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should I be concerned? Haven't seen this yet...

paratender83paratender83
in 2nd Trimester

My boss is about one year out of chemo and is of course prone to more illness due to her weak immune system. Well she came in today and told us that she has shingles. If you aren't aware of what shingles are its, from what I understand, highly contagious adult form of chicken pox.

My boss is the cashier for my office so every customer that I have takes her a receipt then brings the receipt back to my desk and it stays in a pile on my desk (actually everybody has to bring there receipts to me)

Should I be concerned?

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Re: should I be concerned? Haven't seen this yet...

  • BabyButler2010BabyButler2010 member

    Have you had chicken pox?  My understanding is that if you have had chicken pox, you are immune to shingles...you might want to check with your Dr. though.  GL

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  • DChunt09DChunt09 member
    I don't have a ton of answers for you. My cousin had shingles early on in my pregnancy and we worked together. We kept our distance and I upped my hand sanitizer use. Call your doctor and ask if you are really worried. I think you should be fine though! =] 

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  • Ginlyn0Ginlyn0 member

    https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/shingles/shingles-topic-overview

    "What causes shingles?

    Shingles occurs when the virus that causes chickenpox starts up again in your body. After you get better from chickenpox, the virus "sleeps" (is dormant) in your nerve roots. In some people, it stays dormant forever. In others, the virus "wakes up" when disease, stress, or aging weakens the immune system. It is not clear why this happens. But after the virus becomes active again, it can only cause shingles, not chickenpox.

    You can't catch shingles from someone else who has shingles. But a person with a shingles rash can spread chickenpox to another person who hasn't had chickenpox and who hasn't gotten the chickenpox vaccine."

     

     

    I would check with your doctor, but it looks like you can't get it from other people. You could only get chicken pox from them if you haven't had chicken pox.

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  • paratender83paratender83

    ahh thanks for the link!

    I have had chickenpox but I didn't know with my weakened immune system if I was prone to catching it. Thanks ladies

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  • sjbeam87sjbeam87
    That post above is great! I'm a nurse in a nursing home and one of my residents is just getting over shingles. When we found it, I called my midwife who told me the exact information above, as well as telling me the only way shingles (or chicken pox, rather) could affect the baby is if I were to get it. Since I had the chicken pox when I was little, she said I had nothing to worry about. I would always call to double check, but if you had chicken pox, you're gonna be fine :) If you haven't just don't come into direct contact with the area.. maybe even keeping your distance for a little while. After a week or two (whenver they start to dry up and scab, that is when they will become most painful to that person, but will no longer be contagious to others).
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  • lovinfalllovinfall member

    My MIL had shingles while I was in my first trimester. Her doc advised she stay away from pregnant women and young children as those with compromised immune systems can get the chicken pox even if they've previously had the pox.  Keep in mind the infected person would have to touch the area that is shedding then touch you in order to pass it along.

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  • misma09misma09
    You can spread shingles, but you would have to touch the infected skin. That is the contageous part. My brother got shingles and his dr. told him he needed to wash his towels every day, and change his sheets. It's not airborne or anything though. Just make sure you are careful with what you touch around here and you should be fine.
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  • CiconradCiconrad member

    Shingles is what adults get who usually have had chicken pox but the virus remains dormant in their system.  At some point in adult life, it may re-emerge in the form of shingles.  I know, I have had it.

    If you have had chicken pox, you don't need to worry, you are immune to the virus.  If you were to get shingles it would be from the orginal chicken pox virus you got as a kid re-emerging in your own body, not from catching it from someone else.  If you have not had chicken pox and been exposed, you should most likely end up with a case of chicken pox, not shingles, which is serious in adults and you should contact your doctor.

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  • valg927valg927
    imagelovinfall:

    My MIL had shingles while I was in my first trimester. Her doc advised she stay away from pregnant women and young children as those with compromised immune systems can get the chicken pox even if they've previously had the pox.  Keep in mind the infected person would have to touch the area that is shedding then touch you in order to pass it along.

    This! It's true that some people can get chicken pox more than once - I've had it twice, and I've had shingles. Some people have immune systems that just don't seem fight to the illness. Talk to your doctor but just be aware of this.
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  • sddriggssddriggs
    My father recently had shingles and the dr advised him to stay away from pregnant women.  You may want to put a call in to your ob just for reassurance.  I would rather be safe than sorry!
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  • pamiva1pamiva1 member
    I actually had shingles while pregnant with DD #1 (around 16 weeks). I opted to not take any medicine for it due to the pregnancy, but everything was fine - although it is NOT pleasant to have shingles -- very itchy!
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  • LuvMyBostonsLuvMyBostons

    If you haven't had chicken pox, stay away!! But if you have, you'll be fine....you can't catch shingles from shingles..

    I had shingles early on with this pregnancy and I was REALLY freaked out at first, but my Dr. told me that I already had the varicella virus in my system, I should be fine.   

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  • jescgrljescgrl member
    She is no longer contageous (sp) if they are scabbed over. if you have had chicken pox you should be fine...but idk how that changes while pregnant
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