Exposed to shingles...

BlameItOnTheRain · July 2012

Turns out H has shingles. A quick goggle search says not to worry if I've already had chicken pox/vaccination (which I did as a child). I have a message into the OB. Anyone have experience with this?

SPerry0376 · July 2012

My husband had shingles during my last pregnancy. OB said there was nothing to worry about especially if you have already had chicken pox or the vaccine.

BlameItOnTheRain · July 2012

SPerry0376:
My husband had shingles during my last pregnancy. OB said there was nothing to worry about especially if you have already had chicken pox or the vaccine.

Thank you!

Rynleigh · July 2012

Yep - if you had chicken pox and you are under 50, your risks for shingles are pretty low. Shingles happens either when you first contract the varicella virus as an adult with no previous immunity, or if the virus reactivates (it lays dormant in your body for the rest of your life once you contract it) when your immune system begins to weaken in your old age (or due to insufficient immunity caused by diseases like HIV). Your blood work performed by the doctor should have included testing for antibodies to the varicella virus, and if that test was positive, you shouldn't contract shingles or any other expression of the chicken pox virus.

lynn3yb00 · July 2012

Rynleigh:
Yep - if you had chicken pox and you are under 50, your risks for shingles are pretty low. Shingles happens either when you first contract the varicella virus as an adult with no previous immunity, or if the virus reactivates (it lays dormant in your body for the rest of your life once you contract it) when your immune system begins to weaken in your old age (or due to insufficient immunity caused by diseases like HIV). Your blood work performed by the doctor should have included testing for antibodies to the varicella virus, and if that test was positive, you shouldn't contract shingles or any other expression of the chicken pox virus.

My dad, who is now 46, has had shingles 3 times. All 3 times were caused by him being under large amounts of stress (physical and/or mental):

*18-car accident on his birthday, grandma died the day before

*28-hit by a bull and knocked into a tree then the tree fell on him; he missed his visitation with me that weekend meaning he had to wait a whole other month to see me

*43-fell 2 stories, landed on his head, and had to be flown to the hospital; no injuries at all amazingly; 3 days of tests, idiotic/rude nurses, little sleep and him not smoking (he's a 3pack a day man) or having chocolate (he eats more chocolate than anyone I have ever seen)

Rynleigh · July 2012

I did say low, not impossible. Stress and bad habits like smoking do increase the risks of having it at a younger age. He also is likely to have an underlying cause making him more susceptible to reactivation. But normal, healthy, average persons do not suffer from reactivation until their senior years. If anything, someone who is healthy and already has had a bout of chicken pox in their lifetime is more likely to benefit from re-exposure to someone who is already sick, because it gives their immunity a "booster". One of the only true downsides of the chicken pox vaccines is that those in the older community who already carry the dormant virus are no longer being exposed to active cases to act as "booster" immunity, causing an increase in shingles cases in regions where the vaccine is now commonplace.

Sophia1913 · July 2012

SPerry0376:
My husband had shingles during my last pregnancy. OB said there was nothing to worry about especially if you have already had chicken pox or the vaccine.

THIS. My Mom had it as well not too long ago and we were told there was nothing to worry if we had already had the chicken pox.

00jennifer00 · July 2012

I actually got shingles when I was pg with my third. For my birthday! It was awesome (just dripping with sarcasm). It was intensely painful, but not dangerous to the baby (I was 30w, I think in earlier or later parts of the pregnancy it can be dangerous...I don't remember, I did a ton of reading then, I've just forgotten). I refused the meds for it as I'd read that garlic would knock it out. And boy did it! I had to take about 3000mg of garlic 3-4x a day and everything tasted horrible, but it took care of it. I had been starting to get a second patch of spots, and they never fully formed. I didn't start taking the garlic until a few days after the spot appeared. And yes, I was incredibly stressed out at the time, I'm sure that's where it came from because otherwise I was/am quite healthy.

Tell your dh that apple cider vinegar is also helpful. You'd think it would sting like mad, but it really reduced the itch.

Mrs.DeliaMarieP · July 2012

Your OB can probably order a titer for Varicella (the virus that causes chicken pox/shingles) to confirm that you are immune. Actually, if you already had your first tri bloodwork (Rubella, HIV, Hepatitis, etc), it may have already been done as part of that order, as some Dr.'s do that.

pamiva1 · July 2012

I actually got a mild case of shingles when I was about 20 weeks pregnant with DD. I didn't want to take any medicine (even though OB approved it) so the itchiness was a bit uncomfortable, but other than that everything was fine with the pregnancy and my daughter (she's 4 now).

carlaburgdorf · July 2012

You should be fine since you have had chickenpox. I have shingles now at 13 weeks & even in the off chance you do get them, it is not harmful during pregnancy unless you have a severe, severe case. My OB today was not worried at all with me having it.

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