Chicken pox = no shingles

[Lady Neeva]

When I was small (I forget exactly how old Mom says I was, but it wasn't more than two or three judging from the pictures) I got chicken pox that ran literally from head to toe as one giant mass of itchy pox things.

Mom usually jokes that I singlehandedly kept the calamine lotion manufacturer in business for the entire year with just my couple of weeks of chicken pox heh.

Other than that though, I've never had any severe outbreaks of anything... Mother's comment is that I was the unbreakable/un-sick-able child, my next younger sister was the accident/injury child, and my youngest sister was the sick child. Which is actually still the case... my next younger sister is still more likely to end up at the hospital due to an injury, and the youngest still catches every bug or physical illness that comes her way poor girl.

In other news, I (and my sisters) are living proof that getting mumps as an adult male does not always cause sterility -- my father thought he was sterile because he didn't get mumps until he was in his late 30's. Until Mom made that infamous announcement in early spring 1975... "Honey, I appear to be pregnant." lol.

As to pet vaccinations, new studies are indicating that every year might NOT be the best idea... my vet subscribes to an every three year schedule. Not that it changes how often she gets to see my pets -- I still insist on twice a year for the two oldest (an 11 year old cat and a 12 year old large breed dog) and at least yearly for the three youngest (a 2 year old cat and two 10 month old kittens).

In actual practice she ends up seeing the 2 year old the most anyways... he's an accident waiting to happen it seems.

This article provides a good overview of current vaccine research and why fewer shots might actually be better for them in the long run.

[Lainie]

DD's kitten received some of her vaccinations nasally rather than through injections.

For the record, kittens do not like having medicine shot up their noses.

[DawnStorm]

Originally Posted by Lady Neeva

When I was small (I forget exactly how old Mom says I was, but it wasn't more than two or three judging from the pictures) I got chicken pox that ran literally from head to toe as one giant mass of itchy pox things.

.

Sounds like the case I had. My mother told me that I had a huge pox right in the crown of my scalp.

[snapdragonfly]

Originally Posted by Lainie

Did you not have chickenpox as a child?

Nope. Missed out somehow, got it when I was in my early 20's.

And I had sores EVERYPLACE I had skin...even inside my mouth. And in my scalp. And on my naughty bits. I wanted to just die, it was horrible. I was one giant oozing scab.

I only ended up with one scar, right above my eyebrow - it did happen to get infected. It's a really big pit, but it's hidden mostly by my hair.

[Morrigan]

I had chickenpox twice. Once mildly, and once pretty bad, while on vacation.

Never again, though. And I didn't scar, thankfully.

Morrigan

[Sister Ray]

My case of the pox was very mild, but I still have a very large chicken pox scar on my left leg.

Even if it isn't usually harmful, I can't see people as being better off with it.

Sister "and that is good enough" Ray

[violetbon]

I had chicken pox as an adult (age 29) and it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I did have a fever of 103 for about three days, but there was actually very little itching. I had tons of spots, but they didn't itch much at all. All spots healed cleanly. I was exposed many times as a child, but just never got chicken pox.

[Morrigan]

Originally Posted by Lainie

DD's kitten received some of her vaccinations nasally rather than through injections.

For the record, kittens do not like having medicine shot up their noses.

Our dogs get their kennel cough (bordetella) through the nose. For the record, they don't like it either!

Morrigan

[DawnStorm]

Originally Posted by Morrigan

Our dogs get their kennel cough (bordetella) through the nose. For the record, they don't like it either!

Morrigan

Second that! I always tell my dogs to make like a rock star!

[going slightly mad]

Chicken Pox is the only typical childhood disease I ever caught, I was about nine and strangely enough I neither remember the itching nor the spots or even being miserable, the only thing that has stuck in mind is the white, paste like cream my grandmother had covered me in from head to toe, I looked like human shaped spongecake covered in frosting. The mailman was ringing the doorbell to drop off a package and I opened the door, I will never forget the look on his face when he saw me, completely flabbergasted .

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

Originally Posted by violetbon

I had chicken pox as an adult (age 29) and it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I did have a fever of 103 for about three days, but there was actually very little itching. I had tons of spots, but they didn't itch much at all. All spots healed cleanly. I was exposed many times as a child, but just never got chicken pox.

I was shredding some old documents last night and found stuff revealing to me that I was also 29 when I had the c-pox. I too remember a high fever for a few days and then loads and loads of boredom waiting for the itching to start.

I mean, there was itching, but nothing I couldn't ignore (I have a high itch tolerance, though).

Seaboe

I never got chicken pox growing up .My parents and my friends parents would have us play with the infected child so we would get them done and over with too.
My 2 little brothers got them when I was in middle school, I missed out again . When my kids got them last year I was still pox free.

[kia]

Chicken pox can (albeit rarely) be fatal, so I wouldn't advise intentionally exposing anyone to it.

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/294/7/866

I personally remember standing in a real estate office to meet the agent, who received a call which was the news that his 10 year old son's friend had just died. From chicken pox. He'd apparently been in hospital for it for several days. Perhaps as the AMA article states, the child was immunosuppressed already.

My personal story: I never caught chicken pox as a child, even when all my friends did. In adulthood I received the course of immunisation when my then 18 month old daughter caught the disease (about a week before she was due to get the vaccination, go figure). Because I had never had it I was strongly advised to get the vaccination, even if I had been exposed apparently the needle might reduce the severity of the outcome.

Well I didn't get chickenpox, but I also didn't get immunity. Last year when pregnant with DD2, blood tests showed I still have no immunity to varicella. Apparently the vaccine is only 80% effective, my doctor has since informed me. I'll probably try again when DD2 is immunised at 18mo (compulsory in Australia - and all our mandatory vaccinations are done for free).

Also at the same time as the attempted vaccination for chicken pox, I was immunised against Hep B. I finished the course of 3 injections as I should have. Those same blood tests when pregnant showed I was still not immune to Hep B either. Strange, especially considering I am immune to Rubella, a vaccination I received 15 years ago.