General Discussion

hunter

(40,899 posts)

64. Chickenpox fucked me up, I still have scars. In my mouth, on my face, everywhere.

Fri Feb 21, 2014, 03:30 PM

Feb 2014

My youngest siblings (there are a number of us) had milder cases. One sibling had two little scratchy eruptions, that's all. A couple of mosquito bites.

My mom had a pretty hideous case of shingles, not the kind that just hurts, but the kind doctors get seriously worried about.

When I was working in hospital lab a new mom DIED when her toddler brought home chickenpox from daycare. It got in her lungs. Two little kids lost their mother.

Chickenpox is nothing to mess with.

Oddly, two of my great grandparents survived smallpox pretty much unscathed, with scars little more than my chickenpox. But other people in their families died.

Not a game of dice any sane person would want to play.

My own kids got chicken pox before the vaccine. Only one got them bad.

I got mumps too. Not nice.

Vaccines work.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

80 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Chickenpox Nostalgia Is Real�And Really Dangerous [View all] HuckleB Feb 2014 OP

I remember being really sick DiverDave Feb 2014 #1

I missed seeing my littel sister for a week Scootaloo Feb 2014 #4

I guess these people don't remember what an ugly disease it was Warpy Feb 2014 #2

I still have a scar on my forehead from my bout Skidmore Feb 2014 #5

I do too. Smack dab in the middle of my forehead. Arugula Latte Feb 2014 #13

I consider that scar to be my third eye. Skidmore Feb 2014 #18

Some children have extremely mild cases. I heard a theory that older children often have the pnwmom Feb 2014 #22

It was opposite with my kids laundry_queen Feb 2014 #29

That's funny because I heard the opposite theory -- that oldest kids have been exposed the most, pnwmom Feb 2014 #33

I mentioned downthread laundry_queen Feb 2014 #35

I was about 6 or 7, and my case was pretty mild. A lot of itching and not much else. nomorenomore08 Feb 2014 #40

I know I had chicken pox as a kid. Luckily, I don't remember it. HuckleB Feb 2014 #24

Same here. I had it when I was 17 and it was BAD. I got mononucleosis at the same time. stevenleser Feb 2014 #20

Ouch! HuckleB Feb 2014 #23

Totally, so do I. Warren DeMontague Feb 2014 #38

No mittens, but... pipi_k Feb 2014 #15

A grammar school friend of mine lost three months to encephalitis MineralMan Feb 2014 #3

I too got encephalitis. Messed up my sense of broiles Feb 2014 #62

You're just a shill for the vaccine industry Pretzel_Warrior Feb 2014 #6

+1 HuckleB Feb 2014 #7

Huh CFLDem Feb 2014 #8

I had it, but we can get it again. KitSileya Feb 2014 #9

I remember that when I had chicken pox, Curmudgeoness Feb 2014 #28

I think a big part of those 'parties' laundry_queen Feb 2014 #32

Three cheers for your daughter's immune system! Curmudgeoness Feb 2014 #65

Then there's the shingles! longship Feb 2014 #10

Recovering from Shingles as we speak. FLyellowdog Feb 2014 #12

Awww.... pipi_k Feb 2014 #16

You and Keith Olbermann davidpdx Feb 2014 #69

Poor man. Thanks. FLyellowdog Feb 2014 #74

I doubt their children will thank them for the adult onset of shingles. 11 Bravo Feb 2014 #11

If you get the vaccine are you at risk for shingles later in life? Downwinder Feb 2014 #14

Not any more than otherwise. HuckleB Feb 2014 #17

No. But if the vaccine also precludes shingles it makes Downwinder Feb 2014 #19

It doesn't alas. Older people should get the shingles vaccine no matter whether they had chicken pox pnwmom Feb 2014 #21

I'm on infection #3 JesterCS Feb 2014 #42

I don't know why that isn't covered by the ACA, like the other vaccines. pnwmom Feb 2014 #44

I'm alright JesterCS Feb 2014 #46

It might be. nt msanthrope Feb 2014 #52

Here's the list of covered vaccines. It's not on it. pnwmom Feb 2014 #56

Varicella is the last one listed under ones for adults. Yeah...you can get it. nt msanthrope Feb 2014 #57

That not the shingles vaccine. The shingles vaccine is called Zostavax or the Zoster vaccine. pnwmom Feb 2014 #59

Oh..shingles..I thought chickenpox! Shingles is covered under part D...and the msanthrope Feb 2014 #60

The recommended age is 50 and up. pnwmom Feb 2014 #61

Ah...well, I hope that's something that can be added to the ACA to cover people who msanthrope Feb 2014 #63

I got chicken pox when I was about 8 and was out of school for a week... madinmaryland Feb 2014 #25

My family was like that except I missed most of the second half of kindergarten. pnwmom Feb 2014 #45

I wish all these parents would get shingles so they can know what they have potentially Drew Richards Feb 2014 #26

People who receive the chicken pox vaccine may still be susceptible to getting shingles. pnwmom Feb 2014 #36

Chicken pox damn near cost me my leg...... Historic NY Feb 2014 #27

How old were you when that happened? davidpdx Feb 2014 #70

I was about 10 or 11 at the time a scabbed area developed an Historic NY Feb 2014 #75

I nearly died from the chickenpox... this is a REALLY REALLY REALLY bad idea JCMach1 Feb 2014 #30

My six kids had it before the vaccine came along - hedgehog Feb 2014 #31

In the 1970s, it was considered a good thing to actually come down with it, bullwinkle428 Feb 2014 #34

Makes me glad that I was born after the vaccination became available davidpdx Feb 2014 #71

And the virus can go dormant and re-emerge later as shingles, tblue37 Feb 2014 #37

Keith Olbermann is recovering from shingles right now davidpdx Feb 2014 #72

Can one request the vaccine as an adult? BrotherIvan Feb 2014 #39

The Mayo Clinic says: Heidi Feb 2014 #43

Thanks for the info! BrotherIvan Feb 2014 #47

I was at ER Yesterday JesterCS Feb 2014 #41

Ouch. HuckleB Feb 2014 #48

thanks JesterCS Feb 2014 #67

Varicella zoster is what you're really protecting against mainer Feb 2014 #49

I wish I had never had chicken pox MissMillie Feb 2014 #50

Got it when I was 23. Frank Cannon Feb 2014 #53

OUCH!!!! MissMillie Feb 2014 #54

I was the last kid with chicken pox in my family. bravenak Feb 2014 #51

24 years ago daughters doctor said let them catch chicken pox HockeyMom Feb 2014 #55

I had it when I was about 12, RebelOne Feb 2014 #58

Chickenpox fucked me up, I still have scars. In my mouth, on my face, everywhere. hunter Feb 2014 #64

I had the chicken pox in 1975. Aristus Feb 2014 #66

du rec. xchrom Feb 2014 #68

Thanks! HuckleB Feb 2014 #78

you bet! xchrom Feb 2014 #79

I have two words to describe that davidpdx Feb 2014 #73

Several years ago my favorite uncle died of chickenpox encephalitis kestrel91316 Feb 2014 #76

How many ways can this country go backwards at the same time? Paladin Feb 2014 #77

got chicken pox in my mid to late 30's dembotoz Feb 2014 #80