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Original poster

Was I supposed to know this?

56 replies

beansprout · 08/01/2008 17:19

Ds has chicken pox and I am 37 weeks preg. I had an ante-natal check up today and the GP told me off (and I mean told off!) for bringing him into the surgery as there may have been pregnant women there.

Dh was there yesterday and the first thing she asked was how he was, and I know dh raised the c/pox with her then as he needs to establish his own immunity (or otherwise).

She said that I should have notified reception so we could have been shown to a side room to wait for my appointment but there are no signs to this effect (or for any other illnesses preg. women should stay away from, e.g. rubella).

I felt bad as I know what the risks are but thought that keeping him away from anyone else while we were waiting was all I could do.

Is this standard practice? Have I missed something?

OP posts:
paulaplumpbottom · 08/01/2008 17:21

I(f you didn't know it was an honest mistake but its somethin most people know

Original poster
beansprout · 08/01/2008 17:22

Sh*t, feel terrible.

She did say he probably wasn't infectious but I guess that's not really the point.

OP posts:
paulaplumpbottom · 08/01/2008 17:23

Look don't worry, be glad you have a doctor who is so concerned about his patients, I'm sure he didn't mean to be snappy with you.

mummypig · 08/01/2008 17:24

well that's strange beansprout because I remember when ds1 had chickenpox and I was worried about his temperature, our GP refused to do a home visit and made us bring him into the surgery - no separate room or anything. I was terribly embarrassed as there were loads of pg women in that area (although I can't remember if we saw any in the waiting room) and the surgery's attitude just seemed to be that it wasn't worth worrying.

Maybe the NHS protocol has changed since then? or maybe your GP is pregnant and was just worried about herself??

Bettergetabucket · 08/01/2008 17:24

I've never been told this/asked this, although I would have tried not to go to the dr's surgery with the contagious child. Difficult situation if you have to go to the gps and you don;t know of the risks to pregnant women (who aren't immune)

CoteDAzur · 08/01/2008 17:25

You may have given some poor woman's baby a birth defect, so yes, they are right to have told you off.

Not to beat you up any further, but really, what were you thinking?

NAB3wishesfor2008 · 08/01/2008 17:25

Usually if Chicken Pox is suspected you are meant to tell the receptionist so you can wait away from other patients.

Don't worry too much. You didn't do it on purpous. Hopefully there were no pregnant women there so no harm done.

GrapefruitMoon · 08/01/2008 17:25

I would have though they would have been more concerned about you and the baby tbh... I might be wrong but I think if the baby was born early while your ds was still contagious the baby might catch it from him and it is obviously not ideal for a newborn to catch something like that...

It can also be dangerous for women in early stages of pregnancy but tbh, most parents don't know their children have chickenpox until after the spots come out and they will have been infectious long before that - can see why the surgery would prefer you not to bring your ds there but think it is impossible to shield a pregnant woman from chickenpox in reality...

paulaplumpbottom · 08/01/2008 17:26

Easy!!!!!! She said she didn't know, it was a mistake. No need to jump on her.

Original poster
beansprout · 08/01/2008 17:28

Well, in the event we waited for all of 30 seconds and were at least 8 feet away from anyone else so no harm done.

Cote - if you don't want to beat me up further, then don't!!

OP posts:
madamy · 08/01/2008 17:29

fgs, we're not supposed to know every little thing! I'm sure that whatever minimal 'contact' you ds may have had with people wasn't enough to pass on the virus - unless he was crawling all over them?!
How far into it is he? Once the blisters have popped and scabbed, he's no longer infectious. Infact the 'worst' time is in the couple of days before the sopts appear, so who's to know then?

Original poster
beansprout · 08/01/2008 17:38

He is at the "popped and scabbed" stage, and has been for a couple of days now.

OP posts:
madamy · 08/01/2008 17:41

well then your silly GP had no right to have a go!

See here

fuzzywuzzy · 08/01/2008 17:46

Oh god I had no idea about this, I took dd1 to the GP's when she came out in spots a while back, turned out it was chickenpox, but the GP was very nice perscribed calpol and that white gunk and never mentioned that I shouldn't have come in with a baby with chicken pox... I had no idea it could be caught so quickly especially if theres no contact with anyone in the waiting room........

I seriously had no idea about this...

bobsmum · 08/01/2008 17:55

I only know about this because there's a massive warning poster on the wall in the surgery as you go in, otherwise I really wouldn't have known.

corblimeymadam · 08/01/2008 18:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

lulumama · 08/01/2008 18:04

cote!

what if you went to the docs for something, with your DCs, and there were pregnant women there, and the next day your DC came out in chicken pox?? would you be telling yourself you had given their babies birth defects???

when my DD had suspected chicken pox, HV told me to bring her to baby clinic to be checked out, certainly nothing about a seperate room

CoteDAzur · 08/01/2008 18:06

Newborns don't catch chickenpox. They get temporary protection (a month or so) from placenta & further from breastmilk.

Chickenpox is airborne. "8 feet" is not really far at all.

Having said all that, if your DS is at the 'scabbed' stage, he is not contagious.

clumsymum · 08/01/2008 18:08

That is why Drs used to do home visits, and why they should do them now.

No one infectious should EVER have to go into a waiting room, not just cos of pg ladies, but because of other potentially vulnerable people.

This mistake wasn't your fault beansprout, it's the fault of the crap medical services we have today.

SlightlyMadShrek · 08/01/2008 18:10

Why at Cote d'Azur?

Chicken Pox can be very serious if a pregnant woman catches it at certain times here. Incidently I assume you have had it as the last 4 weeks are one of the most dangerous times to catch it?

OTOH it is rare for a pregnant woman to catch Chicken Pox because over 80% of the adult population are immune.

I think the concern was expressed because it was an antenatal clinic rather than a general surgery?

SlightlyMadShrek · 08/01/2008 18:13

Cote...check that link newborns can catch chicken pox as a result of a mother having the virus in her system in the last couple of weeks.

Chicken pox in a newborn can be very serious...life threatening according to that particular link.

corblimeymadam · 08/01/2008 18:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

SlightlyMadShrek · 08/01/2008 18:21

Fair enough, I thought you were questioing the accuracy of the content

CoteDAzur · 08/01/2008 20:30

OP asks if doctor was right to "tell her off". The answer is "Yes".

If she had said in the beginning that her DS was no longer contagious (already scabbed), she would get a response with a different "tone".

paulaplumpbottom · 08/01/2008 21:32

Your tone was inappropriate regardless. She said she didn't know so not really her fault. You trying to make her feel guilty for a fault that is really the doctors is a bit cruel