Chicken poxs as adults

[JCEmommy]

I know my kids are eventually going to get them. The problem is, I have never had them and I am not sure if I have a natural immune to them(main reason I REFUSE to get the kids the shot). What are the risks for me when and if the kids get them?

[tuppence]

Chicken pox as an adult can be really rough. When it's bad, it's usually much worse than catching it as a child--I know several people who had it as adults--one had pox all down his throat and the other almost died--but that's not always the case. You might consider getting tested to see if you have the anti-bodies or not.

[Gitti]

Originally Posted by tuppence

You might consider getting tested to see if you have the anti-bodies or not.

And exactly what would that prove?

The antibodies could be weak/useless. People who have antibodies can still get the CP or shingles.

And people who don't test positive could be immune anyway because the antibodies don't show up unless they've been exposed to the disease but are still present in the body.

So the results of the test are no help whatsoever.

Testing for anibody titres is unreliable.

[JCEmommy]

I have never been tested, but I have been around plenty of kids who had pox. My mom use to put me in the tub with the other kids to get me to get them. I refuse to get the shot as an adult. I was just wondering because I want to have the kids get them and wasn't sure what reaction I could have if I would get them at all.

[polka123]

Again:

I got CP the 1st time @ 40 YO. I hAd been around my kid & other kids that had CP & never got them until I was 40 YO.
It was BAD for about 3 days (total sick was 1 wk) but I survived just fine.
my DD got CP @ 18 mos AND 18 YO !!! 2X !
It sucked for her for about 3 days also.
CDC would like to believe that if you get them as adult you will nearly die
not to say that there are some complications for anything so use your own judgment.
I was has strep so bad in my Jr. year of HS. I was really, really sick from strep. Had all kinds of complications from that you just never know.

[liawbh]

I had the pox at 26. The nurse I called said the biggest danger to adults is keeping the fever from getting to high, and sometimes it can lead to pneumonia. I didn't have either of those, and the worst part was keeping my sense of humor so I could be a good mom to my son. (oh, and I may or may not have had a mild case of them as a child. I also was around all sorts of contagious kids and didn't get them.)

[mammastar2]

I got it a few years ago, and it was pretty mild - pox mostly confined to my midsection and back, itchy but not unbearable, didn't last too long.

[Cheshire]

My mom exposed me to the pox when I was little a number of time in hopes that I would catch them. I didn't until I was in my mid 20s. This was right after the vaccine was introduced.

When I realized that I had the cp I went to my doc and he put me on some anti-viral medication. The pox that had started to form on my arms and legs went away before they opened up. I didn't get any new ones on my trunk and they went away in about seven days.

If you do get them take Benedryl for the itching (if you take the pill form you're not supposed to use the cream form -- one or the other but not both). The pill form made a huge difference for me.

Mine weren't that bad but whenever I told another doc about it she was so surprised that I didn't have to be hospitalized? Go figure.

HTH. Best wishes.

[Nathan1097]

I had CP at 17 and my sister had them at 15. We had them all over and were very itchy. It was summer and we sat in sheets only on the couch. I had a seizure one night. Not sure if it was fever-related, but I'm sure it was CP-related.