Chicken pox & shingles - Page 3

[kristy_mac8]

Originally Posted by orangewallflower

Shingles can cause debilitating pain and permanent nerve damage. The person you know was lucky. I have never known someone with such a mild case. Honestly, "a little itchy" sounds like he or she had something else.

Actually, that was the case with me too. I had CP naturally as a child, and in my early twenties I noticed a small rash on my stomach, which was a little itchy. I looked at pictures on the internet, and thought it looked like shingles. I went to my doctor, and confirmed that it was shingles. It didn't bother me in the least.

I'm not using this to prove that naturally occurring chicken pox sufferers get less sever cases of shingles later on, but that the severity seems to be different in people generally, for whatever reason. My younger sister is the only other person I've known who has had shingles, and she had quite a rough time of it. She was vaccinated rather than getting it naturally, however she has several medical conditions that probably had a lot to do with the severity for her.

[BRmama]

Originally Posted by bbrandonsmom

A separate thread on the validity of studies on vaccines might be a good idea?

"The CP vax has done society no favors."-

I'm in agreement. If the vaccine wasn't around, everyone would be exposed through out thier lives to CP as different generations of children got it. But now, we are not.

ETA: Forgot to mention, I also think a separate thread on the validity of studies on vaccine is a good idea. Just a thread where we can all post different studies and talk about them

[MrsMcCullen07]

My husband had a mild case of CP as a child when he was 28 he was exposed to chicken pox at our baby shower and developed shingles .. he is too young for the shingles vax but our grandparents went and got it and now my grandma has shingles ... I didn't vax JohnPaul against CP because I would prefer he get the illness that way we are sure .. the vax may or may not cause problems or help but atleast I know if I do it naturally it will happen naturally .. he is 2 and 2 months and hasn't had CP yet although he has been exposed (w/out our knowledge)

[sweetpeppers]

Originally Posted by kiara7

The pox vax is about 14 years old. At most the children who received are what 20-25. Let's have this conversation when they are 60 or so.
Children never got shingles. As the vax wears off, and they get no natural boosters, then we'll see....

That's what I was going to say.

[gentlemango]

Again, that's why the leukemia study is helpful. Among a group of children who *are* susceptible to developing shingles, the vaxxed children were very significantly less likely to get shingles than the children who had natural immunity. (They still got shingles, cause being that immunosuppressed makes you highly susceptible, but in much fewer numbers than the natural children. It was a very statistically significant difference.)

I am not a fan of the vax. But now that it's out there, we're stuck with it. We've got to make the best decisions for our children based on the current disease landscape.

(My son has not had the chicken pox vax FWIW.)

[Elizabeth2008]

Originally Posted by gentlemango

In a way the vax is causing more shingles but for your own kid, getting the vax prevents shingles.

That's not true. There is no evidence that vaccinated kids are protected from shingles. Even our pediatrician said that they really don't know if those vaccinated will come down with shingles later in life.

[gentlemango]

That's what I meant by the leukemia study being significant. It's a well conducted, peer reviewed study that does in fact show that vaccinated kids are more protected from shingles than kids who got the disease naturally.

[jessjgh1]

but, how protected is 'more' protected?
And is it so significant that it justifies a vax shot at 18 months, 5 years, and future boosters to yet be determined?
Does it apply to children that are not compromised or is the benefit purely seen for children with leukemia (or, perhaps, otherwise compromised).
Jessica

[hollytheteacher]

Originally Posted by mambera

nak

You cannot possibly have shingles without previously having had the CP.

CP virus stays dormant forever in the spinal nerve roots.

Shingles occurs when the dormant virus reactivates, typically many years after the original episode of active CP.

Not true. My sister got Shingles when she four and she had never had the chicken pox before that. I remember the doctor being completely shocked that a four year old could have shingles but she did. I also rememeber the nurses putting on gloves and scratching away at the sores and my sister crying and crying.

[MyBoysBlue]

Actually, yes it is true that you have to be exposed to the CP virus in order to have shingles. But not everyone who is exposed gets sick. So your sister would have had to of been exposed to the virus at some point to have gotten shingles.

My Son had a very mild case of CP I didn't even realize he had it or was even sick until the rash showed up. Then I realized why he was a bit more sleepy, nursing more and had a slight runny nose the few days before the rash showed up. I thought he was teething. He was 2 at the time. Some people can fight it off and not get sick at all or even get the bumps.

[BarefootGirl]

This is an interesting discussion. I am just starting to research vax. I always thought the CP vaccine was silly. My brother and I (both in our late 20's now) had CP naturally as very young children.

Our younger sister (born in 1988) got the vaccine as a child. When she was about 10 or so, she got the shingles. I don't think it was a very bad case, but was confirmed by the doc. I do remember thinking it was weird that she was the only one in the family who had the CP vax and the only one of us to get shingles.

I am almost 30 and had CP when I was very young. I always thought CP immunity was for life. Now I am worried. I think I need to take myself to a pox party

[AbbieB]

Originally Posted by orangewallflower

Shingles can cause debilitating pain and permanent nerve damage. The person you know was lucky. I have never known someone with such a mild case. Honestly, "a little itchy" sounds like he or she had something else.

I got CP naturally in my mid 20's.

2 weeks later a friend (who happened to be hanging out with us the day I became sick with the fever, before the rash) broke out with singles. He claimed it did not hurt a all. This was in the early 90's, before the vax was available.

My grandmother had the singles about 5 years ago. She also did not have pain. She was itchy but that was about it.

I think like many herpes type illnesses, it really depends on what nerve the virus is attacking as to how a person will react.