Has anyone had chickenpox as an adult?

[Jic]

Is it really horrible? I've heard it's a lot worse when you're an adult. I was tested for it when I was pregnant and found out I don't have any immunity to it. Now my DD is going to nursery and I'm sure at some point soon she'll get it and pass it on to me, I just want to know what it's like to have it, or maybe I don't!

My SIL caught it from her dds and was very poorly. But nowadays there are antivirals if you catch it early enough or there's a vaccine.

Really unpleasant to get as an adult.

You may be offered vaccine during pregnancy if you have no antibodies already.

I had it when I was a student and it was the most ill I have ever been. The pain was excruciating (chest pains, back pain) and the blisters unbearable. I had a particularly bad case but did have to sit with a constant supply of chilled coke cans between my legs to soothe the more intimate sores! [shock}. I was ill for about a month from start to finish.

I would get a vaccine if you can!

Sorry not to be more reassuring!

i'd be tempted to get the vaccine tbh. a couple of my friends have had it as adults and they were seriously ill.

got it when i was 25, found spots on my tummy when i was on the plane to greece, felt awful and greek doctor said i had a skin reaction and gave me a body scrub, not a good idea.
i fainted, was very ill for a week and had spots all over, over 30 on my face/head, in my ears, everywhere!

I heard recently that you are ill for as many days as you are years old. That means laid out, feeling unwell as well as having spots.

My DH had the pox at 21 and says he doesn't remember feeling particularly unwell. BUT he does recall the discomfort of being a fully developed 'man' and having spots where you wouldn't want spots!

DH got it and was completely covered, but went to the Drs and was given the antiviral treatment, which cleared it up really quickly, and reduced the nastiness of it.

I got it from my dd last year.
TBH I was okay. quite a few spots, a bit itchy and under the weather but no worse than a bad cold. and yes i do now i was lucky. think the vaccine only works if you catch i before spots show.

I caught it from DD2. I was 38wks pregnant when she came down with it, blood tests confirmed I had no immunity, because of the dangers of coming down with it as I was giving birth (and the dangers are as bad as it killing you and baby), I was vaccinated, but it didn;t work.

DD3 was born with it, I was very very ill, and we got admitted into isolation in the childrens unit away from the maternity unit.

DD3 was left with an immune deficiancy, I was ill, but neither of us have any immunity to it still, so are always at risk of getting it again, which DD3 has several times, me once more, and I was very ill again.

you can be prescribed anti-viral medication tho if you come into contact with it and are at risk, which altho won;t STOP you getting it, will lessen the severity of it.

I had it as an adult but if you catch it quickly there is medication you can take (name sounds like zovirax) and it really lessens it. I took the medicene and had it very mildly. It can be awful as an adult so i would insist your gp gives this to you but you must take it early.

I had it at age 31, but I also had it at age 7 years. Theoretically this meant that at age 31 I didn't have sufficient immunity to avoid catching it again. I had it mildly at age 31, not sure if this is because I had had it fairly "averagely" as a young child?

Anyway, when I was pg I kept coming into contact with it and I had a blood test to establish my immunity (I am definitely immune now) as they were concerned that I may still not have been immune.

I caught chicken pox a few years ago. I ended up in intensive care for 5 days (sorry don't want to scare you). The spots were internal as well as external and so ended up in my lungs. I've made a full recovery but wish that i had asked for the anti viral drug earlier. as the drug is expensive to the NHS £70 - £100 it is not generally offered so you must insist.

thanks for all replies, sounds like id be wise to get the anti viral medicine if im in contact with it. i can't have the vaccine right now because im bf and id rather carry on just now as ds is only 4 months. so i guess the anti v stuff needs to be taken asap after coming into contact? can it still be taken when you already have the spots?

psycho mum- at your story, you poor thing you really went through it

viccky- glad you're better, i had heard it can cause you to be very very ill

thanks for all replies

Well my sister had it when she was 15 and my mother thought she was going to die she was that ill. She was laid up in bed for weeks, no joke. I had it at the same time as her, I was only 4 at the time and I was fine, still running about and playing.

Me - I had it at 26 (was a long time ago now) but I was really poorly with it.

However, something good did come of it because I went to give blood for the first time a few weeks after and the blood people were delighted because they can use cells out of the blood to help treat children with leukemia.

I had it for the first time at 46. Never had it as a child, despite repeated exposure, so I assumed I must have some sort of natural immunity (I had cowpox as a baby from my first smallpox vaccination, so had some reason for believing this). My son got chicken pox just before his 6th birthday, wanted cuddles for a couple of days, slight spottiness, and was fine within a week.

I went down with it 2 weeks later, on the plane returning home from the USA. Landed at 11am, attended son's speech day covered in spots (well, that's where it came from) and retired to bed for 2 weeks.

I was very poorly - the spots started on my face and neck, then spread downwards in waves. I was absolutely covered in them! They took a long time to fade as well - I still had marks on my feet after a year. I had spots inside my throat, which were excruciatingly painful; all I could eat was chipped ice and fruit juice for about 3 days.

It was the first time in my working life I had had more than a couple of days sick leave - and had to phone our personnel manager to find out what I needed in the way of doctors notes etc. Even the GP was impressed at just how spotty I was - I got my note!

So yes, in my experience, chicken pox in adulthood is not good news. So I am delighted ds got it good and young.

He has more scars than I do, though. We could not stop him scratching them...

Got it from kids at 45.

Given I had most childhood illness's when they were rife (early 60's)
Was the most severe manflu I'd ever had.
Thankfully not as bad as some of those who have posted.
The worst was were the spots eventually spread to - under the hood and in my bum

Only ended up with one small scar on my cheek (face).

I had it aged 40. It was unpleasant but not too awful. I still managed to cook Xmas dinner for 13 (I'm a tough old bird though)

I caught it when I was 17 and it was dreadful. In my mouth, eyes, ears, up my nose, even on the soles of my feet, we had a downstairs bathroom and my dad had to carry me up and down the stairs as I couldn't walk. I also had just starting going out with my first boyfriend, I thought I would die when my mum let him in to see me.

I still have lots of pock marks but mainly on my forehead.

The Dr told my mum that I was so bad that in the 60's I would have been stuck in an insolation hospital!

*ISOLATION

My dd got it 2 wks ago (aged 3 & a half) & I know I didn't have it as a child, even tho my sister had it. I was given a blood test at work to check for immunity as I work in a high risk ward - no immunity at all aarrgghh!! I was signed off work for 21 days incase I had it & passed it onto patients & I was offered the chickenpox vaccine as it can make the symptoms less severe if u get it. The vaccine only arrived in on Thursday - the day my 1st spots appeared!! It was too late to have it then

I can't believe just how many spots I have & how ill it makes u feel! It feels like a really bad dose of the flu with nausea and of course the constant itching! I even have spots on my lips The spots r still multiplying by the second!!

Defo not good to have chickenpox as an adult, wish I'd known bout the vaccine beforehand!

My DH had it in his early 40's and it wasn't as bad as it might have been, but it was still pretty awful. He was left with some bad scars, but fortunately all his spots were external and he didn't have any complications.

I have a friend with two young children who has never had cp and I'm trying to encourage her to check whether she needs a vaccine because her children are bound to get it one day and she will be vulnerable if they do.

I had it at about 26. I wentto the Berkley Square ball with concealer dotted all over my face and chest as I thought it was a heat/nervous rash. My boss was a little when i then had to call in sick the next day

It was a bit itchy and i felt a bit grotty but it wasn't terrible,
I would never have or give a vaccine for chicken pox but would have taken anti virals had I realised a bit sooner whjat I had caught.
I have had worse colds/chest infections tbh