And the family drama begins! Anyone have experienced with shingles?

[MushyMushy]

My dad had planned on going to Thanksgiving dinner with my sister and her in-laws, but it turns out that my dad has shingles. DSis is now saying that she doesn't want to take my dad because shingles are contagious (can cause chicken pox in those who haven't had it according to WebMD). My aunt is now having a fit because she insists that they aren't contagious and that my sister's just a bad daughter -- I'm sure I am too. LOL

We've had problems with this aunt since my mother died and things had been pretty calm until this point. I'm so sick of her drama!

Anyone have experience with shingles? What did you do with the infected person? Did they have to stay away from people? We will take him to the doctor, but nobody is available in the meantime.

 

[PlaneJoy1]

On being contagious:

"The child must come into direct contact with the open sores of the shingles rash. Merely being in the same room with a shingles patient will not cause the child to catch chickenpox.

I really think you dad would be fine attending. At this point, most people have either had chicken pox or are vaccinated for it. It is very painful, especially if touched, so it really depends on what your dad feels like.

My mom had shingles when my two children were younger. The didn't have any problems after bieing around her but both had been vaccinated for chicken pox. It was my mom who was very uncomfortable due to the pain!

Just my opinion, of course!

 

[bumbershoot]

Your aunt needs to calm down. Shingles is NOT fun, and it's hard to imagine that your dad even *wants* to go anywhere. My mom had them, and it was extremely painful for a LONG time.

And regardless of how it could be passed on (though I personally can see a big family type hug causing contact with the sores), just for that reason alone, your aunt needs to stop.

 

[acmeyer]

just my two cents..my dh recently had a small patch of shingles on his back dd never touched the shingles that we know of and she did have the chicken pox vaccine. So we where not worried....yep dd got the chicken pox...very lightly but she did get them. So yes you can catch them. No you shouldn't catch them from being in the same room but if you touch the person you can catch them even if you have had the chicken pox vaccine. Of course dd came in contact with her dad (probably before we knew he had them) . Of course dh felt horrible but dd used it to her advantage.."daddy, you gave me the chicken pox"...all the while batty those baby blues...my husband was mush!

 

[j's m]

I had to take to my mom to the ER with her shingles, since her doctor's office was closed.

I had no idea what it was, just this horrible open sore rash. At the ER, I described it and without even looking the triage nurse said shingles and isolation in the ER.

At her assisted living they kept her isolated, bringing food to her, and especially keeping her away from the pregnant aide.

I was worried it would be contagious to my DS, even though he had the vaccination which is not foolproof.

My sister caught chicken pox in HS from a girl in her gym class that had shingles.

Good luck, it's horrible, annoying and really painful.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

my husband got shingles last year just before our wedding(great timing there!) and they are VERY contagious!! luckily i didn't catch it, but he had to stay home from work and he didn't leave the house except to go to the doctor's office. we had to wash the sheets like every other day and he had to immediatly put all of his clothes right into the wash after wearing them.

they have anti-biotics that will help that your dad should get on asap. tell him to take it easy because that can take a lot out of a person. they're very painful and can make you exhausted.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

On being contagious:

"The child must come into direct contact with the open sores of the shingles rash. Merely being in the same room with a shingles patient will not cause the child to catch chickenpox.

I really think you dad would be fine attending. At this point, most people have either had chicken pox or are vaccinated for it. It is very painful, especially if touched, so it really depends on what your dad feels like.

My mom had shingles when my two children were younger. The didn't have any problems after bieing around her but both had been vaccinated for chicken pox. It was my mom who was very uncomfortable due to the pain!

Just my opinion, of course!

the chickenpox virus is airborne so i'm pretty sure you don't even have to touch shingles to catch it. my DH's doctor told me i shouldn't have even slept in the same room as DH when he had it.

 

[Micca]

Roofers are especially prone to shingles. Sorry Mushy, just trying to lighten the mood. Hope all works out for you.

 

[bekkiz]

I got them in college, and was instructed to not go to one class for a week or two because the professor was pregnant. I'm always a fan of better safe than sorry.

 

[C.Ann]

Adult DD has had them..

Sorry it's causing such an issue for your family..

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

Per the CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/shingles/dis-faqs.htm
How often can a person get shingles?
Most commonly, a person has only one episode of shingles in his/her lifetime. Although rare, a second or even third case of shingles can occur.

Can shingles be spread to others?
Shingles cannot be passed from one person to another. However, the virus that causes shingles, VZV, can be spread from a person with active shingles to a person who has never had chickenpox through direct contact with the rash. The person exposed would develop chickenpox, not shingles. The virus is not spread through sneezing, coughing or casual contact. A person with shingles can spread the disease when the rash is in the blister-phase. Once the rash has developed crusts, the person is no longer contagious. A person is not infectious before blisters appear or with post-herpetic neuralgia (pain after the rash is gone).

What can be done to prevent the spread of shingles?
The risk of spreading shingles is low if the rash is covered. People with shingles should keep the rash covered, not touch or scratch the rash, and wash their hands often to prevent the spread of VZV. Once the rash has developed crusts, the person is no longer contagious.

Is there a treatment for shingles?
Several medicines, acyclovir (Zovirax), valacyclovir (Valtrex), and famciclovir (Famvir), are available to treat shingles. These medications should be started as soon as possible after the rash appears and will help shorten how long the illness lasts and how severe the illness is. Pain medicine may also help with pain caused by shingles. Call your doctor as soon as possible to discuss treatment options.
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Take if for what it is worth.

My DH had shingles and he was instructed to not go to work until it passed. My eldest need to get his chicken pox booster because the doctor recommend it at the time.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Mt sister and I were vaccinated as kids and never got chicken pox. However when my sister was 30 she got the pox after being exposed to a cousin with shingles.

My mom had shingles when my two children were younger. The didn't have any problems after bieing around her but both had been vaccinated for chicken pox.

 

[DisMomme]

Had shingles a long time ago, in high school. I could not go to school for a week. It was very uncomfortable. I could only wear a nightgown the whole time because waistbands hurt so bad. It wouldn't matter if I were contageous or not, I would not go to dinner with the family if I had shingles. Your dad should stay home and be comfortable.

 

[donac]

I had the shingles last year and dr required me to stay home from work for almost 2 weeks,. She also said if anyone didn't have chickenpox should stay away from me. dh was not sure if he ever had the chickenpox (and there were 7 kids in his family so his mother doesn't remember) so I stayed in the family room and he stayed in the living room for most of the time

I also know that it was very painful and your father probably just wants to rest and get better. I know that I felt lousy for quite a while even after I went back to work.

 

[MsDisney23]

Let me tell you about awlful and painful shingles can be. I had them so bad, yes even inside of my mouth... over 1/3 of my body had them. I ended up in the hospital in isolation. If anyone came to visit they had to don a gown, gloves and face mask.

It took me months to get over them, and the pain lasted for well over a year. I feel for anyone who gets them.. They are more common in the Spring and Fall.

 

[MushyMushy]

Most of you are clarifying what my sister told me and what I thought, but that's not going to change my aunt's mind about any of it.

It's funny, but we decided to stay home this year to avoid all the family issues and just have a nice quiet dinner with the four of us. Guess there's no avoiding the family drama after all.

 

[minniecarousel]

Just a note: my Mom had shingles 10 years ago and still suffers from post-herpatic neuralgia (sp?) She gets horrible prickly, sometimes stabbing pain on her left side. I often wonder if she had gotten on the medications that they have for shingles (but you have to start it very soon after they first appear) if the case would have been as severe. She didn't go to the doctor right away & she should have.

Hopefully, your Dad won't have a severe case. It would be best if you called his doctor's office and see that he gets the anti-viral shingles meds.

 

[MushyMushy]

Just a note: my Mom had shingles 10 years ago and still suffers from post-herpatic neuralgia (sp?) She gets horrible prickly, sometimes stabbing pain on her left side. I often wonder if she had gotten on the medications that they have for shingles (but you have to start it very soon after they first appear) if the case would have been as severe. She didn't go to the doctor right away & she should have.

Hopefully, your Dad won't have a severe case. It would be best if you called his doctor's office and see that he gets the anti-viral shingles meds.

Well, I think it might be too late, but we'll find out tomorrow. He just told me tonight he's had it for several days now. He said his pain isn't very severe, so hopefully it won't get any worse.