Dh has shingles

[Aubrey]

He just called me from the campus clinic. He had a couple of freakishly swollen lymph nodes & then a weird rash.

 

The dr prescribed an antviral & said it was likely due to stress. He said it's rare for it to spread to *anyone* in *any* form (except for the immunocompromised).

 

Just checking w/ you guys.

[newbie]

I am so sorry.

 

I know my sis had them when she was lil, nobody else got them in the house.

[Guest Katia]

If your dc haven't had chicken pox yet...they will get them from dh's shingles.

 

When my dh had shingles.....all three of my dc (even my 21yo at-the-time ds) got them. And they were sick, sick kids getting cp at older ages.

 

Sorry to be the carrier of bad news....

[Aubrey]

If your dc haven't had chicken pox yet...they will get them from dh's shingles.

 

When my dh had shingles.....all three of my dc (even my 21yo at-the-time ds) got them. And they were sick, sick kids getting cp at older ages.

 

Sorry to be the carrier of bad news....

 

See, that's what I asked dh. He said the dr said that was "rare."

 

Oldest was vaccinated for cp. I *think* dd was vacc'd, too. But the littles haven't been.

 

ETA: This isn't a dr that I TRUST, kwim? Nice guy. Maybe a little ducky. Quack-quack. ;)

[LisaKinVA]

Yes... your kidlets can get the CP from the Shingles.

 

Mine didn't catch CP from me, but they all had vaccinations too. I was PG at the time... thankfully in the 2nd trimester.

 

I'm sorry! It's not fun, but the anti-virals will help.

[Stacie]

Poor thing! They really hurt and make a person just feel bad all over. Plenty of people in my family have had them and have not given the chicken pox to my kids (or me, who hasn't had them either). I do try to keep distance and not have the children touch the spots directly. Not that the shingled person would want that anyway!

 

Is he on Valtrex? What about Prednisone? And there's a cream that can be put on them too. The dr. calls it the one-two-three punch and has said he has the most success with treating them this way. It's been a blessing to my family members who have used this protocol, and the ones who did not just didn't fare nearly as well.

 

I'll pray for his quick recovery. :grouphug:

[scrappyhappymama]

A good friend just had shingles a few weeks ago and two of her three kids came down with chicken pox. One of her kids had gotten the vaccine (but I don't think he had had the booster yet). Her oldest with the vaccine and the booster didn't catch it.

 

I won't get on my chicken pox vaccine soap box, but it seems that shingles is becoming much more common lately. Several family members and friends have had it in the last year. Expect to need to do a lot of babying in the next couple of weeks (if your DH is anything like mine!). Shingles is REALLY uncomfortable.

Edited May 6, 2009 by scrappyhappymama

[MomLovesClassics]

You can get some lavender essential oil and apply with a q-tip it will help with the itching.

[Aubrey]

You can get some lavender essential oil and apply with a q-tip it will help with the itching.

 

He said it didn't really itch much. :confused: It's on his face, neck, & head. He says it mostly just hurts on his neck, for ex, when he looks down & mashes on it.

 

I'd heard that they were awful, but *so far* these are mostly weird. He hasn't been able to sleep thr the night in nearly a week--just insomnia, not pain--but I hope this is why & that he'll be on the mend soon.

 

He's been seeming sick, but in a sort of unnatural way that we couldn't identify.

 

Reading about it on WebMD, though...makes him sound pretty deeply stressed. I mean, I guess anybody would be in his situation, but I don't like it. Sometimes I wish I could just reach inside him & make him believe everything is ok. Kwim?

[Spy Car]

I got shingles a couple years ago (it was horribly painful in my case) and--sorry to say--I gave my wife chicken pox.

 

Bill

[Catwoman]

My mom had shingles many years ago, and I didn't contract chicken pox from it. I did get the chicken pox a few years later when my mom was in the hospital for some major surgery and I was staying there 24/7. I guess I was in my early 30's then. I thought I was feeling tired and wiped out from the stress, and then I noticed my skin seemed to be breaking out, which was unusual, but I figured it was from using the soap at the hospital to wash my face. I also had a few red bumps on my stomach, but again, thought I was allergic to the soap, because I'm allergic to a lot of stuff.

 

Anyway, I went home to pick up a change of clothes and my assistant saw me and said, "Why are you going back to the hospital when you have chicken pox?"

 

Yikes. I felt like such an idiot.

 

I ended up getting a prescription for Zovirax, which worked like a charm. I really didn't get very sick at all -- I was mostly a wreck because I couldn't be at the hospital with my mom, and wasn't able to see her until she got home.

 

Cat

[Aubrey]

I got shingles a couple years ago (it was horribly painful in my case) and--sorry to say--I gave my wife chicken pox.

 

Bill

 

Luckily (I guess???), I've had CP. In jr high, when you completely don't want them, lol.

[Kathy in MD]

A good friend just had shingles a few weeks ago and two of her three kids came down with chicken pox. One of her kids had gotten the vaccine (but I don't think he had had the booster yet). Her oldest with the vaccine and the booster didn't catch it.

 

I won't get on my chicken pox vaccine soap box, but it seems that shingles is becoming much more common lately. Several family members and friends have had it in the last year. Expect to need to do a lot of babying in the next couple of weeks (if your DH is anything like mine!). Shingles is REALLY uncomfortable.

 

Slight digression. I read that the increase in shingles is believed to be caused by the reduction in cp cases. Apparently peoples' immune systems aren't given constant booster "shots" by exposure to the cp virus in the general population.

 

Has anyone else heard of this idea, or others to explain the increase?

[scrappyhappymama]

Slight digression. I read that the increase in shingles is believed to be caused by the reduction in cp cases. Apparently peoples' immune systems aren't given constant booster "shots" by exposure to the cp virus in the general population.

 

Has anyone else heard of this idea, or others to explain the increase?

 

Yep. That's it exactly.

[Ali in OR]

I had shingles when my 2nd dd was 9 months old. Just a rash on one side of my abdomen. Did not itch, did not hurt (I did start antivirals immediately). I decided my immune system was wiped out from 9 months of little sleep and dd got moved to her own room and started solid food! I was careful while nursing her that she not touch the rash. My understanding is that it would take direct contact with the rash to get chicken pox.

[Jann in TX]

she was about 1yr at the time...

[Aubrey]

I had shingles when my 2nd dd was 9 months old. Just a rash on one side of my abdomen. Did not itch, did not hurt (I did start antivirals immediately). I decided my immune system was wiped out from 9 months of little sleep and dd got moved to her own room and started solid food! I was careful while nursing her that she not touch the rash. My understanding is that it would take direct contact with the rash to get chicken pox.

 

Ok--so dh doesn't need to flee to his parents' house?

[Kathy in MD]

Originally Posted by Kathy in MD

Slight digression. I read that the increase in shingles is believed to be caused by the reduction in cp cases. Apparently peoples' immune systems aren't given constant booster "shots" by exposure to the cp virus in the general population.

 

Has anyone else heard of this idea, or others to explain the increase?

 

Yep. That's it exactly.

 

Do you think they'll start recommending booster shots for those who had cp the old fashion way now?

[Mommy22alyns]

I had shingles when I was about 14 or so. I gave my sister chicken pox. So yes, it's not only possible, but extremely likely!

 

And your DH has my sympathy... shingles were extremely painful for me.

[nukeswife]

I've gotten shingles 3 times in my adult life and it hurts like the dickens. The last time I had it was 2006 and it was pretty bad. I gave my then 8 year old the chicken pox and he'd been vaccinated (it didn't seem to be a severe case for him though which was good) My other two kids, then 5 and 1 didn't get it and were also vaccinated.

[Guest Katia]

My understanding is that it would take direct contact with the rash to get chicken pox.

 

Nope. Not the case here. None of my kiddos had direct contact with dh's shingles and all got the pox.

[Remudamom]

Oh, I'm sorry to hear this. My mom had them and she said it was painful.

[Aubrey]

Nope. Not the case here. None of my kiddos had direct contact with dh's shingles and all got the pox.

 

So what do I do? It's bad enough trying to explain to 2yo why "my dadum" can't hold her, "hud" her, or let her climb up him. She's his biggest fan. Suggests randomly throughout the day that he should come home.

[Spy Car]

Aubrey, I just want to wish your husband well. Is he in a lot of pain?

 

When I had shingles the pain excruciating. And I have a high pain threshold.

 

I fervently hope his case is more mild.

 

Bill

[Tree House Academy]

Do you think they'll start recommending booster shots for those who had cp the old fashion way now?

 

They already are. My ds9 had to have the cp booster this past year because he had only had the vaccine once.

 

Aubrey,

 

Would you please send your dh over here to give my kids chicken pox. I really don't want to have to give ds5 more boosters. :D

[scrappyhappymama]

Originally Posted by Kathy in MD

Do you think they'll start recommending booster shots for those who had cp the old fashion way now?

 

Unless it was a very mild case, having chicken pox gives lifelong immunity to chicken pox.

 

So far, the recommendation is to get the vaccination at 1 year and a booster at age 5, because they were finding that the one shot wasn't fully immunizing some kids. If teenagers and adults who were vaccinated start coming down with chicken pox, then it's likely that additional boosters will be recommended, especially since cp is more serious for teens and adults than for kids.

 

The Shingles vaccine is now being recommended for adults, especially elderly and immune-compromised folks, because of the rising rates of Shingles.

[mom2abcd]

Tell him to be careful not to touch his eyes. My parents knew someone who suffered a lot because of touching his eyes. Dad had shingles and had excruciating pain with it. He had some flare ups later, too.

 

I hope it continues to be a mild case for him.

[newlifemom]

Unless it was a very mild case, having chicken pox gives lifelong immunity to chicken pox.

 

 

 

I thought it was getting the chicken pox and then regularly being exposed to them is what gave people lifelong immunity. Thus, while many of us as children had it, we could still get again b/c we are not constantly building antibodies or something like that.[spoken like a true history major with absolutely no understanding of these things:tongue_smilie:]

Edited May 8, 2009 by newlifemom
Wow, I don't even know what that was, hope it is understandable now.

[scrappyhappymama]

I thought it was getting the chicken pox and then regularly being exposed to them is what gave people lifelong immunity. Thus, while many of us as children had it, we could still get again b/c we are not constantly building antibodies or something like that.[spoken like a true history major with absolutely no understanding of these things:tongue_smilie:]

 

Close. It's not common to get chicken pox again. But, the virus does lie dormant in the body, and usually remains dormant as long as there is periodic exposure to chicken pox and the body's immune response to that exposure. If there is no exposure to chicken pox, then at some point, often under stress, the virus "re-awakens" and expresses itself as... Shingles.

[katilac]

Your kids can definitely get chicken pox from him, and I wouldn't really consider it a 'rare' occurence - - these are his own small children, not co-workers or something (much closer proximity, etc).

 

Is he aware of the ages of your kids? Isn't the 8-month-old automatically considered to have, not a compromised immune system, but one more at risk? infants and the elderly, yadda yadda?

[Aubrey]

Oh no! Last night, in the midst of his misery, dh proclaimed that since you can only get shingles once, he was glad to get it while he was young. :001_huh:

 

I kept my mouth shut.

[Spy Car]

Oh no! Last night, in the midst of his misery, dh proclaimed that since you can only get shingles once, he was glad to get it while he was young. :001_huh:

 

I kept my mouth shut.

 

Good move. Reality can wait.

 

Bill

[gardening momma]

The dr prescribed an antviral & said it was likely due to stress. He said it's rare for it to spread to *anyone* in *any* form (except for the immunocompromised).

I had shingles a few years ago and my dh got it from me--and he was not immunocompromised.

 

They really hurt and make a person just feel bad all over.

Mine didn't hurt--they just itched like crazy! I was prescribed a cream and some pills.

Edited May 8, 2009 by gardening momma

[gardening momma]

Close. It's not common to get chicken pox again. But, the virus does lie dormant in the body, and usually remains dormant as long as there is periodic exposure to chicken pox and the body's immune response to that exposure. If there is no exposure to chicken pox, then at some point, often under stress, the virus "re-awakens" and expresses itself as... Shingles.

Exactly. It comes out in "zones", which is how the nervous system is set up (I read about it online when I had shingles). And because the nervous system affects internal organs as well, some people get shingles internally as well as on the skin. Mine was only on my skin.

[elegantlion]

Oh no! Last night, in the midst of his misery, dh proclaimed that since you can only get shingles once, he was glad to get it while he was young. :001_huh:

 

I kept my mouth shut.

 

Oh Aubrey, you guys really do need a break. I hope he heals quickly.

[Aubrey]

And because the nervous system affects internal organs as well, some people get shingles internally as well as on the skin.

 

I had shingles a few years ago and my dh got it from me--and he was not immunocompromised.

 

I don't think I'll tell him any of this, either. ACK! (Makes me feel a little less guilty about keeping my distance, though.) :001_huh:

[TXMomof4]

I had it the last few weeks I was pregnant with dd#3. I had to keep it covered when I was nursing her after she was born just as a precaution, but they weren't too worried. Good luck, that is the single most painful thing I've ever experienced.