Exposure to Chicken Pox

[Stardust]

Ah yes, a child at M's kinder has chookie pox. So I guess chances are quite high that one/both girls will get it. That I don't mind. I was 15 when I had it and sooo sick. Better to catch it young. But I don't want any complications, or a bad case if I can prevent it. So..ideas? They get probiotics daily and vitamin supplements. Will up the vitamin C. Umm....

[Merlion]

sorry i can't help you but i would love to get D exposed to chicken pox but due to Jess last reaction to the chicken pox (severe convulsions landing Jess in the hospital ICU for 2 days)

[Harmony]

I also had it at 15 - went around my year like the plague - yukko big time! Need to have a pox party one day I think :lol

[Merlion]

i remember i got the chicken pox when i was 12 i had gone to the royal show with my cuz and thats only place i can think where i got it but my poor dad at the age of 42 got it too and he got it really bad blisters everywhere even in his mouth everytime he put his clothes on they popped.

[Joey]

My kids all had it and only the oldest who was 8 really suffered.

[Savannah]

There is a homeopathic remedy but I've gone blank on the name - google it? Or ask at your chemist?

We kept the diet simple (DD mainly wanted citrus fruits and melons) and lots of water, sunshine and soothing baths. I put oatmeal in a stocking and had that in the water which worked well. Apparently goats milk is good too.

[Hailstorm]

Perfect timing I have just had a call (literally like 10 mins ago) from Hailey's kinder teacher saying there has been an outbreak and was coming here to ask some questions
i know nothing about chicken pox and neither of the kids are immunized so just wondering what I can expect (google was gonna be my next stop :2lol) my main concern is SIL, she is 32 weeks preg and will be watching the kids for me on Thurs while I have a driving lesson and then on Fri we are all going to the PBC expo just wondering if she will be ok? are there risks with getting c/pox when so heavily preg?
Should I keep Haze home this week? I'm not sure if the sick kid was at kinder today or not.... I don't mind if Haze gets it cos I can look after her but I'd never forgive myself if SIL got it......

[Stardust]

Convulsions? Oh dear.....
I did know about the oatmeal, but we couldn't use it here coz of allergies. Ditto lavender or anything else soothing like that. Hmm....yep,will ring my homeopath I think.

[Merlion]

yeah its due to her health problems. the second time she got exposed to it she had convulsions but thankfully we managed to get her stabilised pretty fast. she has been diagnosed with epilisey so it must be a side effect but i would lvoe to get D exposed to the chicken pox even let him rub up against someone with it

[bubbalove]

Guys, I hate to be a party pooper, but this can be a really serious illness!! If your little ones happen to catc, bummer, but actively trying to get them to catch it? Scary stuff....

I don't mean to alarm anyone, and I don't wanna upset anyone, but please, please just be careful with all this! I felt I had to have my say. I'm a nurse, I've seen some really sad things...

[Stardust]

I know it can. I was really, really sick with it. Which is why if they are going to catch it I want their systems in top gear to deal with it! I'd just rather it was now, when young, than when they're teens/adults and have a higher chance to get seriously ill.

[Nyree]

my main concern is SIL, she is 32 weeks preg and will be watching the kids for me on Thurs while I have a driving lesson and then on Fri we are all going to the PBC expo just wondering if she will be ok? are there risks with getting c/pox when so heavily preg?

Find out if she's had it already. If so, she'll probably be OK, but otherwise, it may be safer to make other arrangements.

And yes, younger is better with this sort of thing. That's why it's called a "childhood illness". Tends to be much worse if caught for the first time as an adult - but not wanting to discount what you've seen, KA.

My siblings & I never had it, so although I'm sure we picked up an immunity somewhere along the line, I am cautious when pregnant.

This may help:

http://abchomeopathy.com/c.php/174

[Beckstar]

My daughter has been exposed to chicken pox several times and has never developed the illness. She is 10 now. I was hoping she would get it younger, if she was gonna get it at all. Perhaps she is immune?
Bubbalove, it can be very serious, yes, but on a whole it is a harmless illness that helps develop a healthy child's immune system. My GP even suggested chicken pox parties to me when my daughter was young.
I can't speak for others, but my choice not to vaccinate involved a choice to give my child the best possible health, so if she gets sick, her body can deal with it. I am sure that children who have less than optimum diet and lifestyle may not have the strength or innate immunity to deal with these illnesses, hence the vaccine.

[sunrisesister]

We've just had CP! Well, Maya had it first (came down on the last day of term) so we spent most of the holidays housebound. She was fine, lots of spots, but they developed and healed very quickly. The only thing was a mild fever on the first two nights. It really needed very little intervention from me, apart from baths and cuddles.

DS then had it (got it the day BEFORE term started.. noticing a pattern here? LOL) and was a little worse than his sister. His spots are healing, but he had more itching, and more severe fevers and was off food as well. That's how I knew he was REALLY ill ;)

[Hailstorm]

Thanks Ny I'm pretty sure she has had it before, I have decided to keep Haze home this week as I just don't wanna risk SIL getting it I don't mind if Haze gets (like most others I'd prefer it now then later) and then it's juts really a bad week to catch chicken pox around here :2lol (dontcha hate it when life gets in the way of illness not the other way around :rofl)

[sunrisesister]

Yeah, the real bugger is that it takes ages for the spots to appear! I was sure DS hadn't caught it (ie: thought we were on the home stretch to freedom) and BAM!

[Pinky]

I, like an idiot, vaccinated my girl against chicken pox. But now they are telling me that the vaccine isn't that effective and she'll need a booster later in life.

So now I want to expose her to chicken pox to make sure she has real exposure. I would hate for her to be a grown woman, and be pregnant and then contract them...

Not sure what to do now. I guess I need to talk to the naturopath.

and yes I would definitely want both my kids to catch it young. (and preferably when I'm still nursing my son to help him out)

[wems]

I do much prefer they have it younger rather than later, as you run the risk of developing shingles etc, which are excruciating!

:huh

I don't understand that????

anyone who has had CP can get shingles????? Doesn't matter if you had CP when you were 6 months or 66........If you have had the CP virus you can get shingles

:huh

[Stardust]

That's true to wems. It's more that because it's a childhood illness the majority of kids will only have a mild dose. Whereas an adult or teen can get it pretty badly.

[wems]

Oh yes I have seen Grae with the chicken pox at 42

I came home from hospital after having Darcy and Kane to a house full of chicken pox

The 5 kids got it (even the twins) and Grae

It was horrible :(
Grae was a huge mess and he was supposed to be helping ME :rofl
He was so sick and had pox every where couldn't eat, walk, sleep, pee NOTHING

My little 2 have never had it and I will be doing everything in my power to stop them from getting it ...........it is bloody cruel......NO CHICKEN POX PARTIES FOR US :(

But I still don't get the shingles comment ????

[Hailstorm]

One thing I do find funny about Chicken Pox is that no matter where you are children will ALWAYS call them Chicken POPS :2lol

[sunrisesister]

ok, sorry, my bad. misinformation.

[Rinelle]

I don't get the shingles comment either. Shingles doesn't develop from chicken pox immediately, it is a reoccurance of the virus (which remains dormant in your system), which usually happens in the elderly, or those who are unwell/run down. It doesn't matter when you had the origional infection as far as I know?

DH had the chicken pox in his early twenties, and he was miserable. Much worse than when I had them as a child.

[mama_bel]

None of our family have had the chicken pox, despite being in contact with it several times.

Some teens/young adults I know up the road (one family) had it this year and were miserable with it. :( My sister also got it in her 20s and was very ill.

We haven't tried to get it really, but haven't avoided it either. We don't vaccinate against chicken pox...

I wonder if there's such a thing as "natural immunity" to chicken pox and how does that work? My Mum could never catch it from her (ten) siblings either... Is this luck, or something else?

[Ethereal]

I've never had it either. I would never intentionally expose my child to it tbh. When pregnant later in life precautions need to be taken as with anything else. I hadn't had rubella vaccine either which was the normal thing to do as a teenage girl. I am very aware of how incredibly fortunate I have been.

I had a test with Jacob's pregnancy and still no immunity. Yet poor M had CP as a kid and shingles this year. It was awful :(. But by golly, he milks it now. Can't do that, I should be sitting down drinking beer & relaxing cos you know stress can give me shingles :tongue :2lol. I'm laughing at his having a go, not how awful it was for him :wink2.