Vaccines. Scary things they are. So much is out there to frighten us into or out of vaccinating our children. My daughter is up-to-date on all her vaccines, except one (chicken pox). And my son, at 11 weeks old, received his first vaccine (dTap). I'll write about my choice to delay vaccines another day.
Today I'm writing about why my 4.5 year old daughter begged the doctor to give her the chicken pox vaccine.
It all began with a muscle spasm. Not hers - mine. About a 10 days or so ago I began getting a muscle spasm in the right side of my back. It hurt, but was intermittent, so I didn't think much about it. I figured it would work itself out.
A few days later, a patch of skin about two inches under my right breast began to tingle a little. It has been really hot outside and I have been wearing thick nursing bras and have had some heat rash under my breasts, so even though the tingle was lower than my bra line, I figured it was heat rash. And sure enough, I got a rash there. But then that rash turned into a cluster of blisters.
Two days after noticing this cluster of blisters I said to myself, wow, that oddly looks like a cold sore. A cold sore on my torso? Is that possible? So I turned to google, which suggested Shingles. I stared at images of the Shingles for about a half an hour and decided I probably had a patch of Shingles. I read further information about Shingles and learned that my muscle spasm was an early sign that I had the Shingles.
After my daughter awoke from her nap that day, I loaded my two kids into the car and took them with me to the clinic on campus. A quick examination confirmed what I already suspected - I have the Shingles. What? Only old people get the Shingles … right?
Wrong. Apparently the campus clinic treats a number of young patients who have Shingles. In fact, there seems to be a rise in young people getting Shingles.
What is Shingles? Well, remember how I said it looked like a cold sore on my torso? Shingles, and the associated Chicken Pox, is a strain of the herpes virus! You cannot get Shingles unless you have actually had the Chicken Pox. If you been exposed to the Chicken Pox, then you are automatically a carrier of the Shingles. What happens is that after you have the Chicken Pox, some of the virus travels to your spine and brain and lies dormant. It lies dormant waiting for a moment when your immune system is compromised just enough to let it in … sometimes just stress alone (like bed rest plus child birth plus a newborn) can cause the Shingles to appear. Sometimes it can be a sign that something worse is happening inside your body (and, thus, I need to get a full physical soon to rule out anything more).
Now, a week into having the Shingles, the entire right side of my torso hurts. All of my skin is raw as if suffering from a horrible sunburn. That is because my nerve endings are raw from the virus. And I have constant muscle spasms in my back. I am also exhausted and irritable. I tolerate pain very well and would rate the pain from Shingles as oscillating between a 7-9 on a 10 point scale.
Can Shingles be spread? Sort of. One person cannot contract Shingles from another person. BUT someone who has not had the Chicken Pox can contract the Chicken Pox from someone with the Shingles -- if they come in contact with open Shingles blisters. So enter my children.
I shower with my children. I co-sleep with my children. I have, until this last week, walked around topless because I'm nursing a newborn and it's just easier to be topless. Both of my children were suddenly at risk of contracting the Chicken Pox … at the beginning of a new semester. This has led me to cover up and nurse my son from the top of a shirt so not to expose him to the sores (which thanks to an antiviral drug are almost fully scabbed over after one week).
My newborn son, though, is not at the highest risk for the Chicken Pox. He is nursing and, according to his pediatrician (and Kelly Mom), is temporarily getting my Chicken Pox immunity. He is also getting some of the antiviral drug through the breast milk. My unvaccinated 4.5 year old daughter is at risk, though. This led to a long conversation between my daughter and I about vaccines and how she has had all of the scheduled vaccines except for the Chicken Pox vaccine.
She asked about the Chicken Pox and vaccines. I told her I wan't sure of the effectiveness of the vaccine or it's longevity. We discussed the (possible) risks of getting Chicken Pox after puberty. I told her I was pretty sure that she needed the vaccine since she was unlikely to get it naturally (due to immunizations, there are now very few cases of children getting the Chicken Pox and so she probably wouldn't be exposed to it). Also, those who get the Chicken Pox vaccine are supposed at much lower risk of getting Shingles.
So, when at the doctor's office on Tuesday for her baby brother's well-check, Maxine looked at the nurse and asked, "can I please get the Chicken Pox shot? I'd rather not get itchy red bumps." The doctor approved her request and Maxine received a vaccination … she didn't flinch or cry. She had determined herself that the vaccine was a necessity.
My darling daughter has now received at least one dose of all recommended vaccines. Not an easy decision to make, but one I stand by.
Back to me for a moment. Shingles sucks. Currently, an adult cannot receive the Shingles vaccine unless s/he is 50 or older. This is under review, especially after new studies suggest that an adult who gets Shingles prior to age 40 is at higher risk for stroke and heart disease. Great. Shingles sucks.
