely used medical references to this day. And I didn’t say you could catch shingles from someone that has shingles. I said you can catch shingles from someone that has chicken pox. To use the word “catch” is a bit simplified,… but why bore you with the medical terminology. But if you can’t contract shingles from chicken pox, then explain how and why increasing immunity to chicken pox makes you less likely to develop shingles? You said it yourself in the above quote… a little common sense please!
Shingles lay dormant in the spine, and when activated by further exposure to the varicella virus, spreads along various nerve tracts, causing inflammation and eruptions, and in some cases permanent nerve damage. Most people are affected through the torso region, usually along the ribcage, both front and back. Others are affected along other nerve tracts, though less common… Patricks mother for instance, was affected along the 5th Cranial Nerve (called Zoster Ophthalmicus) as well as the torso… which is why it left her blind in one eye. If shingles is not contagious, then we in the medical profession waste alot of time and money on infectious precautions and isolation.
Not everybody who gives you an answer is guessing,… some of us actually know what we’re talking about. You won’t see me answering truck driving questions… but I’m more than qualified to answer this one. It’s nice to know that the time and effort I put into answering your question as accurately as I can was so appreciated.
blimey jammy i find my self in the same position as you mate…i have never had chicken pox and one of my daughters has just come down with it too…so this post has been very very informative i hope everything works out ok mate
jammymutt:
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I have been told by someone on a medical helpline a doctor and have seen it on this website,
Like it says Kate i have had 3 opinions , a medical helpline, a doctor and also seen it on a medical website.
Thats 3 versions all saying the same thing i dont want to get in to an argument but i will definately stick with the 2 professiional verbal opinions i have been given and will also believe the website version.
Can you explain what you mean by the medical version of catch??, everyone eles says you cannot catch shingles it is dormant in your body ready to pounce when circumstances give it the opportunity.
Anyway its day 3 of my sons chicken pox and he seems to be showing no ill effects at all apart from a few spots which seem to be clearing up already, i am a person who recovers from illness very quickl;y and it seems he will be the same which is a blessing, e.g. i was back at work 3 days after my appendix was removed so things are looking very bright for Alasdair.
jammymutt:
Thats 3 versions all saying the same thing i dont want to get in to an argument but i will definately stick with the 2 professiional verbal opinions i have been given and will also believe the website version.
Can you explain what you mean by the medical version of catch??, everyone eles says you cannot catch shingles it is dormant in your body ready to pounce when circumstances give it the opportunity.
One happy Mutt to see his son not suffering.
I’m not going to argue either… I know what I know. And I do know that a non contagious disease can not be prevented by any level of immunity, and since shingles can be… its very obvious a contagious disease. The medical opinions you’ve been given are probably extremely simplified because the majority of doctors assume the average person is an idiot, and answer questions accordingly. But if you asked the same doctors about what I said, chances are they’ll tell you I’m right. Shingles isn’t an easy thing to get… and you don’t technically ‘catch’ it. It does lay dormant. But without further exposure to the varicella virus, you couldn’t get it. It doesn’t just develop by itself. Its very dependent upon the level of immunity to the varicella, the strength of their general immune system, and their overall physical condition when exposed. The majority of shingles patients are either elderly, or people who are frequently ill anyway. Other people can obviously get it, but its not as common.
It is also possible for someone to contract chickenpox from someone with shingles… my son did when he was a year old. Since you like online information so much, here’s a link to the US Center for Disease Control, which is the main medical information and research center for the United States. Take a look. Glad your son is doing well.
Kate Hasler:
You CAN get shingles from someone that has the chicken pox.
This is simply not true except in very exceptional and rare cases. The immunosystem has to be at an all peak low (people having chemo, people with HIV positive, people with Hodgekins etc)
Shingles is not caught from anyone… except yourself … you inherit Shingles from your own immunosytem.
In general terms… you cannot ‘catch’ Shingles from someone who has Chicken Pox.
:(.
