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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To worry that DC still haven't caught chicken pox?

84 replies

ASnowballsChance · 03/03/2019 08:03

DC aged 10y and 5y still haven't caught chicken pox. I know it can be more severe the older you get. This is slightly complicated by me not being immune to CP despite having it as a child and being in contact with it since via siblings.

Anyone else have older DC not yet caught it?

OP posts:
Auramigraine · 03/03/2019 08:05

No help sorry but interested to follow as my 5 year old still hasn’t had CP despite being around it three times now....

Jackshouse · 03/03/2019 08:06

If you can afford it then you can get them privately vaccinated.

ShrinkWrap · 03/03/2019 08:06

Can you afford the vaccine? I would definitely do it if you can.

BTW how can you tell you are not immune?

MeowthThatsRight · 03/03/2019 08:07

Just get them immunised if you can afford it. I had mine done last year and it was £35 for each injection, each child has two injections about a month apart. I’d never really considered doing it until my next door neighbors little boy ended up in hospital with septicaemia from scratching his spots.

RubberBabyBuggyBumpers · 03/03/2019 08:07

You can get them vaccinated at boots if you're worried. Costs about £70 I think.

ThreePointOneFourOneFiveNine · 03/03/2019 08:09

My nephews had it at Christmas aged 12 and 10 and, aside from the itching, they barely noticed, it certainly didn't spoil their Christmas. My girls had it younger, I think about 5 and 2, and they really suffered, and one of my eldest's classmates ended up in hospital with it at the same time. If you're really worried you can pay to have them vaccinated, I wished I'd done that.

Auramigraine · 03/03/2019 08:10

MeowthThatsRight Where did you get them done please?

Did i read somewhere they will need a top up when older?

My partner swears he has never had CP either so i don’t know if that’s linked...

TillyTheTiger · 03/03/2019 08:11

I would vaccinate if you can spare the money. We vaccinated our 2yo as I had it when I was 6yo and it was horrible, I still have the scars. £130 at superdrug for the full course (2 injections).

gubbsywubbsy · 03/03/2019 08:13

My son is nearly 8 and has swerved this 4 x in playgroup and each year and obvious other times out and about .. I think he must be immune and don't want to give him the vaccine unnecessarily.. although reading these responses i may get him done as I always worry it will clash with holidays .

Faster · 03/03/2019 08:14

I’ve never had chicken pox, though I was immunised in my 20’s for work.

lyralalala · 03/03/2019 08:14

You may find they've had a very very mild dose.

I have 6 kids, all bar the 8yo have had CP. He has been around when all of the others have had it, yet has absolutely been in contact with it.

Stuckforthefourthtime · 03/03/2019 08:17

Why don't you immunise them?

MeowthThatsRight · 03/03/2019 08:18

A lot of pharmacies do it. Just ask at your local one, if they don’t do it they’ll be able to tell you where does.

Original poster
ASnowballsChance · 03/03/2019 08:30

I know I'm not immune because I asked them to check when I was pregnant with my 5yo and I also asked them to check again when I had a blood test for something else a couple of years ago.

OP posts:
Cookit · 03/03/2019 08:32

Yeah I would just immunise.

ems137 · 03/03/2019 08:50

I got one child vaccinated at a regular NHS doctors (not our GP) but paid for a private prescription and then the other child was done at Superdrug. It's 2 injections, 4 weeks apart, at a cost of £60 each injection.

I've never had CP either but have been tested for immunity and I am immune. The doctor says I must have had it but without any spots or maybe just a hidden spot.

Whatishappenin · 03/03/2019 09:29

My two DDs haven’t had chicken pox and they are 26 and 18 now. My DS had CP when he was 20 months old. I had it when I was about 20 at university and was very ill. I might pay to get the girls vaccinated actually.

Blahdeblahbahhhhh · 03/03/2019 09:34

Get them vaccinated. Best money you’ll ever spend. I feel genuinely smug (but keep totally silent obviously!) every time it does the rounds Grin

katykins85 · 03/03/2019 09:37

I always thought I was immune too....until I got them at 32 Shock It was shit, to be honest!

MajesticWhine · 03/03/2019 09:41

I caught it as an adult. It was terrible.
The 5 yr old still has a fair chance of catching it I would think, and could then pass it to their sibling.

tokirara · 03/03/2019 09:43

Immunise if worried about it. Peace of mind! My mum caught it as an adult while we were on holiday. It was dreadful and she was incapacitated for 2 weeks.

villageshop · 03/03/2019 09:44

Agree with the others about getting vaccinated but does anyone know if that means you have it in your system so it can resurface later as shingles? Or would having the cp vaccine also prevent shingles?

Having just had shingles I now would do anything to prevent my dc from having chicken pox, yet when they were young it was the done thing to ensure they got cp. the problem with that I've since discovered is that the virus then lies dormant and can resurface years later as shingles which can be very nasty.

zsazsajuju · 03/03/2019 09:48

They’ve probably never had measles or mumps or meningitis c either - are you worried about that? Or did you vaccinate?

Get them vaccinated against chicken pox. It can be a serious illness and there’s simply no need to spread it around when there is a vaccine unless you genuinely can’t afford it.

zsazsajuju · 03/03/2019 09:50

@village - there’s a shingles vaccine too. But I don’t know if you can get shingles when you’ve had the vaccine rather than the disease.

happymummy12345 · 03/03/2019 09:51

I got it when I was 17 years old, and it really was awful. I was covered head to toe, on my head, in my mouth. It took me over an hour to apply calamine lotion, and the cold baths in January were awful as well.

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