[flutemandolin]

So my 6 yo ds is getting dressed for school this morning and he says "Mommy! Look at all the bites on my belly!"

I took one look and I knew what it was...chickenpox. Of course in my twisted, non mainstream mind the first thing I thought of was hooray! It'll be over, maybe dd and ds2 will get it too, and I won't have to mess with getting an exemption for the Varicella vax.

But my question is this: two weeks ago I had a rash that I suspect was shingles. The doctor diagnosed poison ivy, but it just didn't seem like any poison ivy reaction I'd had before and it matched the symptoms of shingles pretty well. And that was my intuition. So, could ds have caught chickenpox from me?

Also, my younger ds was sick last week with fever, fatigue, some vomiting but no sign of any rash that I could see. Is it possible that he had such a mild case of cp that there was hardly any rash?

Edited to add: Okay, I sat down and did some searching on this forum and it appears that yes, ds could have caught cp from my shingles if indeed that's what it is/was. The kids and I all cosleep, so it's probably just a matter of time till the other two get it. But now I have another question: when is chickenpox contagious? Can it be contagious before any symptoms appear?

Thanks to all those who have posted some wonderful info on thsi board!!!

 

[jackson's mama]

Quote:

Originally posted by flutemandolin Also, my younger ds was sick last week with fever, fatigue, some vomiting but no sign of any rash that I could see. Is it possible that he had such a mild case of cp that there was hardly any rash?

Yes. If he didn't have it before, he'll probably catch it now!

Quote:

Originally posted by flutemandolin Can it be contagious before any symptoms appear?

Absolutely

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