Any doctors or anyone who likes to play one on the bump?

beth0874 · February 2012

I am confused. So a family member has shingles. They just found out today and their doctor told me that I should call my doctor. I called my doctor's office and they said because I had chickenpox as a kid then I have immunities built up but they are having me go in for bloodwork tomorrow to make sure I have these immunities.

What confuses me is this family member and another family member both have had chickenpox as a kid and still got shingles as an adult. So what does it matter if I have had chickenpox? It does not seem like it makes you immune to shingles?

kobrie01 · February 2012

I'm no Dr., but i know a little something about the shingles b/c my mom had a bad case of shingles a few years ago. The shingles are caused by the same virus that causes the chicken pox, but you can get them both in your lifetime. My mom had the pox as a kid and then got the shingles as an adult. However, if you are immune to chicken pox, you should also be immune to the shingles virus. Good luck!

limpetfan · February 2012

OK... I am not a doctor, but my graduate degree is in microbiology & immunology. Here's how I understand this:

It matters if you had chicken pox because the person with shingles is shedding the same virus that causes chicken pox. Shingles is a re-activated version of the disease - the virus goes and hangs out in nerve cells until something happens (stress, for example) and it comes back out to play. having had chicken pox = you could one day get shingles. If you haven't had chicken pox, or your immunity is dwindling (your circulating antibodies aren't as high as they should be), you *could* get chicken pox. You can also catch it if your immune system is suppressed. You can't catch shingles/you can catch chicken pox.

I hope that makes sense!

Sarah226 · February 2012

limpetfan:
OK... I am not a doctor, but my graduate degree is in microbiology & immunology. Here's how I understand this:
It matters if you had chicken pox because the person with shingles is shedding the same virus that causes chicken pox. Shingles is a re-activated version of the disease - the virus goes and hangs out in nerve cells until something happens (stress, for example) and it comes back out to play. having had chicken pox = you could one day get shingles. If you haven't had chicken pox, or your immunity is dwindling (your circulating antibodies aren't as high as they should be), you *could* get chicken pox. You can also catch it if your immune system is suppressed. You can't catch shingles/you can catch chicken pox.
I hope that makes sense!

Yes, this. You can't catch shingles, but if you haven't had chicken pox you can catch that from someone with shingles. Sounds like you should be all good.

mswood1977 · February 2012

You get shingles when the virus that causes chicken pox reactivates in your system. You can't catch shingles from someone else. If you haven't had chicken pox or the chicken pox vaccine, then you can get Chicken Pox from someone who has shingles.

beth0874 · February 2012

I think I got it now.

Thank you everyone.

ELF4321 · February 2012

I'm interested by the responses from everyone else, because we had this come up before xmas when we were going to visit my ILs. FIL had an outbreak of shingles a few months earlier and I asked my OB about it -- she said as long as there were no active sores (i.e., the sores had healed but he is still having only nerve issues from it), there should be no problem. But she told me if he had an active outbreak to "stay far, far away" because even though I had chicken pox as a child, pregnancy can suppress your immune system and make you more susceptible even if you already had it. I'm curious about the conflicting advice.

limpetfan · February 2012

ELF4321:
I'm interested by the responses from everyone else, because we had this come up before xmas when we were going to visit my ILs. FIL had an outbreak of shingles a few months earlier and I asked my OB about it -- she said as long as there were no active sores (i.e., the sores had healed but he is still having only nerve issues from it), there should be no problem. But she told me if he had an active outbreak to "stay far, far away" because even though I had chicken pox as a child, pregnancy can suppress your immune system and make you more susceptible even if you already had it. I'm curious about the conflicting advice.

I *think* the issue with active sores is that the virus can shed from the sores. Since pregnancy compromises to immune system, your chicken pox immunity could be knocked out, and then you could potentially be infected by the virus from the active sore. But, you still wouldn't get shingles from being infected -- you would get chicken pox. Not sure if that helps!

Crispity · February 2012

mswood1977:
You get shingles when the virus that causes chicken pox reactivates in your system. You can't catch shingles from someone else. If you haven't had chicken pox or the chicken pox vaccine, then you can get Chicken Pox from someone who has shingles.

Exactly this. FWIW, my RE tested for chickenpox immunity before I ever started treatment, and it's one of a whole battery of infectious disease testing that is done on pregnant women in my state (HIV, hepatitis, etc.). So, you may have already been tested for this. If you have records of your blood tests, they look for antibodies to varicella zoster (if you test positive over a certain level, you have immunity).

beth0874 · February 2012

limpetfan:
ELF4321:
I'm interested by the responses from everyone else, because we had this come up before xmas when we were going to visit my ILs. FIL had an outbreak of shingles a few months earlier and I asked my OB about it -- she said as long as there were no active sores (i.e., the sores had healed but he is still having only nerve issues from it), there should be no problem. But she told me if he had an active outbreak to "stay far, far away" because even though I had chicken pox as a child, pregnancy can suppress your immune system and make you more susceptible even if you already had it. I'm curious about the conflicting advice.
I *think* the issue with active sores is that the virus can shed from the sores. Since pregnancy compromises to immune system, your chicken pox immunity could be knocked out, and then you could potentially be infected by the virus from the active sore. But, you still wouldn't get shingles from being infected -- you would get chicken pox. Not sure if that helps!

So that is probably why they still have me come in to check my bloodwork even though I did have chickenpox as a kid. Just to make sure the chicken pox immunity isn't "knocked out" as you put it.

beth0874 · February 2012

Crispity:
mswood1977:
You get shingles when the virus that causes chicken pox reactivates in your system. You can't catch shingles from someone else. If you haven't had chicken pox or the chicken pox vaccine, then you can get Chicken Pox from someone who has shingles.

Exactly this. FWIW, my RE tested for chickenpox immunity before I ever started treatment, and it's one of a whole battery of infectious disease testing that is done on pregnant women in my state (HIV, hepatitis, etc.). So, you may have already been tested for this. If you have records of your blood tests, they look for antibodies to varicella zoster (if you test positive over a certain level, you have immunity).

I hadn't thought of that. They probably did check for that with all the tests I had done.

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