joannqn Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Would you expose your healthy 12 year old? How would you reduce the severity of the disease if your 12 year old was exposed? (other than get the vaccine right away) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 :lurk5: My 9 yo has not had it yet. Not sure what I am going to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Talk with your doctor about anti-viral meds for chicken pox. Adults can take them, but I'm not sure about children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I would want to have her get it now if possible rather than wait any longer. I got the virus when I was in high school, and it was terrible. I exposed my kids years ago when the virus was making the rounds in our neighborhood. The kids' doctor told me to keep them out of the sun to help reduce the severity. Although, this time of year, that recommendation is probably not relevant. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zookeeper Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Yes, I would expose my 12yo and when my kids had it several years ago, I gave them anti-viral meds which lessened the severity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in FL. Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I had the chicken pox in my early 20's. It was really bad. If I had to choose I would definitely want to have it at 12 instead! Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Over the years, my strong anti-vaccination feelings have taken a beating to the constant rhetoric of how dangerous these diseases are. I find myself afraid of exposing my kids. We have relented on tetanus and begun that series for all four kids, but DH is very much against the vaccines that were developed with embryonic and diploid cells...which means chicken pox. This is the first time we've had an opportunity to expose our our kids when I didn't have a newborn. I'll definitely call our pediatrician. He's fine with not vaccinating, so I'm sure he'll be reasonable with treatment. Now if I could just talk to him directly on the phone and avoid his less supportive nurse. ETA: I had it when I was 11. My case was pretty bad with pox inside my ears, in my mouth, etc. I was COVERED with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Over the years, my strong anti-vaccination feelings have taken a beating to the constant rhetoric of how dangerous these diseases are. I find myself afraid of exposing my kids. We have relented on tetanus and begun that series for all four kids, but DH is very much against the vaccines that were developed with embryonic and diploid cells...which means chicken pox. This is the first time we've had an opportunity to expose our our kids when I didn't have a newborn. I'll definitely call our pediatrician. He's fine with not vaccinating, so I'm sure he'll be reasonable with treatment. Now if I could just talk to him directly on the phone and avoid his less supportive nurse. ETA: I had it when I was 11. My case was pretty bad with pox inside my ears, in my mouth, etc. I was COVERED with them. All four of my kids got it over Christmas. My 16 year old was pretty miserable. My 9 and 11 year olds were covered. One ds had them in his mouth - back of the throat, actually. Even though the kids were covered it wasn't the end of the world. They got through it. I think the fact that there is a vaccine makes people freak out too much about actually getting it. It just wasn't bad enough to make me think a vaccine in this case is worth it. I'm glad they finally got chicken pox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I got it when I was 15/16. I was headed to a HS dance, woke up from a nap feverish and yanked some stinkin blister off my neck. My mom quarantined me right there. I was positive she wrecked my life at that point. ;) It was horrible, but I got a great case of it and am pretty sure I'm immune, now. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Keep them oiled up when healing.... Oat baths made my kids itch worse. I did a "witches brew" of healing oils... And also things like coconut oil would be on my list, now. I did EO oils (lemon balm?? and lavendar) mixed up with all kinds of other oils... jojoba... vitamin e.... Good news is, my son who looked like a walking disease when he had them, at 18 months, shows no scars at all. The DR actually said "good thing he's a boy" when he saw them. I asked "why?" and he said because of the scars he was going to have.... Whew... glad he was wrong :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I would be thinking of a vaccination if she doesn't get them soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 No. I do not understand the concept of intentionally trying to sicken your child. I have heard the rationale behind it, and I totally disagree. I didn't get chicken pox until I was 35. I went to the doctor, got a prescription for Zovirax (I think that was what it was called,) and I was fine within days. I would never intentionally expose my ds to chicken pox or any other illness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 No. I do not understand the concept of intentionally trying to sicken your child. I have heard the rationale behind it, and I totally disagree. I didn't get chicken pox until I was 35. I went to the doctor, got a prescription for Zovirax (I think that was what it was called,) and I was fine within days. I would never intentionally expose my ds to chicken pox or any other illness. Ahh, well, people are very afraid getting it at that great, advanced age. :D So I don't think that she's particularly wanting to steer them to it, but that she's terrified that the worst could happen if they get it later in life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Ahh, well, people are very afraid getting it at that great, advanced age. :D So I don't think that she's particularly wanting to steer them to it, but that she's terrified that the worst could happen if they get it later in life. :D :D :D :D I understand the worry, but I think it's a little old-fashioned in this day and age, because there are medications that work very well to combat chicken pox, even in little old ladies like me (and that was a long time ago, so now apparently I'm older than dirt...) It was different in the past, when there was no treatment, and complications could be severe. I know there can still be very serious cases of chicken pox in adults, but it's not always a walk in the park for kids, either. All I know is that if I intentionally exposed my ds to a disease, and he ended up with a severe case of it or had major complications, I could never forgive myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I refused to get any of my four kids vaccinated for chicken pox. DS11 is the only one that hasn't caught them yet. Yes, I would expose him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I understand the worry. I had CP when I was 15 and was very sick. I had a horrible headache and vomiting, I had them in every orifice of my body and was covered from head to toe. That said, I would neither vaccinate nor expose. I hope they are able to get through life and not ever catch the virus. A friend of mine has shingles right now and she is miserable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I did accidentally expose my dd when her (vaccinated) cousin had pox. She still did not get it.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) No. Edited February 17, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 That said, I would neither vaccinate nor expose. I hope they are able to get through life and not ever catch the virus. A friend of mine has shingles right now and she is miserable... Did she see a doctor as soon as she started showing symptoms? There are medications that can be extremely helpful, but you may have to catch it early enough. (I'm not sure of the timing.) My mom had shingles before there was any kind of effective treatment, and she was miserable for a long time, so I feel very badly for your friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 No, because if you've had little vaccines you don't know about any reactions they may have to the virus itself. We vaccinate but oldest had a horrible reaction to the first chicken pox vaccine and cannot have the booster. We hope she never picks up the virus from anyone because we don't know what would happen. I wouldn't chance that with one of my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar7709 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I was exposed multiple times between the ages of 8 and 14, but I never caught them (later, as a college student, I opted to get the vaccine). Anyway, one of those times was when my sister had a pretty bad case. Oatmeal baths were recommended to help soothe her skin when she had it, I don't know how much they really helped, she was pretty miserable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I would be careful of the anti-virals if you choose to expose him. Those can have some very nasty side effects, and if anti-virals are taken too soon it could prevent good immunity according to one of our docs. That said I would not intentionally expose my kids to any disease, because everyone reacts differently to every disease, and if one of my kids was the small population that had seisures and brain damage from it I could never forgive myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara in AZ Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I know what you mean about your stance taking a beating. I second guess myself every once in a while. It feels weird, but I plan to expose my kids whenever I have an opportunity that is not right before someone's birthday, a major holiday, a vacation....don't know when that will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 I know what you mean about your stance taking a beating. I second guess myself every once in a while. It feels weird, but I plan to expose my kids whenever I have an opportunity that is not right before someone's birthday, a major holiday, a vacation....don't know when that will be. That's another issue. DS4's birthday is in two weeks. DS10 has a taekwondo tournament in three weeks. DH doesn't understand why we'd have to quarantine the whole family for 21 days. Why, he says, they might not even get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate in Arabia Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 My 13 yr old had chicken pox just this past August. My dd 6 got it first, the next week my middle ds, the next week the oldest. I think they had equal severity, some itching but not anything horrendous. I had them take baths several times a day, they used baking soda and water steeped with leaves from our neem tree (a home remedy from dh's culture). I had taken dd to the dr when she started, so I had the various creams they recommended and just bought more for the other kids. I suppose there is never a good time for that sort of thing to happen. In our case it was Ramadan, so my boys were fasting. But at least everyone was on a reduced work schedule/holidays, so that was a help. Also, in Ramadan there are nightly gatherings in the local masjids for extra prayers, they missed almost all of those because I was afraid of exposing others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I wanted Chicken Pox so badly when I was a kid, lol. My older siblings had it when I was a baby, so I was kept away from them and whenever another kid had it, my parents kept me away because 1) they didn't want me sick and/or 2) we had infants in the family. I should've caught it from my cousin when I was about 4 or 5 BEFORE the kids were born. *grrr* Now I live in fear of catching the virus, since I'm so old... None of my younger siblings have had it yet, I hope they catch it, but that I don't... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 We don't vaccinate. All of my kids have had all of the basic childhood diseases excpet the 12 year old. For some reason she did not get CP when the rest of use did. I would expose her if I had the chance. I would much rather her have it before pregnacny if at all possible. I had CP as a child and then got a second horrible case when I was 33 I think. It was much worse for me than the kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 We stopped vaccinating when ds was little, so dd had chicken pox vaccination before Kindergarten, but I don't think he had that one yet when we stopped. We stopped because of genetic problems in the family that are thought to be triggered by a vaccination (the lot number had other reported bad side effects). I never hear of anyone getting the pox to even expose ds. Dh never had it and has worked in education our whole adult life. We wonder if he has a natural immunity. I think I might consider the vaccine for ds if he doesn't get it before 12 or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 We decided to get our ds's the CP vax when they were teens. Dh was 15yo when he got CP and it was pretty bad. He has scars from it. We were offered the opportunity to expose our ds's when they were young--our friend's ds's had it. We decided not to. I wasn't comfortable with purposely making them sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camy-7 boybarians 1 lady Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Varicella is one of the vaccines we have chosen not administer to our children *unless* they didn't get chicken pox by 13, then we would have them vaccinated in order to lessen the severity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Varicella is one of the vaccines we have chosen not administer to our children *unless* they didn't get chicken pox by 13, then we would have them vaccinated in order to lessen the severity. That's our plan, too. I do intend to get their titers checked first. I'm naturally immune, so maybe a few of my kids are, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassiemc Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 We don't vaccinate and I will not intentionally make my child sick. I would not do well with seeing him sick by my doing. If they catch it then we will deal with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 That's another issue. DS4's birthday is in two weeks. DS10 has a taekwondo tournament in three weeks. DH doesn't understand why we'd have to quarantine the whole family for 21 days. Why, he says, they might not even get it. It seems to be more and more difficult to find chicken pox to expose the kids to. There really is not convient time for the whole family to get sick. If it were me, I'd take the opportunity and expose the whole family. btw - my youngest had severe vaccine reactions and we no longer vax. i exposed her the first opportunity I had. Her sister had been vax'ed for it and also contracted it. If anything, my older dd (6 at the time had it a little bit worse than her sister). AND my youngest had a terrible allergic reaction to antiviral medicine last year when we had the flu going around so that is something else to consider. Anti-virals aren't without their own set of troubles. I'd expose them all before the older got any older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I got it when I was 15/16. I was headed to a HS dance, woke up from a nap feverish and yanked some stinkin blister off my neck. My mom quarantined me right there. I was positive she wrecked my life at that point. ;) It was horrible, but I got a great case of it and am pretty sure I'm immune, now. :001_smile: Same thing with me and my then 13 year old who is almost 33 now. Back of her neck, HUGE blister. I am so glad she got them. I exposed my younger dd who was 12 at the time and she never got them. WHEN she did get the vaccine at age 21, it began an 8 year long health nightmare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Yes, I would. I would make sure that they were nutritionally ok first, though. That's not much of a problem in our family, though, as I am vigilant about healthy eating and supplements. I would have sodium ascorbate and CLO on hand, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I have been trying to get my little one exposed so that I do not have to think about it at 12. For a 12 yr old I would and like a pp see about antivirals to help reduce severity. 12 for me is close to the cut off for deciding use use the vax. If I had the chance to expose for natural immunity at or before 12 I would take it. Beyond that I would consider the vax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 It seems to be more and more difficult to find chicken pox to expose the kids to. There really is not convient time for the whole family to get sick. If it were me, I'd take the opportunity and expose the whole family. btw - my youngest had severe vaccine reactions and we no longer vax. i exposed her the first opportunity I had. Her sister had been vax'ed for it and also contracted it. If anything, my older dd (6 at the time had it a little bit worse than her sister). AND my youngest had a terrible allergic reaction to antiviral medicine last year when we had the flu going around so that is something else to consider. Anti-virals aren't without their own set of troubles. I'd expose them all before the older got any older. yes it sure does. I had arranged for a pox party playdate for this past weekend, and then 2 days before we were set to come into the city the mom of those kids was hit with a blow of her dad being admitted into the hospital. He is in his final days so coming in for pox was not the right thing to do, unfortunately that was the first case among those I know for the last 2 years. 2 years ago I tried to expose youngest but she never caught it. I use vaxs for most other things but CP I prefer them to have natural immunity. 3 down 1 to go and it is getting harder and harder to find a case to expose her to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I was positive I had posted to this last night...but I can't find it. Yes, I would expose him. I'm one of those evil parents that exposed their kids to cp. My nieces and nephews went in for a cp vax and were told that they would probably have a mild case from the shot. They got full blown cp. We went for a visit (btw, my children had been around other children with cp before and never caught it...I'm guessing they had been building up immunity to it slowly over the years, all of their own). My kids caught it and they were fine. BTW, our family doctors (the one at the time and the ones presently) all know about it and are fine with it. We have three children that have not been exposed. They will not be vax'd for it as our family delays vaccinations due to our medical history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I'd expose him IF you can find a kid who has it!!!! And - get rid of all the aspirin in the house so he doesn't take any accidentally - I forget why, but aspirin and chicken pox are a bad combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrshomework Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I got them when I was 13 during Christmas vacation. I was the youngest and all my older sibling had it when I was very young I just never got it. I even played with my neighbor when I was 7 who had a bad case and I still didn't get them. When I did get them I had no idea were I got them there were no cases in school that we knew of, but my case was not bad a few scars near my scalp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 And - get rid of all the aspirin in the house so he doesn't take any accidentally - I forget why, but aspirin and chicken pox are a bad combo. Reye Syndrome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) It isn't just aspirin. Put away ALL fever-reducing meds except perhaps Tylenol (acetominophen) during chicken pox. I wouldn't even use Tylenol unless absolutely necessary. In addition to the risk of Reye Syndrome, use of NSAIDs during chicken pox is associated with increased risk of secondary bacterial infections. (Chicken pox itself usually isn't life-threatening. It is the secondary infections which can be dangerous.) Edited February 17, 2012 by jplain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 All four of my kids got it over Christmas. My 16 year old was pretty miserable. My 9 and 11 year olds were covered. One ds had them in his mouth - back of the throat, actually. Even though the kids were covered it wasn't the end of the world. They got through it. I think the fact that there is a vaccine makes people freak out too much about actually getting it. It just wasn't bad enough to make me think a vaccine in this case is worth it. I'm glad they finally got chicken pox. I had a nurse friend who clarified my own feelings about chicken pox. I abstain on the vaccine and try to get my kids chicken pox naturally. If they have not got it by puberty, I'll get them the vaccine. It's a much more dangerous disease as an adult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Varicella is one of the vaccines we have chosen not administer to our children *unless* they didn't get chicken pox by 13, then we would have them vaccinated in order to lessen the severity. This was always my plan too, but my vaccinate age was 12. DS will be turning 12 in April and now I'm having second thoughts about vaccinating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 DH doesn't understand why we'd have to quarantine the whole family for 21 days. Why, he says, they might not even get it. We've had chicken pox parties going around our neck of the woods. The reason you quarantine your family is because it starts to spread to those who did not want their children to get chicken pox. We've had kids playing with non exposed kids 15 days after they were exposed (with the thought that they didn't get chicken pox). Of course, they exposed everyone they played with because the originally exposed kid got it day 17. Those kids then exposed other kids at church and youth choirs because they didn't realized they had been exposed...It has gotten a little out of control in my opinion. There have been some adults that have gotten it also. I've chosen not to expose my children purposely also because there can be side effects and the knowing that I did this to my children on purpose would be unbearable. Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Elderberry syrup and lots of vitamin D. My kids had half the bumps their friends did. Wasn't bad at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigomama Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Our Dr was fine with us delaying, but he strongly, strongly advises us to have our children caught up on the chicken pox vaccination if they have not gotten by puberty. Dh has never had the vaccine or chicken pox and he's getting more and more paranoid about it. We are thinking of taking him in to get vaccinated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misidawnrn Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Yes, I would expose my 12 yo to get them now rather than later. I exposed my little DD when she was 17 months and she got it. Incidentally, so did my then 6yo who had the 1st chicken pox shot but none of the follow up ones. It was about 10 days of itchy and caladryl and benadryl and now they are done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 We've had chicken pox parties going around our neck of the woods. The reason you quarantine your family is because it starts to spread to those who did not want their children to get chicken pox. We've had kids playing with non exposed kids 15 days after they were exposed (with the thought that they didn't get chicken pox). Of course, they exposed everyone they played with because the originally exposed kid got it day 17. Those kids then exposed other kids at church and youth choirs because they didn't realized they had been exposed...It has gotten a little out of control in my opinion. There have been some adults that have gotten it also. I've chosen not to expose my children purposely also because there can be side effects and the knowing that I did this to my children on purpose would be unbearable. Beth I'm aware of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Over the years, my strong anti-vaccination feelings have taken a beating to the constant rhetoric of how dangerous these diseases are. I find myself afraid of exposing my kids. We have relented on tetanus and begun that series for all four kids, but DH is very much against the vaccines that were developed with embryonic and diploid cells...which means chicken pox. This is the first time we've had an opportunity to expose our our kids when I didn't have a newborn. I'll definitely call our pediatrician. He's fine with not vaccinating, so I'm sure he'll be reasonable with treatment. Now if I could just talk to him directly on the phone and avoid his less supportive nurse. ETA: I had it when I was 11. My case was pretty bad with pox inside my ears, in my mouth, etc. I was COVERED with them. I had ds vaccinated for it a few months back b/c he still hadn't gotten the pox at age 10. I've heard how much worse it is as they get older and decided I'd rather not put him through it. He's always had very sensistive skin, allergies, asthma, and we've done delayed vax in the past, so I was a bit nervous about it, but figured since this was only one vaccination it was less risky and he was fine with it. Just in case you're still considering the vax. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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