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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Chickenpox and going to the shop

14 replies

NotAnArtist · 20/07/2012 10:27

Ok, before you flame me, this is kind of an emergency and I won't actually go if I'm told it's unsafe.

DS has chickenpox quite badly. Spots everywhere, very sore. I have just come on my period unexpectedly and have nothing at all in the house. I haven't got anyone that can drop anything round as DH is at work, no friends that are not busy with stuff right now.

WIBU to put DS in the buggy with the raincover on and nip into the shop quickly? I would leave the raincover on in the shop too and obviously wouldn't hang around looking at shampoo or anything!

OP posts:

AnyoneforTurps · 20/07/2012 10:30

It's fine. Chickenpox is most infectious before the spots come out anyway. And it's spread by droplets (from saliva/nose) so there is no risk to anyone if the rain cover is up.

Wash your hands before going as the most likely route of infection would be from your DS's saliva on your hands.

(I'm a GP)

solidgoldbrass · 20/07/2012 10:30

Nope, not unreasonable at all. Remember that chickenpox is like all viral infections: infectious before any signs appear. And though there will be some whinyarse along any minute to berate you, chickenpox is not bubonic plague; leaving the raincover on and making a rapid dive in and out of a shop is a reasonable set of precautions to take.

ANd get some calamine lotion while you're there.

BunnyLebowski · 20/07/2012 10:31

I agree with SGB. Do it.

There is a collective lack of perspective on MN when it comes to this topic.

fuckityfuckfuckfuck · 20/07/2012 10:32

I was a single parent when my dd had chicken pox and had no choice but to put her under the raincover and nip to the shops. Was fine imo. Didn't let her touch anything, didn't put her in a trolley etc.

Original poster

NotAnArtist · 20/07/2012 10:42

Thank you! I wasn't expecting people to be so gentle with me on AIBU!
DS is ridiculously excited about going out! (tbh, so am I, it's been a very long week!)

OP posts:

sparkle12mar08 · 20/07/2012 11:50

To clear up any confusion, chickenpox is still infectious until the spots have crusted over, but in your specific circumstances I would nip out, yes.

BartletForAmerica · 20/07/2012 12:34

As I have just said on another thread, chicken pox is only mildly infectious after 48 hours after the spots have appeared. The bulk and most significant risk is from respiratory secretions in the fortnight before and 48 hours after the spots appear.

As bunny says, there is a routinely hysterical response on MN to the words 'chicken pox' here and you (and we) will get flamed as a result, but that is due to a misunderstanding of how and when chicken pox is transmitted.

BartletForAmerica · 20/07/2012 12:35

I should have added that chicken pox is only mildly infectious and that's only by close contact after 48 hours.

DowagersHump · 20/07/2012 13:27

I don't think that's right (that it's hysterical). Obviously it's more infectious before the spots come out but you don't know then that you're incubating it so you can't avoid inadvertently infecting people.

My DS got infected after spending 1/2 an hour in the same room as a baby who'd had the pox for 4 days.

Having said all that, in the situation you describe, I'd go out. I bet you're both excited about leaving the house - even if it is to buy tampons!

Original poster

NotAnArtist · 20/07/2012 13:29

Thanks again, we made it to the shop and back with only a couple of "Why the hell do you have a raincover on indoors.....? When it's sunny." looks!
I reckon I may escape the flaming I was expecting/dreading as there's another, more controversial chickenpox thread active right now.
Thank you for reassuring me that I'm not the worst person in the world, I was so worried about whether or not to go!

OP posts:

Fleecy · 20/07/2012 13:59

My DS has just had chicken pox and both of my girls currently have it. DD1 has 'one of the nastiest cases I've ever seen' according to our GP (had to take her in as spots horribly infected) and DD2 was taken in to hospital earlier on in the week and was very ill with it. So yes it can be nasty.

But despite this, I think in your shoes I'd have gone to the shop too

Happygirl77 · 20/07/2012 14:17

YANBU.

When dd1 had the pox I had to go to the post office to get a tax disc or similar (hubby had left it to the last day possible and was off at a wedding!) So I put her in her buggy with rain cover (which she broke by kicking as she didn't want to be in her buggy!)

veryworriedme · 20/07/2012 14:35

It is bizarre how different threads on this get different reactions. When i posted about taking my ds ( in a hip spica so couldn't move to touch anything) on an empty bus for one stop I received over 100 posts of people telling me how horrible and selfish I was. My ds was on day 8 of cp. I was so shaken by the reaction that I asked my dd's consultant at great ormond st what the risk of infecting someone else had been. He said no risk at all. I do wish clear information was provided on cp.

solidgoldbrass · 20/07/2012 15:53

Remember: stupid people indulge in magical thinking, a component of which is if they can hurl enough abuse at 'bad' people nothing unfortunate will ever happen to them.

Taking your pox-covered toddler round your mate's house when she is PG and has an immunosuppressed H/grandma would be a bit irresponsible, a quick dash to the shops is perfectly reasonable; statistically you're putting no one at any more risk than they are on any other day, given the numbers of people crawling with incubating bugs.

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