Healthy kids sometimes get shingles?

[RandomTyping]

I'm not asking anyone diagnose anything via the Internet, and I know that just because one person has a particular thing happen doesn't mean it will apply to everyone in the same scenario - but having a mini panic and hoping for a little bit of reassurance.

DD (9) has shingles. Apparently this is pretty uncommon in healthy kids (unless maybe you had chicken pox under the age of 1 - she didn't, she was 5). It's more common if you have some kind of immune issues...which has sent DH, who has form for gravitating to the worst case scenario whenever anyone has a sniffle, off panicking about cancer and leukaemia and survival rates for every kind of terrible illness you can imagine. He's actually medical (although works in an area where he sees the worst case of everything, so I think it skews his view) so it's hard to stay calm when he's imagining all the terrible things it might turn out to be!

Perfectly healthy kids sometimes get shingles, right? It's not so vanishingly rare that it's likely a sign of some sinister underlying condition - right?! Anyone's kid had it without anything else going on?

Tbf… you’re hardly the most objective on this op

Your poor son… he will be feeling so rough and uncomfortable

I always thought it was more linked to chicken pox reactivating

My DD got shingles when she was about 7, nothing else going on as far we know. She recovered and hasn’t had them since (now 13).

Thank you! I just need a handful of examples to keep me from following him down the path of panic!

i had chicken pox 5 times as a child under 10 and then shingles in my last year of primary school.

I've never had any other major health issues as a child, I did have shingles again as a teenager when I became quite unwell with a kidney infection but that's it.
I think some people are just more susceptible, that's all.

She's absolutely fine in herself. I assumed it was just a random rash. But DH recognised the pattern - and he was absolutely right on that one!

has he already had CP? Did he have when very young?

Wow! Really? I always thought it was accompanied with feeling like flu and the rash very uncomfortable

Although I wasn't a child I was 18 I was perfectly healthy but it was triggered after being really unwell with another virus for a week or so, being a bit off my food and generrally not resging. Just wanted to share because clearly my immune system was a overwhelmed but it wasn't a sign of any serious problems ir issues with my immune system. Generally fit as a fiddle and rarely ill despite working in education for the last 25 years and being exposed to everything going.

The rash is annoying her - and I think it's pretty common to feel rough with it, but she's her usual self.

My son got shingles when he was 9 or 10. He wasn’t poorly with it at all, just had the marks. I really don’t know why he got it, my 2 are usually very healthy, very rarely have a day off school. He was able to go to school, he just had to keep it covered (that was the advice we got from the Dr).

Heavens

not sure I’d have been happy knowing my child was seated next to a child with active shingles

Funnily enough that’s exactly what happened to us. I wasn’t worried at all, DH felt it was worthy of a Dr apt so he took him and was diagnosed with shingles.

I’m sure it happens a lot more than we realise, I would have easily not taken him to the dr as I wasn’t worried at all with him being fine in himself.

Ds had it when he was about 9. The advice from school and doctor was for him to go in as normal just keep it covered. He was fine for the first 5 days then felt ill for about 5 more days so stayed home.
He was vaccinated against CP. He’s perfectly fit and healthy just one of those things.

That was the medical advice we were given, I was surprised as I remember when I was pregnant being moved offices for a short while after there was suspected shingles among the team.

But the Dr said it was fine, it may have scabbed over by that point though come to think of it as we were a little slow getting him to the Dr as I didn’t realise what it was (was a couple of years ago now) so maybe that’s why?

My DS had it at 10. No underlying issues. He also felt well in himself and wasn’t really that bothered by the rash.

When I had shingles (age 44) I was able to keep working in the nhs on acute wards as it could easily be completely covered.

There’s been a big increase in shingles since Covid started. Has she had Covid?

Is she on antivirals for the shingles or is that not a standard treatment for them in the UK?

Yes
you were an adult
who presumably wouldn’t risk picking at your bandage!

My ds had it at 11. Perfectly healthy otherwise. He had just started secondary school so might have been inwardly anxious (very “him” - calm as anything on the outside). But other than the rash and just feeling a little under par while he had it, no underlying health conditions.

Would definitely recommend talking to a GP. I had it a few years ago and was told to take the antivirals as soon as possible to prevent any long term effects.

Yes! My 7yo DD had it recently. The GP was extremely relaxed about it and said it's not uncommon for this to happen. Google says otherwise and paints a very dark picture (so much so that exh demanded a second opinion from a more senior GP, which was embarrassing). Don't listen to google.

The senior GP said his own children had also had it several times, and as long as they're not feeling unwell then just to keep it covered and wait for it to pass. We skipped swimming lessons until it was scabbed over but other than that, carried on as normal!

I'm sure everything will be fine, OP

You don’t cover the rash with a bandage. The rash is on the torso so easily covered with clothes.

Thanks everyone! People obviously do just randomly get it. She's been given anti-virals and told to stay off school till it's scabbed over - much like chicken pox.

The pharmacist DH saw said their kid had had shingles, so he has now also calmed down a bit!