So confused about CP...still.

[Bronwen13]

So my two daughters, 5 & 8 are completely unvaxxed. They have not had chicken pox .... I thought they would get it from my BIL who had shingles, but alas, they did not. I will NOT vax them for CP, against my dr's advice that my eldest gets the vax if she doesn't get CP by age 9.
What I don't understand is what's the deal with CP? What makes it dangerous about having it as a teen? Is it dangerous? I read so much conflicting info about it. Sigh. If you never have CP than you never risk shingles, which is a good thing, isn't it?
Any info to clear up this very confusing subject for me is greatly appreciated!

[Bronwen13]

How ironic...right now I'm watching a design show called Candace Tells All....and the homeowner's kid has just been exposed to CP, and one of the carpenter's on the show has never had it...the designer, Candace says "Roger, you need to go, because it's super bad when you're an adult".
So, this is exactly what I'm wondering, is this 'myth' or is there some truth to CP being much more dangerous when it happens to someone older?

[emmy526]

It is dangerous for someone older, the body cannot process the virus like a child's body can, and it is much worse for an adult. 

Here's an article about the cp vax being associated with the shingles epidemic.   And, if your kids didn't touch the shingles rash, and come into contact with the pustule fluid, then their chances of getting CP is much less.  This group might help you find cp in your area too

[Chloebelle]

Ya, you need the fluid in the Shingle sore. Both DH and I had shingles at different times, but his were much more pussy than mine, and the kids got CP from him. I was SO happy to get it over with.

Hopefully you can get some exposure soon!

[Marnica]

Can it be worse in an adult or older teen, yes. Is it a death sentence? - no of course not.

I had CP when I was 19 years old. I had a very bad case, my whole body was covered! I spent a week in an oatmeal bath and was very itchy and uncomfortable. I had no complications, I survived. You would think with all the hype that it's a sure thing that older teens and adults will end up in the hospital or die. Personally I think complications from the CP at any age have far more to do with HOW the virus is handled (ie is the person taking tylenol and advil to bring the fever down? are they downing antivirals? or are they using homeopathy and natural medicine to support their body instead? 

To say 9 years old is the cut off for getting the vaccine is absurd to me. 

[sassyfirechick]

I would think the biggest benefit to getting it at a younger age is that when you're older, you think about the itching and the 'pain' more and are wanting to get rid of it, whereas kids don't care, if that makes sense.  I know I had a pretty good batch of pox when I got them at 8 or so, and it took years for some of the 'scars' to fade, but I don't recall being miserable at all and my mother says she was more bothered by them than I was.  I think if you say no to the shot you do so knowing that somme day they could get them as adults - but you don't know how thier body will react as kids or adults so severity may not be related to age so much as overall health at the time you contract them.  I'd be pretty happy if DD (14mos) caould catch CP and get it over with and I know I'd certainly appreciate the immune boost!

[serenbat]

Quote:

To say 9 years old is the cut off for getting the vaccine is absurd to me. 

to consider it wasn't even a fear for dr.'s prior to the vac to not have it by 9!!! 

[AnaKat405]

Originally Posted by sassyfirechick 

I would think the biggest benefit to getting it at a younger age is that when you're older, you think about the itching and the 'pain' more and are wanting to get rid of it, whereas kids don't care, if that makes sense.  I know I had a pretty good batch of pox when I got them at 8 or so, and it took years for some of the 'scars' to fade, but I don't recall being miserable at all and my mother says she was more bothered by them than I was.  I think if you say no to the shot you do so knowing that somme day they could get them as adults - but you don't know how thier body will react as kids or adults so severity may not be related to age so much as overall health at the time you contract them.  I'd be pretty happy if DD (14mos) caould catch CP and get it over with and I know I'd certainly appreciate the immune boost!

I agree with this.

I got it when I was 11, and yes, the scarring to ages to fade.  I actually got some keloid scarring on my shoulder, back and tummy that never went away.  I remember a gyno asking me about the scars on my tummy near my navel because they're so symmetrical she thought it was an intentional body modification. :P

I don't recall being too bothered by itching.  Neighbor kids would come over and I answered the door to tell them I couldn't play because I had chicken pox.

[lydilu]

I'm currently trying to decide if I should get it myself, as it can be much more serious in adults and for pregnant women (and I don't take getting vaccines lightly, my dd is currently unvaccinated). I read that prior to the vaccine, adults only made up about 5% of cp cases, but accounted for 35% of the deaths. I don't know what age it gets worse, I would just ask your doctor for what info they have and why he chose that age.
 

[lydilu]

According to Mercola- "Up to 20 percent of adults who get chickenpox develop severe complications such as pneumonia, secondary bacterial infections, and brain inflammation (which is reported in less than one percent of children who get chickenpox)." He goes on to say that most have compromised immune systems, but I still find that number high.

[kathymuggle]

I read 20% of adults get complication as well on the CDC - most pneumonia.  It is higher than I like, and I know a woman whose baby had a birth defect due to CP.

I also read somewhere that 70-80% of adults who claim not to have had CP were actually found to have had CP when their titres were tested.

I am aware that the rate of wild CP is dropping.  

Shingles is increasing, however, and you cannot get shingles if you never had CP or the CP vaccine (you can get shingles after the CP vaccine,  although the chances might be lower than if you had wild CP).  

I feel like we are in a waiting game with the CP vaccine - waiting to see what happens to prevalence, waiting to see what happens with shingles….

Youngest DD is 10.  She has never had CP.  I am going to leave the decision to her as to what to do, when she hits her late teens.   When the time comes,  I might see if I can sort out the prevalence of CP, and figure out if getting it will be likely.  If she wants to go for the vaccine, I would also suggest she get her titres tested - many people seem to get CP without noticing it.

Edited by kathymuggle - 1/18/13 at 2:01pm

[A_Random_Phrase]

To OP,

All I can share is my experience.

My oldest child and I never had chickenpox. When chickenpox went around the school my children were in, I'm thinking my son was 8 or 9 and my younger daughter was 10 or 11.

My son was miserable enough that he wanted to sleep with me. He wore one of my T-shirts the whole time he was miserable. A week or two later, when my daughter got it, she decided it was tradition to wear that shirt and sleep with Mom while sick.

The only scar my son has is one on his neck that he scratched before we realized he had chicken pox and not a mosquito bite. My daughter has none that I know of.

And, to this day, neither my oldest daughter (now 21 yrs old) nor myself got it. (I have been exposed several times in my life; this was just the most concentrated exposure I've had.)

My point is this: There's a possibility that your children will never contract the disease. Or that it won't be that bad, if they do. I've never heard of anyone dying from chicken pox. Not even being maimed (seriously or otherwise).
 

[TCMoulton]

Originally Posted by A_Random_Phrase 

To OP,

All I can share is my experience.

My oldest child and I never had chickenpox. When chickenpox went around the school my children were in, I'm thinking my son was 8 or 9 and my younger daughter was 10 or 11.

My son was miserable enough that he wanted to sleep with me. He wore one of my T-shirts the whole time he was miserable. A week or two later, when my daughter got it, she decided it was tradition to wear that shirt and sleep with Mom while sick.

The only scar my son has is one on his neck that he scratched before we realized he had chicken pox and not a mosquito bite. My daughter has none that I know of.

And, to this day, neither my oldest daughter (now 21 yrs old) nor myself got it. (I have been exposed several times in my life; this was just the most concentrated exposure I've had.)

My point is this: There's a possibility that your children will never contract the disease. Or that it won't be that bad, if they do. I've never heard of anyone dying from chicken pox. Not even being maimed (seriously or otherwise).

 

While rare, people do die from the chicken pox. Not implying that it is a reason to vaccinate but I do believe that one should know all the risks when making important medical decisions.

[emmy526]

Most people who die from chicken pox is because of secondary infection that sets in, or they were immunocompromised to begin with....how many adults do you hear of on a daily, or monthly basis, dying off from chicken pox?  Back in '95 when the vaccine came out, it was touted as 'saving parents missed time from work due to sick kids', and that 100kids a year died from chicken pox...what they didn't tell the public is, that 100kids that would die every year, were already in the hospital with life threatening illnesses.  

Edited by emmy526 - 4/5/13 at 9:45am

[emmy526]

Originally Posted by eminurse 

Agree with TCMoulton. I'm a nurse, people still die from CP, the flu, tetanus, Diptheria, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, rotavirus, hepatitis etc. and while it may not by your child, it could be someone else's. or your husband, or your mother, or your sibling, or your grandmother.....

and where in the USA are all these deaths happening from all those diseases you mentioned?  I havent heard of any in my area, nor my state, either.  And i keep up on these kinds of stats, at least for my state. 

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by eminurse 

Agree with TCMoulton. I'm a nurse, people still die from CP, the flu, tetanus, Diptheria, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, rotavirus, hepatitis etc. and while it may not by your child, it could be someone else's. or your husband, or your mother, or your sibling, or your grandmother.....

GO AWAYYYYYYYY. Please read forum guidelines before posting. 

[Cynthia Mosher]

eminurse, your posting privileges are suspended. Please contact me to discuss further if you wish to post.

[Cynthia Mosher]

TCMoulton, a reminder of the rules:

I'm Not Vaccinating - This is a support-only forum for those not or those seriously considering not vaccinating. Here we host discussion of issues that arise when choosing to not vaccinate and sharing of resources and information that are related to the no-vax decision. Members who are vaccinating should not post here to debate or argue accuracy or opinion of things posted. 

Please respect this. If you wish to debate something said here you need to take it to the Debate forum. 

[A_Random_Phrase]

Originally Posted by TCMoulton 


While rare, people do die from the chicken pox. Not implying that it is a reason to vaccinate but I do believe that one should know all the risks when making important medical decisions.

Strange. I have never heard of even one case of death by chicken pox. But, then, when I read books from the 1800's, there are people who die from colds (their word, not mine).

[emmy526]

Originally Posted by A_Random_Phrase 

Strange. I have never heard of even one case of death by chicken pox. But, then, when I read books from the 1800's, there are people who die from colds (their word, not mine).

the only cases of death in chicken pox in kids i have heard of is in mainstream media news, and the child also had an underlying condition, and died in a hospital.