<p>I’ve never had Chicken Pox though both my kids have (and their pediatrician gave me an immune globulin shot to prevent it in me at the time… When I was an infant my Pediatrician did the same for me when my siblings had it.)</p>
<p>I’ve had two titers both showing low (but some) immunity. Husband just had his second case of chicken pox (verified by bloodwork as it the symtoms were similar to cp but not indentical.) Came back positive. Mild case for him, just 3 or so days. We went to our internist as I wanted him on Acyclovir fast! (By the way, we shared beverages before his outbreak and then didn’t worry when the internist felt it was likely not cp. I did not get cp then. (Amazing!!)</p>
<p>Anyway, anyone have the vaccine? Any side effects? Can you still get shingles/ (OK, I’ll google that one.</p>
<p>I got chicken pox in my 30s just before the vaccine became available. Horrible case - there were pox everywhere in all my cavities as well as on my skin. I’d get the vaccine. I’ve heard the vaccine prevents shingles, but not from anyone I trust. I know there was no evidence of whether it prevented shingles last I looked it up which was quite a while ago.</p>
<p>You might want to talk to your doctor about the shingles vaccine as opposed to the cp shot. My understanding is that the shingles shot is designed for people who had cp because the virus can lay dormant for years and then show up as shingles. If you have titers showing low immunity, you have had some exposure so shingles might be the way to go. I am not a doctor, I don’t play one on the Internet but I do a lot of research and reading - best advice, ask your doctor.</p>
<p>Just to summarize, my H tested negative for exposure to chickenpox by blood test about 15 years ago. He received two chickenpox vaccine doses and a repeat blood test 10 years later indicated he was immune. Fast forward to several weeks ago, he broke out in a strange rash that turned out to be shingles. Not the worst case, but no picnic either. I spent a long time on the phone with a Merck representative (manufacturer of both the chickenpox vaccine and the shingles vaccine). The vaccines are the same, except that the shingles vaccine contains a much higher dose of the “weakened” virus. The virus in the vaccine CAN cause chickenpox which may subsequently reemerge as shingles, even if the person receiving the vaccine does not recall having chickenpox. They refer to it as a subclinical infection. It is possible that my H had chickenpox as child, and that the level of antibody somehow dropped below detection. It may have been this virus that emerged as shingles. The only way to know would have been to send a sample for DNA testing, and we didn’t do that. I suspect that as our kids who received chickenpox vaccines reach their 50’s, we will find out how frequently the weakened virus reemerges as shingles. I also suspect they will continue lowering the approved age for the shingles vaccine, currently down to 50. More $ for Merck.</p>
<p>If someone never gets chicken pox, s/he will never get shingles, since shingles is caused by the reactivation of chicken pox virus hiding in the body after a past chicken pox infection.</p>
<p>So, yes, chicken pox vaccine can indirectly prevent shingles if the person has never had chicken pox and is protected from chicken pox after receiving the chicken pox vaccine. But that does not help you, since you already had chicken pox and likely have some of the virus hiding in your body waiting to cause shingles.</p>
<p>The shingles vaccine is a much stronger version intended to be given to those who have already had chicken pox.</p>
<p>I got the chicken pox vaccine in around 1992-1994 if I remember right, at the urging of our pediatrician. I was part of a study for it. I went to a major university a number of times for shots.</p>
<p>I never had had chicken pox and we had three, soon four young children.</p>
<p>Shortly after completion of my shots, one of our kids brought chicken pox home. Soon, the other three had it simultaneously. I, as the stay-at-home parent, cared for all four of them and was with them pretty much every minute of the day while they were sick. </p>
<p>Please strongly consider getting the shot. My DH was exposed when our kids where very young and brought home the virus weeks prior to the vaccine being released to the general public (Spring 1995). He had no immunities. I was pregnant and had never had CP. A blood test showed that I did have the immunities. The hospital gave my DH the vaccine after exposure but before he broke out. It was too late. He was in his early 30’s. He has never been so sick in his life. I would not take a chance with this for anything.</p>
<p>Blueiguana- were you subsequently vaccinated?</p>
<p>I did not have cp either, but the boys pediatrician told me with each exposure I will pick up increased immunity. Guess I will get the cp vaccine anyway and later the shingles vaccine just in case. </p>
<p>I hear you can get cp (mild) from the vaccine. Anyone with kids out there (or adults) who got the vaccine, get cp? My friends son had a mild case, cp just at the site of the vaccine.</p>
<p>No, I was never vaccinated. When I was tested I had immunities galore. The hospital was quite surprised I’d never had a dx’d case. Between that and taking care of two kids and a husband through extreme cases (all pre vaccine) I have been exposed a great deal. I did vaccinate my 1995 baby at the proper time who had no problems with it.</p>
<p>I also had CP in my early thirties and strongly urge anyone who has not had it to get vaccinated. It was absolutely horrible and actually frightening. Chances of serious complications from CP are much higher in adults. Pneumonia and Meningitis to name just a couple. I was very sick for over three weeks and wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.</p>
<p>I had CP as a child, but my husband had it as an adult while in medical school. It was absolutely miserable, and he actually missed my college graduation (we were engaged at the time) because of it. CP in adults is nothing to mess around with.</p>