granddaughters chicken pox

[Grendall]

hi all,

Question please… my granddaughter has just developed chicken pox, I have had shingles twice and the most recent was a few months ago which appeared to develop in the area of my constant itching

Am I vulnerable to being with her please???? TIA

[Cat1001954]

I’m no medical expert. But if your immune system low there’s a possibility

[Grendall in reply to Cat1001954]

Hi Cat1001954

I forgot to say I am taking IFN injections and have been for a while, I believe Hunter once stated that our immune system wasn’t too vulnerable but can’t remember fully what he said

[Cat1001954 in reply to Grendall]

oh ok I’m only diagnosed in aug so I might be wrong but good luck x

[hunter5582 in reply to Grendall]

The IFNs can reduce the number of WBCs that our bodies produce. Your CBC is monitored to ensure that they do not drop so low that your immune system will no longer respond to an infection. Even if they are lower, provided the neutrophils, lymphocytes and other WBCs are at an adequate level, then the body should still respond adequately to an infection. Your care team can best explain this to you in a case specific fashion.

[Barbiebreath]

It has always been my understanding that people with chicken pox do not cause others to have a shingles outbreak. It is the other way around. If someone has never had chicken pox, it can be caught from someone who has shingles.

Wishing a speedy recovery for your granddaughter. 💕

[Rem31 in reply to Barbiebreath]

That’s my understanding too, following a conversation with my GP.

[Grendall]

Thanks everyone, interesting info though.

I’ve made alternative plans now though. Don’t get to see the two youngest grandchildren (youngest could be getting them too) but get to spend the weekend with my eldest granddaughter at my house (she’s had them anyway) 👍

[Anag in reply to Grendall]

it’s better when they all get it early and over with. When I was 2, my brother brought home the chicken pox. I got it and then my mother who never had it. She was 39 and became seriously ill. Dangerous for adults to get it. If a pregnant woman gets it, it’s apparently the worst of all.

[hunter5582]

If you have had shingles twice then you already have the virus in your body. It is just dormant at this point. This statement is from the NHS "It's not possible to catch shingles from someone with the condition or from someone with chickenpox. However, you can catch chickenpox from someone with shingles if you haven't had chickenpox before." nhsinform.scot/illnesses-an...

Shingles occurs when the varicella-zoster virus is reactivated. A suppressed immune system is one of the possible triggers. Some of the meds we take for MPNs can suppress the immune system. This is something your care team would be monitoring. Best to talk to your provider to see if this issue applies to you.

[3195]

It's my understanding that it's transmitted via the goop inside the pox sores. I'd still be cautious. I'd had them multiple times over the years. One of my life goals is to stay shingles free! I take one gram of Valacyclovir daily. Blessings