Shingles and Chicken Pox ?

Options
pols090607
pols090607 Bots Posts: 126
edited 28. Oct 2010, 09:27 in Living with Arthritis archive
Oh dear, my Mum has just rang and she has shingles ! I see her all the time - am I safe being on Metho ? Also, my daughter hasn't yet has chicken pox.

I had chicken pox as a child - am I safe ?

Comments

  • cthornley
    cthornley Member Posts: 627
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    pols090607 wrote:
    Oh dear, my Mum has just rang and she has shingles ! I see her all the time - am I safe being on Metho ? Also, my daughter hasn't yet has chicken pox.

    I had chicken pox as a child - am I safe ?

    You are more susceptible being on MTX, you should try and avoid it but if you can't and you do catch it, you need to see you GP or phone your rheumy nurse immediately as you may have a worse reaction to the disease than others - its only a precaution though so don't panic just make sure.
    Just to be clear you can’t catch shingles from somebody with shingles but you can catch chicken pox and as somebody with a compromised immune system you can catch chicken pox more than once in your life, so you won’t catch shingles from her but you may get chicken pox as may your daughter who may subsequently pass it on to you.

    In rare cases (like me) some people don’t develop an immunity and therefore can catch chicken pox or shingles many times with quite severe results . This is why my son is immunised for chicken pox to reduce the chances of catching it and passing it to me, if I do catch it or even if i come in close contact with it I end up having to go to the doctors to be assessed for hospital admission.
    :shock:

    sorry don't want to worry you just make you aware
    Chrissie
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,480
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    My daughter lucy had shingles aged 11!!!

    She was told that she needed to avoid people who are on chemo - so i think that Chrissie is totally right. Best avoided for a week or so. Till the blistery thingies heal over which they do quite quickly.

    I hope her GP has given the poor thing an antiviral?

    I have been told that Lucy is very likley to get shingles again too :? Not very pleasant is it.

    Please take care and lots of chats on teh phone I recklon.

    Love

    Toni xx
  • woodbon
    woodbon Member Posts: 4,969
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    Hello That's a horrible thing, I'm told, I've never had shingles but I've known people who have. You must do what the others have said and get some of the anti viral tablets from the doctor. I hope that your Mum will get better soon and not have too much pain. Take care, love Suexxx
  • hileena111
    hileena111 Member Posts: 7,099
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    Hi
    Sorry I'm no help with the medication...
    but I do know that you cant get chickn pox from shingles.......the other way round yes.....if a child{or adult} has chicken pox an older person can get shingles...
    but not chickenpox from shingles.
    Does that make sense LOL

    Love
    Hileena
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    Err on the side of caution - as frogmorton said, lots of telephone natters until she is better! Meth does affect one's immune system, lowering it to negligible levels, so I reckon it's better to be safe than sorry. Take care. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,480
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    How is your Mum Pols?? Hoping she is doing ok and her symptoms are under control.

    Love

    Toni xx
  • cthornley
    cthornley Member Posts: 627
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    hileena111 wrote:
    Hi
    Sorry I'm no help with the medication...
    but I do know that you cant get chickn pox from shingles.......the other way round yes.....if a child{or adult} has chicken pox an older person can get shingles...
    but not chickenpox from shingles.
    Does that make sense LOL

    Love
    Hileena

    sorry Hileena thats not quite true you can catch chicken pox from shingles , you can't catch shingles if you've not had chicken pox before, but you can still get chicken pox from it.
    Shingles is the reactivation of the chicken pox virus which lies dormant in your body. It is therefore kinda the same in infection terms as chicken pox to those susceptible.
    Shingles is not age related but it is more likely in an older person as their immune systems are weaker and they are likely to have had shingles as a child.
    I was pretty sure of this but i did double check with our resident medic and he confirmed the albeit with longer words than i used.
    Hope that is clear and its all a moot point anyway because everybody is ok :wink:
    Chrissie
  • hileena111
    hileena111 Member Posts: 7,099
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    Hi Chrissie
    I was dredging this info up from my nurse traing days which was quite a while ago......as you say its a moot point anyway

    Love
    Hileena
  • cthornley
    cthornley Member Posts: 627
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    hileena111 wrote:
    Hi Chrissie
    I was dredging this info up from my nurse traing days which was quite a while ago......as you say its a moot point anyway

    Love
    Hileena

    Sorry I didn't mean to tread on your toes, was just trying to make it clear as I know how confusing the subject can be.

    I know curiosity killed the cat and that but if you don't mind me asking do you find having a nursing background helpful with your condition or a hinderance or do you find it makes no difference at all....please feel free to ignore the question as I know its a bit nosey parkerish, I was just wondering thats all - as I find having a Dr husband both a blessing and a curse where my RA is concerned.
    Chrissie
  • hileena111
    hileena111 Member Posts: 7,099
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    Thats OK yuou weren't treading on my toes.....no problem there.
    My nursing...I'm a qualified RNMS....
    dont shout at me anyone please....registered nurse for mentally subnormals... :lol: I know there is no such thing anymore its Learning difficulties but thats what I was so as far as arthritis is concerned I knew nothing about it at all....It was a 3 yr training like a general nurse but we were taught about the larges bones and things like that not the little fiddly ones and we did do various ordinary illness and drugs for them etc...part of intermediate exam was drug assessment along with other things.
    Anyway....we did a lot more psychology, psychiatry and sociology that general nurses did. So no help with arthritis at all.
    I would think that having a doctor for a husband would be a blessing....No???
    I just know enough to be dangerous LOL :lol:
  • cthornley
    cthornley Member Posts: 627
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    I just know enough to be dangerous Ha I think my husband is in a similar position, sometimes his medical knowledge especially with regards to drugs is very useful but in terms of RA nowadays I probably know more as I’ve always strived to be an educated patient and I’ve got 12years or so of direct experience and because he’s cardiologist his changes of being sympathetic or empathetic are virtually nil....his logic is that I’ve ONLY got RA, it’s not as if I’m dying or anything!!!
    There is also the double edged sword of being married to a medic, I think I probably get slightly favourable treatment once people know as my husband is relatively well known (he was big in medical politics for a while) but I also end up bumping into doctors in social situations....nothing so embarrassing as ending up having a drink in the pub with one of the medical team who were present at the birth of my son, they have seen far too much of me for social chit chat :shock:

    registered nurse for mentally subnormals – no shouting here....its amazing how terms become quite so politically incorrect in relatively short periods of time. I’ve always taken the view if there is no malice involved then something’s we shouldn’t get too het up about, although once you know better you should avoid it, sensibility seems have been lost to the PC brigade on occasion. I had to take that view though as my Gran was a true old fashioned British South African and could come out with some absolutely shocking terms before she died, most of which she meant no harm it was just ingrained in her psyche, we learnt to just shrug them off.

    Oh one more quick question that has just occurred to me....was it you who mentioned that you go to the Gateshead Arthritis group?
    Just wondered as I work in Gateshead/Dunston although I live in Newcastle

    Chrissie
  • hileena111
    hileena111 Member Posts: 7,099
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    Hi Chrissie,
    I can see your problems with your medic husband now as well as the advantages LOL
    Yes it was me that said Gateshead branch
    Where abouts in Newcastle do you live??? Which end?
    I live in Prudhoe and the nearest branch is in The Civic Center in Gatreshead and one in Gosforth {I think} or South??? cant remember but I decided that civic center would have better parking facilities.

    Love
    Hileena
  • cthornley
    cthornley Member Posts: 627
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    I bought my wedding dress in Prudhoe :D
    I'm in central Gosforth so should probably go to the Gosforth meetings but so far all the ones i've seen are in the day and I can't make them as i'm at work :roll:
    Chrissie
  • hileena111
    hileena111 Member Posts: 7,099
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    Hi
    The Civic Center one is the first Monday of the month at 7.00pm
    That sound any better?

    Love
    Hileena
  • c4thyg
    c4thyg Member Posts: 542
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    hileena111 wrote:
    Hi
    Sorry I'm no help with the medication...
    but I do know that you cant get chickn pox from shingles.......the other way round yes.....if a child{or adult} has chicken pox an older person can get shingles...
    but not chickenpox from shingles.
    Does that make sense LOL

    Love
    Hileena

    Hileena,

    I thought it was the other way around. Shingles is not caught, it's when the dormant varicella (chicken pox) virus is reactivated in someone who has had it before. If you have never had chicken pox then I thought that you could get it from either chicken pox or shingles as its' the same virus. It's similar to those who carry the herpes virus and get cold sores.

    I would recommend phoning your GP either way as the incubation period doesn't have symptoms and you might need antivirals anyway if you've been in contact with your mother. You definitely need advice if you take mtx or any immunosuppressant.
  • c4thyg
    c4thyg Member Posts: 542
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    Hi Chrissie, Hileena,

    I should have read down a bit and seen that you've already covered what I said!! Sorry.

    I know what you mean about knowing a little too much as well. I'm a physiologist so I know enough to scare myself and not enough to put my mind at rest!! :roll:
  • cthornley
    cthornley Member Posts: 627
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    hileena111 wrote:
    Hi
    The Civic Center one is the first Monday of the month at 7.00pm
    That sound any better?

    Love
    Hileena

    Hi that sounds good I might try and pop along if can get somebody to keep an eye on our little one until my husband gets home
    thanks
    Chrissie
  • hileena111
    hileena111 Member Posts: 7,099
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    Hi Chrissie
    That would be good...the more the merrier

    Love
    Hileena
  • elainebadknee
    elainebadknee Bots Posts: 3,703
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    This reminds me when my brother got the shingles and he must have been about 33ish and i was waiting to take my driving test (not for first time i add)...Anyway his quack told him someone who hadnt had chickenpox (moi) could not get them off a person with shingles....So off i went to see him for weekend, worrying as i usually do...was assured "you wont get nothing off him"....Guess who did and who just managed to take test with spots but when they were not infectius anymore, had to explain that to examiner....Naff advice off his quack, just my luck.....

    Elainex
Back to top

Categories