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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask at what age your child had Chicken Pox?

160 replies

goldilocksandmylittlebear · 14/12/2008 22:15

So that I can decide when to give my DS the vaccine, choice of at the same time as MMR or over 4 weeks afterwards.

OP posts:
Original poster
goldilocksandmylittlebear · 15/12/2008 23:09

Trouble is a little boy locally had Chicken pox and ended up with encephalitis and when I asked my GP I was told up to 100 people die each year, she had both her children vaccinated, hence my choice, alongside other factors.

OP posts:
Santaisfeelingfunnypeculiar · 15/12/2008 23:19

ds 4yrs
dd 2yrs

eekareindeer · 15/12/2008 23:20

Oh, thats really sad.

I have never heard of anyone with any complications from chicken pox.

I'm sure you should go with what your GP recommends.

slavetomykids · 15/12/2008 23:23

I was 5, 14, 23, and 32 when I had chicken pox .
DD was 10 and DS was 6 when they caught it of me (when I was 32)
You do realise that Chicken Pox is like the flu, every time you get it, its a different strain.

callmeovercautious · 15/12/2008 23:26

20m. And I would have vaccinated if I had known I could. She was VERY ill with it - unusually so. I know most people think of it as a mild condition but for her it was not.

Original poster
goldilocksandmylittlebear · 15/12/2008 23:29

callmeovercautious, quite right. Slavetomykids I don't see how it can be, the vaccine wouldn't work if it was a different strain each time. I have read LOADS and nowhere did it say that

OP posts:
Coldtits · 15/12/2008 23:29

Ds1 was 3.5, ds2 was 5 months old

Original poster
goldilocksandmylittlebear · 15/12/2008 23:34

At the same time coldtits?

OP posts:
sallyhollyberry · 15/12/2008 23:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

slavetomykids · 15/12/2008 23:37

Well thats what my GP said, when I had the last bout.
My mam had called the GP out when I had it at 5 and 14 as I had sever bouts, and she called him again when I was 32 and was bed bound with it, (down throat, ears, eyes, in my lady bits ... everywhere)
[leave me alone Ma, emoticon]
I actually asked him if it could be Shingles as I had, had the pox 3 times before. And he said that each time you catch it, its a different strain. So I beleived him,as I had no reason not too.

Original poster
goldilocksandmylittlebear · 15/12/2008 23:42

Its often mis-diagnosed as pox, but they do think there are 2 strains, maybe it was shingles either way poor you. YOU are an advert for the jab!

OP posts:
slavetomykids · 15/12/2008 23:50

All I do know, is I had Pox on my own the first time, although dsis was 6 months old.
2nd time dsis and I had it together, and the 4th time, the kids and I had it together.
I know my mam is a worry wort, (especaiily with having a newish baby in the house.
I might not have been CPox but seen as my GP has said yesm I have to say then ,so be it.

slavetomykids · 15/12/2008 23:53

i was going to say I know my mam is a worry wort, but believe me, the doctor would not of been let out of the building, with out him telling her what was worng.

slavetomykids · 15/12/2008 23:53

i was going to say I know my mam is a worry wort, but believe me, the doctor would not of been let out of the building, with out him telling her what was worng.

littleducks · 16/12/2008 08:17

some people are unable to develop immunity to chicken pox, their body does not produce th antibodies required so they catch it repeatedly (poss you slavetomykids)

their are theories of more than one strain (but i think two rather than many has been suggested) but these are yet unproven

if you are one of the unfortunate people unable to develop immunity dependant upon if the vaccine is live or not (i believe it is) it may not actually be any use, if you still do not develop immunity to the virus in the vaccine

girlywhirly · 16/12/2008 09:50

I had chicken pox aged 10, have never had it since, 40 years on.

DS didn't have chicken pox at 7 mths when his childminders DD and the other two she minded did, I put this down to being breast-fed. He did get it aged 2 while at day nursery, as did 50% of the children there, but he was cheerful and had a good appetite all through. Sadly we had to cancel our week-end break at Centre Parcs as they don't accept contagious guests, and we couldn't have gone anywhere public with him anyway.

Beachcomber · 16/12/2008 10:07

My kids had chicken pox at the same time DD1 was nearly 5 and DD2 was 2. Basically they both got it the first time they were exposed to it.

Do you have a particular reason for wanting to vaccinate your child against this generally risk free illness?

BTW so far the UK has not granted a license for the MMRV because the level of side effects is unaccepatable.

Risk of side effects with the MMR are also greatly increaded if a child ha a viral infection in the weeks preceding vaccination.

If you really want your child to have this vaccine, which is not offered on the NHS for many reasons, then it would be better to do it months rather than weeks apart from the MMR.

Agree it would be good if you can get some input from Jimjams as she knows plenty about all this.

thefortbuilder · 16/12/2008 10:07

ds1 was vaccined at 15 months (we were advised 8 weeks after mmr), and then ds2 caught it at 4 months. got a mild case and almost fought it off then get it a second time really badly.

i'd wait until after the mmr as that will really knock the immune system (especially in winter or early spring), and you will end up with a very whingey toddler.

sorry i have committed the MN sin of not reading replies so apologies if i've crossed over with other posters.

Beachcomber · 16/12/2008 10:18

Also I'd love to know where your GP got her figures about 100 people dying from chicken pox each year. Is she talking about immune compromised, cancer or AIDS patients perchance?

If so, not very ethical to put the frighteners on you with this information.

I am of the opinion that each and every vaccination should be carefully evaluated for the child in question and not handed out like sweeties just because they exist.

Beachcomber · 16/12/2008 10:28

I'm amazed actually that doctors in the UK think it is OK to offer a live viral vaccine so close to multiple live viral vaccine like MMR.

bandgeek · 16/12/2008 10:31

DD was 5 months, DS was 17 months and I was 23 years! That was a fun-filled month in our household.....

4CALLINGBIRDSandnotout · 16/12/2008 10:38

My dd's got it in June before and during our holiday in spain DD1 was 6, dd2 was 3 and dd3 only 8 months.

micku5 · 16/12/2008 10:42

DD1 had mild chicken pox when she was 3. DD2 (who is 2.5 yrs) has a suppressed immune system - part of Di George Syndrome, is having the CP vaccine in January... her immunologist recommended having it approx 4-6 weeks after the MMR.

Since it is not part of the childhood vaccination programme our surgery may refuse to do it, so we are hoping that the hospital will give her the jab, that way she can be monitored afterwards as well.

nappyaddict · 16/12/2008 12:47

flick - did your ds2 catch it from anyone in the family or toddler group? i've been told younger babies don't usually get it unless they've had high exposure.

kiddiz · 16/12/2008 13:19

Ds1 who has sn, wasn't breastfed and was exposed many times didn't get it until he was 8. Ds2 caught it from Ds1. He was 6.
Dd was 7 when she got it seperate from her brothers..there is a six year age gap and they had it when I was pregnant with her.
All 3 were fairly covered in spots but none were particularly unwell just itchy and a bit miserable.