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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to take a chickenpoxy child away for trip, partially on public transport?

194 replies

dappply · 29/03/2012 15:34

since yesterday DS has chickenpox. Doesn't seem to be feeling very bad, but is very spotty. we had plans to go and visit friends this weekend. It's a four hour trip, an hour of it by public transport (boat trip as they live on an island).
Am I meant to isolate him? Should he not be going on public transport? WIBU to go?

OP posts:

Hulababy · 29/03/2012 16:51

Only if there are no other people around at all.

igggi · 29/03/2012 16:58

I'd think, could I pass on a cold virus by that level of contact? If so, then don't do it. Beaches/parks likely to be busy at the weekend surely. (My ds has just had it so I AM sympathetic, but am also pregnant so have had a lot of anxiety before getting my immunity confirmed!)

Original poster

dappply · 29/03/2012 17:03

there might be people within 50 metres, but not closer.
i'm pregnant too btw. doctor also said not to worry about that. now i'm wondering whether to go back and see a different doctor.

OP posts:

thebody · 29/03/2012 17:05

I would seriously wonder if your doctor is actually trained, his advice is bizarre.

You are pregnant so go c another doctor at your surgery and of course keep your little one at home.

WilsonFrickett · 29/03/2012 17:06

It's your DS so you've already been exposed to the virus dapply so essentially there's nothing the doc can do about that, which is why she told you not to worry. If you do start to show any symptoms then phone your MW immediately. Have you had cp before?

madwomanintheattic · 29/03/2012 17:07

You don't need to see a different doctor. You need to contact the ferry company, and the airline, and ask if they will let a child who currently has chicken pox travel. The answer will be no. Not until at least six days after the last spot has crusted over.

The doc will have taken into consideration your own history and your current stage of pg when advising you.

not2nightjosephine · 29/03/2012 17:08

Also drastic for anyone on steroids. YABU to take him on public transport until the spots have crusted over. Sorry. I hope you have a nice garden

Perhaps you yourself have had chicken pox before? If so, that could be why you don't need to worry....

toomuchlaundry · 29/03/2012 17:08

ds usually gets heatrash every year as soon as the sun makes an appearance. The first year he got heatrash the doctor initially thought it was chickenpox but then decided it was heatrash.

Roll on a couple of years and what we thought was heatrash appeared again. However, pre-school were not convinced and asked us to take ds to doctors to confirm not chickenpox. Phoned doctor, was told to come into surgery, last appointment, could only go into waiting room if there was no-one there. If there was anyone there we had to wait outside and someone would come and get us. Turned out was chickenpox. Have no idea where he got it from as we did not know anyone at the time who was suffering with it. Felt dreadful that we had taken him to pre-school (they had just come back from half term and so he couldn't have caught it there) but he then infected a number of his classmates. It is very contagious.

Also the day before the spots appeared we had been to see my dad who is having cancer treatment so that was worrying once we had diagnosis from doctor.

I am amazed by the advice of your doctor.

Original poster

dappply · 29/03/2012 17:11

apparently i haven't had it, but the doctor took a blood test to be sure and they'll let me know.

OP posts:

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 29/03/2012 17:11

Do they give the Zig injection to pregnant women who have been exposed? Have you had CP op?

cwtch4967 · 29/03/2012 17:18

My daughter caught chicken pox when I was 38 weeks pregnant with DS1 and I had to have my immunity checked - I wasn't worried as I had a bad dose as a child and assumed I was immune. The results showed I had no immunity and had to have a huge injection of immunoglobulin antibodies to protect me and my bump.
Please don't put pregnant women at risk - there is a risk of miscariage or abnormalities during early preganacy and it is also dangerous in the last few weeks.

igggi · 29/03/2012 17:19

I was told I could get something (anti-virals?) If it turned out I didn't have immunity. But it has to be given very quickly after your exposure. Have you called your midwife, or triage at maternity hospital?

toomuchlaundry · 29/03/2012 17:19

if you are pregnant I think they can test your immunity.

When a friend of mine was pregnant her dd got chickenpox. My friend had never had chickenpox and so googled various things and found that there was an injection she could have which should reduce chance of contracting cp. Her doctor was not impressed, so I assume not routinely done. I think she ended up having injection but did get cp anyway.

I would have a word with your hv

PropertyNightmare · 29/03/2012 17:20

What a stupid question. Of course yabu. Jesus wept.

WilsonFrickett · 29/03/2012 17:29

I'd phone the MW OP. It sounds like people on this board know more than your doc!

Original poster

dappply · 29/03/2012 17:50

I already did speak to midwife when ds got exposed and she said to go see the doctor if he developed spots.

It's obviously not a stupid question. There may be a consensus here, which i am grateful for, but my doctor says different, my family say different and the friends I was going to visit say different. I didn't feel comfortable with that which is why i asked for opinion. But even twenty minutes ago I rang a friend I was going to go for a walk and to a cafe with in the morning to say that i'd better not and did she wanna come here instead, and she said that not to worry, we'd be fine to come out. Please don't call me stupid, there's obviously alot of different opinion on this!

i think the way i'm going to play it is to not worry about being outdoors or around people who have already had it or know we have it, but to not go indoors or on public transport.

OP posts:

igggi · 29/03/2012 18:00

My obstetrician told me to 'avoid contact' with my own ds due to being pg. Not exactly easy! I think you need more advice about what to do yourself if you get CP, as noone seems to want to give you the antivirals.

toomuchlaundry · 29/03/2012 18:02

I have to admit until my pregnant friend got chicken pox I was unaware of the risks to pregnant women and unborn baby, you only ever hear about the dangers of rubella. And until ds got chickenpox and the doctor told me to avoid people with low immunity ie people undergoing cancer treatment I didn't know that danger as well. I promptly burst into tears when she told me, although as the spots had not yet come out (but ds was in theory contagious) when we visited my dad we were not to know anyway.

A few months ago at ds school when chickenpox was doing the rounds they put a notice up that there were people with low immune systems as a couple of mums were undergoing chemo and could people not bring infected children on the school run

BetsyBoop · 29/03/2012 18:09

you might like to refer your doctor to the RCOG guidelines for chickenpox & pregnancy...

NeedlesCuties · 29/03/2012 18:22

Interesting thread, OP.

My own DS came down with CP on Wednesday and is very very spotty, but in reasonable form and not too scratchy.

I've been keeping him indoors or if we do need to go out we do so in my car - for drives or to visit family who have already had CP. I wouldn't risk taking him out and about, esp to places where other children were.

I'm 19 weeks pregnant but vividly recall having a terrible dose of CP as a teenager, so the doctor told me I'd be okay and so would bump. Reading some of the comments above makes me feel a bit so I think I'll ring MW in the morning.

toomuchlaundry · 29/03/2012 18:22

OP maybe you can show your doctor this thread

If your blood test does come back showing you have no immunity to CP, you must push your doctor for whatever drugs/injection they can give you. I know my friend had to really push her doctor and although she finally got the injection (I'm afraid I don't what it was called) it was too late as she got CP. She had it quite badly but her pregnancy was fine and she now has a lovely, healthy ds

OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere · 29/03/2012 18:27

OP I didnt think your question was stupid.

I do think it would be very unreasonable of you to take your child out.

Your child can give CP to someone outside as well as indoors.

I thought you had decided NOT expose anyone to CP

Mabelface · 29/03/2012 18:31

Without reading all the replies, I'll just say don't do it. I caught chickenpox as an adult from a child that had been brought into the shop I worked in. I didn't have physical contact, but still came out in spots a week later.

Arion · 29/03/2012 19:28

There is definitely an injection if you are exposed to chickenpox or get shingles but it must be given very early when the spots / shingles rash comes out.

Please get to another doctor, chickenpox can have really bad complications if pregnant and you've not had it before.

I caught chickenpox when I was at uni, no one I know at uni got it (in the holidays) so I believe I caught it from working at Woolies. It was horrendous and I was a fit 20 year old. The day before the spots came out I thought I was having a breakdown, I felt awful, really teary and strange for now reason, it was a relief when the spots came out and I had a reason for it! I ended up back at home sofa bound for nearly two weeks as I just had no energy.

I've said since, if my DC don't catch it by the time they are finished at primary school we will pay privately for the vaccination, I don't want to risk them being exposed when they are older.

Coconutty · 29/03/2012 19:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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