MJN Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 (edited) into vaccinations, but since he's 11 and he hasn't had them yet, I'm wondering if I should get him vaccinated. He was born when the chicken pox vaccination came out and everybody we know must have gotten it, because we haven't found anybody with chicken pox. I've heard he can get it from someone with shingles and I don't want it to be bad for him as he gets older. My other two children got them before he was born. So, what say you? Also, remember that I am getting ready to go through chemo, so I'm not sure how all that would play in if he were to get chicken pox while I'm going through that. Edited March 7, 2009 by MJN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I'd hope for a chicken pox party somewhere. Let other people know you are looking for one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 into vaccinations, but since he's 11 and he hasn't had them yet, I'm wondering if I should get him vaccinated. He was born when the chicken pox vaccination came out and everybody we know must have gotten it, because we haven't found anybody with chicken pox. I've heard he can get it from someone with shingles and I don't want it to be bad for him as he gets older. My other two children got them before he was born. So, what say you? it's going around in Northern IL if you're looking for a party. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I think this is a good discussion to have with your doctor. Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in SC Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I think this is a good discussion to have with your doctor. Ria I agree. We (dh who is a physician and I) opted to vaccinate our girls after, like in your case, time rolled by without acquirement of natural immunity. However, the chemo can skew the picture and I'm not sure exactly in which direction. Definitely run this one by your doc. Meanwhile, know I'm still praying each and every day for you, MJN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 We have been on both side of the fence on this issue. My kids all had the vaccine and they all got the chicken pox anyway. Obviously talk with your doc, but basically we were told that any time my son (who is on chemo for 3 years and 3 months for leukemia, 1 year to go yay!) is exposed to chicken pox we are to notify his oncologist immediately and 'appropriate measures will be taken to protect him (hopefully)'. If someone in our house were to get chicken pox, fifth's disease, strep, staph, or any 'nasty' bug that person is to be sent somewhere to avoid infecting our son on chemotherapy. This may not be as strict for you because you are an adult who can use good hygiene. :D So far so good here, but we do know families that have had to send away one or more family members for a period of time to avoid exposure. Illnesses are not to be taken lightly for cancer patients due to the risk of sepsis and other life threatening complications, and if you have a port that risk is higher (but necessary for certain chemotherapy agents). Hopefully all with go well, and if the chemotherapy is 'short' (3-6 months), then hopefully your kiddos stay well during that time. On a side note, we were told not to get LIVE vaccines (chicken pox is live) for our 'healthy' children while our son is on chemotherapy also, because there may be a chance that an immune suppressed person could get one of those diseases. Basically we have to avoid people who are recently vaccinated and those who are unvaccinated *sigh*. It kind of narrows the playdate pool lol. Do discuss this with your oncologist and they can help you sort through choices you need to make concerning so many things. Most of them have alot of experience with these questions, however good luck finding studies on these kinds of things. You could try a search on PubMed though. Prayers for your health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I do not know the implications for your therapy - but aside from that I just want to add that I had chicken pox at 13yo and it was quite serious. It was so much more miserable than getting them at 5yo - I missed a full 2 weeks of school and I remember being *very* ill. If I had the vaccine available as an alternative it would have been a godsend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CactusPair Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I also had chicken pox just when I turned 14 in 8th grade. It was very serious, I was very sick for weeks and was literally covered in the most painful blisters from scalp to toe, including my throat and my female parts. I have multiple scars on my body ( including my breasts, which upset me as a young woman). I did pretty well about not scratching, too (as much as possible--I tell you, I thought I'd go out of my mind from the itching). It was a traumatic, horrible experience-- much worse than having the measles, which I also went thru in 3rd grade. My younger brothers got the chicken pox when we were small and had mild cases. I don't know why I did not catch it then. My mom sent them to my grandma's, so I guess I escaped exposure, though it's so contagious. I wish I hadn't. At 14, it was quite a different kind of illness. The higher the age, the worse it seems. Our neighbor was hospitalized when he got it in his 20's. I would definitely talk to your dr. about your ds's situation and see what the best choice would be for all of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I wouldnt vaccinate, personally. My kids hadn't had chicken pox at 11 for the younger and 12 for the older, and I made them play with a kid who had it. They were old enough to be very upset with me once they got it and realised I had orchestrated it! However, I have no regrets. It wasnt nice, they looked shocking, they got spots EVERYWHERE- it was worse than if they were younger, but they are fine, their immune systems are stronger and I personally feel it was better than having them vaccinated. But I think its the sort of issue everyone needs to educate themselves about, read widely and dont just listen to people's opinions, because opinions mean diddly squat. And even doctors disagree, so dont give up your power to them either. Do the research- there's no short cuts. And even then, you can't know for sure what the best option is- but you can make an educated rather than an uneducated one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 When our 3 hadn't gotten them by about that age, we vaccinated them. Glad we did too since dh got shingles just 2 months later. I would never wish shingles on anyone, so hopefully the dc won't have that in their future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in Jax Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Some children just don't break out, but are immune. You might ask for a blood titer to see if he's already immune. If he is, you have no worries and he won't need the immunization. Good luck with your decision, Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I agree with those who say talk to your dr. Personally, I would rather not deliberately expose my children to chicken pox, because, if they get it, they can get shingles later. The vaccination, while not a guarantee that they won't get chicken pox, at least ups the odds. That said, both boys had chicken pox (no vaccine avail then) and so did dd, who was vaccinated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OHGrandma Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Our experience: Our son, now 30, got them when he was 20. It was not serious, but he sure didn't feel well. Our daughter, almost 28, probably has never had them. Neither child was vaccinated for chicken pox, both were exposed as children. Our daughter did have 2 spots when she was a child and the pox was going around, but she had no other symptoms so I couldn't say positively one way or another. Since you are getting ready for chemo, I would think you should ask your oncologist this question. Everyone's experience is different, mostly due to our own environment and health, so ask your doc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBre Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 We had a great discussion on this board last year because there were a couple cases of chicken pox at my dc's (6 and 8) ps. The school was sending home for a month all kids who hadn't received the accepted number of doses of the varicella vaccine! Ooo, it still gets me worked up! :boxing_smiley: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31172 Anyway, through the responses on that thread and my own research, I decided that if they hadn't had it by about the age of 11 or 12, we would get the vacination. From what I read, shingles is something you really want to avoid for them. And I'm of the opinion that most doctors are pro-vaccine, so I'd keep that in mind when you talk to your doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 The whole chemo thing would affect how I think.....Ask the Dr about that part. BUT, even though I'm not Catholic, I find the information on the site run by Catholics, very compelling as to vaccinations. Especially the information about the Chicken pox(varicella). I also don't want to constantly have to shoot the vaccine in my child's body so that they don't get it. At 11...that's a lot of years to worry about something that hasn't been around for that long. As a side note, if you look for symptoms of shingles, you can sometimes catch it. You have to drag out the med books...and look. My cousin, who has become great at looking for symptoms, caught the shingles in the first stage for her husband...and yanked in down to the DR. He was given the meds for viruses and it didn't go full blown, so he didn't have a problem from it. Carrie:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey in TX Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Consider the vaccination. A bad case of chicken pox in teens or adults can be catastrophic (pneumonia, TSS, bone/joint problems, death), whereas in children it is horribly uncomfortable and an inconvenience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yarrow Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 talk with your doc about risks either way but, as an fyi, I've never had chicken pox and I'm 41. I remember my mother having a conversation with the doc about this very thing when I was 11 or 12 and he said to do her best to expose me to someone. Didn't work. All 3 of my children got it when they were small and I still didn't catch it. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I would vaccinate them personally. I personally had shingles when I was pregnant with my oldest daughter and it was the worst experience ever. In fact, it damaged by nerve endings such that I still have pain from it and according to the doctors, probably always will. I am also not a believer in intentionally infecting my children with the virus either. If I can avoid it with the vaccine, I will. There is also a shingles vaccination now and I would probably recommend that to them as well as an adult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I agree. My brother got it at 17, along with my then-dh, who was 20. It was absolutely horrible! My brother's scars never went away from his face. He walked around with a bandana around his face, like a bandit, for at least a week, to keep from scratching the pox. My dh was in bed, sick as a dog, for two weeks. It was really bad. I seem to remember that it can cause impotence, too, if contracted as an adult. The whole shingles recurrence thing is bad too. I've never known anyone who considered their shingles to be "minor". Anyway, we held off vaccinating until our dc were about 10 and 11, I think. I'm not sorry we did. Like you've noticed, it's extremely difficult to find anyone with chicken pox these days. And, now that they're older, I know I don't want them to have it. Definitely talk to your doctor, though, in regards to the chemo factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I'm not going to touch the vaccine topic as that's basically between your family and your doctor. I will say that when we were in the army (our 1st year); there were 3 soldiers in our platoon (more specifically in our squad and in our class) that came down with chicken pox. Two of those had somehow missed it in childhood, and one was on his second bout (having had it in childhood). It was serious enough that they were put in the hospital for over a week (above and beyond the quarantine period). I know one of them talked about immense pain beyond the itching. Interestingly, all the soldiers that came down with it were male. I've always heard if you get it as an adult it is much worse. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 He is old enough to remember how miserable they are! I'd talk to your doctor as well. I waited and the dc did manage to come down with the chicken pox but I would have had the vaccination if they had gotten much older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I'm getting ready to take my just turned 14 yr old in for the vax in about 6 months because he's entered puberty and never had it. CP is really the most dangerous to those who get it after puberty, so we've decided that's when we'll vax for this. I'm waiting until my newest baby is at least 7 months old because since it's a live virus, I don't want to risk it with an itty baby in the house, kwim? I say talk to your dr. to decide which is the lower risk to a someone with reduced immune system due to chemo/cancer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenS Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I always thought shingles was something you were more prone to if you had chicken pox (being variants of the same virus or whatever). I know my sis and I both had chicken pox as children, and she got shingles as a teen anyway. We've decided that if our kids don't get it by the time they're ten or so, we will go ahead and vaccinate. (We delay that one.) Our doc just said to tell him when we had the time to deal with it, since sometimes the vaccine can bring on a mild case. (It's required in our state for PS students, FWIW, so we aren't around a whole lot of folks to catch it from. And since it does get a lot worse the older you are, it's one I don't mind letting them get the vaccine for ... I just want to give their immune systems a chance first. My youngest had a horribe reaction to one vaccine, and also this one is so new that they're not for sure yet if it will require boosters for adults.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macrina Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 I haven't read the whole thread, I am sure you have a mix of posts! We are non chicken pox vax-ers. I plan on looking for a party until my kids are 10. If they have not had it by then I am going to vax them. At the age the risks will be much lower for anything going wrong with the vax, if something does go wrong it will be very obvious is was the vax to blame and after age 10-12 being exposed to chicken pox is much more severe then for the younger crowd. 11 yo is pretty old to be exposed to chicken pox and the risks of it being a dangerous case is high. What I am saying is I think after 10 the vax is safer then the pox. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carpe Diem Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Does anyone have a link that states that having CP vax prevents Shingles? I'm wondering because isn't it is a live virus of CP being injected into the body? I know the CP vax can shed so if OP isn't immune to CP she may want to consider avoiding the dc if he/she receives the vax for a couple weeks to avoid coming down with CP herself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I asked my DH about this early today as my oldest is 9 years old. Next winter we'll have an infant and I don't feel comfortable with deliberate exposure with such a young child. So, we're looking at having a 10/11 year old who hasn't had it. He found an interesting article about chicken pox, the vaccine, and when it is better to vaccinate rather than not. Basically, those who have ezcema, asthma, a strong family history of allergic reactions, adolescents and adults who haven't had the disease naturally, and those who live where immunization is widespread are better off vaccinated. Some of the things he noticed was that vaccinations might lead to increased shingles and adult chicken pox due to less exposure. It also suggested that eradicating the disease entirely could make room for a new, more virulent virus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I would discuss with your doctor how it might affect your chemo as the first priority. Also, ask how old someone has to be to use the antiviral medications available to treat chicken pox. It seems that they don't use them for children, but I'm not sure. Both my brother and I got chicken pox as adults. He was very sick for about a month and had severe scarring. I started taking an antiviral (Zovirax) the second day, and I didn't get very sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly IN Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I would have your son's dr do a blood test to see if he has immunity against it before vaccinating. I thought I never had it. So when I was pregnant with my dd I was exposed to chicken pox through my son who only had one spot of chicken pox and that was it. I was rushed to my ob's office and they did the blood work. It came back stating that I have immunity against it. They asked me if I ever went to a chicken pox party when I was younger. I said I am not sure but do remember being in my brother's bed when he got chicken pox. They smiled and said that is how I got immunity against it. My dd is 9 so this happened about 9-10 years ago. Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I'm not sure how your chemo will factor in - I agree with the other posters about talking to your oncologist. As for getting chicken pox as an adult, my son gave it to my friend when she was pregnant. She kissed him on the cheek because he wasn't feeling well and had not broken out yet. It was a very scary situation and she had to have many tests to make sure it had not caused a deformity. We also gave it to her five children, so she was VERY sick, pregnant, and having to take care of five sick children. It is amazing that she is still my friend! My children were never vaccinated because they got the real thing, but two of them had shingles as teenagers. You can get shingles after you've had chicken pox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBP Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I do not know the implications for your therapy - but aside from that I just want to add that I had chicken pox at 13yo and it was quite serious. It was so much more miserable than getting them at 5yo - I missed a full 2 weeks of school and I remember being *very* ill. If I had the vaccine available as an alternative it would have been a godsend. :iagree: ...except that I had them at 16. It was awful, though - the sickest I can ever remember being growing up, and I still have many chicken pox scars. I suppose I might have had just as bad a case had I gotten them as a preschooler, but I'm glad the vaccine is available for my kids. I definitely agree with those who are saying to check with your doctor, though, before making a decision. Best, SBP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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