HELP NEED ADVISE NOW.....NHS DIRECT RUBBISH CALL BACK AND CAN'T WAIT

[helsi]

Being the worrier that I am, I have just found some small blister type things on dd (aged 3) WHICH i AM PRESUMING ARE CHICKEN POX. SHE HAS BEEN OFF IT FOR A WEEK NOW AND SO THIS IS WHAT i AM PUTTING IT DOWN TO. mY QUESTION IS AS i AM 28 WKS PG WHAT IS THE RISK TO ME? I do not know if I have had chicken pox or not.
I phoned NHS direct and it is a 4 hour wait for a call back.

if you've had it immunity is improved.. that's all i can remember. How about ivillage website?

dont know helsi can you phone out of hours or a and e for advice

I would call your gp first think in the morning to check your medical record to see if you have had them.

helsi are you sure it is chicken pox?

i would make an appt to see your go tomorrow... they can check your immunity for chicken pox.

if it IS CP then she will have been infectious for a while before they came out, so you are less at risk now than you were iyswim?

here you go x
www.ivillage.co.uk/pregnancyandbaby/pregnancy/concernpreg/qas/0,,16_177411,00.html

Nearly had similar prob with dd, only pox never developed even tho whole nursery had it, quack did say in 3rd tri it can be dangerous, but didn't go into it, as I was only 2nd tri at the time, so BUMP

i remember reading recently that there can be a small risk to pregnancy. think it was the nhs website try google, lancet etc.. can you ask your dm if you have had it? think there is a blood test to see if you are immune?

helsi this happened to me at 5 weeks-when it would have been a problem. You will be fine-only matters with cp if it is the first trimester or shortly before birth. All other times are apparently ok

btw-I did have a test and immunity was established. I was told that the liklihood of getting to adulthood without having had cp is very small. Please try not to worry-go see your gp tomorrow if only to have your mind put at rest

NHS direct call back 4 hours? thats disgusting! I called on saturday night about my daughter they called back in 5 mins! If you can't get an answer from the internet or someone else maybe call them again?

ask midwife/gp to call hospital and check previous blood sample.

same thing happend with me (5 years ago), they retrieved blood and tested it to check immunity.

good luck

Thanks - I have just found a passage in my Bounty book that says that my unborn baby unless I catch it and thats very rare as most adults are immune as they have had it - I NEED TO CHECK WITH MY MUM.

It can cause problems if i catch it in the early weeks or the end of pregnancy - ie 5 days before birth .

Hopefully I'll be ok.

DD is fine in herself - she had cough, cold runny nose etc a week ago and so this rash explains a bit to me. they are blisters so i am sure they are not anything more serious.

good luck

nhs direct

HTH

As per chipkid's first post. At 28 weeks it isn't a problem.

Thanks everyone I feel a bit better. Must go now as dd wants some chips! (not been eating well so probably now making up for it!!)

Just found /link{http://www.womens-health.co.uk/chickpox.asp\this} which says don't worry after 20 weeks and suggests 80% of us have antibodies to chickenpox from having had chickenpox or 'silent infection' (no symptoms).

will preview next time - but i think you know more than I posted already!

You should be fine at 28 wks. I caught shingles when at 36 wks pregnant. They tested my blood for antibodies but as I'd already had cp all was fine as was baby. DS1 remarkable was unscathed, two times near infected children and no cp. Ring your HV first thing, they'll test your blood and refer you immediately if any issues. Don't worry. In Glasgow HA where I was then, they passed my onto the Infectious Disease centre who confirmed everything okay in a few hours. They were brilliant I have to say

If it helps my dd2 got chicken pox really badly when I was 25 weeks pregnant and I was reassured that it was not a danger to the baby. She is a bouncing 18 month old now

Hi Helsi

You should be fine. But do make sure any doc you speak to realises the advice on fetal varicella syndrome has changed.

There is now a recognised concern up to 28 weeks. It's tiny, only 1.4 per cent of babies of women who are not immune are affected.

But, if you aren't immune, you may need prompt treatment with varicella-zoster immunoglobulin (VZIG) which can help prevent or reduce the severity of infection.

The advice used to be that pregnant women were not at risk after 20 weeks (except for the days immediately around delivery) so do make sure any doc you deal with is up to date and doesn't just brush you off. The advice changed last September after an expert review of the evidence by Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin was accepted by the Department of Health.

If you were to develop chickenpox, you should have the antiviral drug aciclovir.

HTH

helsi - I caught chickenpox from my sister when I was 26 weeks pg. At that time(18 years ago) the advice was that it is dangerous in the first 12 weeks or if you have it within a couple of weeks before birth (baby can get a pneumonia type illness if you are contagious at birth).

My gp gave me some anti-body injections which supposed to have made my outbreak less severe - I didn't get them soon enough so it didn't work. My cp was very bad but my ds was absolutely fine. I think they offer anti-virals these days but you need to get them as soon as you know you've caught it.

Hope you are immune or don't get them but if you do don't worry too much.

Take care