Adult chicken pox

at least i didn't have any poxes under my eyelid or my eyeball like my mom and uncle respectively. *shudder*

I can top that...I was 26 when I got it. I was quite sick for a week from peunomia, and I still have some scars on my arms, chest and hairline.

It didn't exist in 1994.

... man I've dated some psychos.

She had been there a week when she got chicken pox. At first the doctor didn't know what it was and thought she had "Cocksacky" virus or somesuch, which of course occasioned a lot of dirty jokes on our part. But then she got sicker and itchier and more pocked and the doctor finally realised it was chicken pox.

She had to be quarantined in her tea house for a week, out in a glass house.

It was horrible.

The doctor thought it strange for her to have caught it at her age (early 30s) and suspected a severely weakened immune system and told her to get an HIV test, which she refused to do. Later that made sense when I found out she was a druggie.

mum didn't say how serious it wz at the time (grrr) or i'd have said more on ilx probbly

so, will I die? and when?

colin fingers x-ed and best of wishes

The chicken pox at age 16 was god-awful. I felt like utter shit for weeks. I was so badly broken out I looked like those pictures of smallpox corpses. I had a hard time eating because I had dozens and dozens of sores in my mouth and throat, not to mention inside my nose and inside my fucking EYELIDS and, well, other places where you really, really don't want to have oozing sores.

I'm amazed and grateful that I didn't scar as badly as I feared. I do have some scars; they are pretty small and not too obvious, though. But having to go back to school while I was still scabby did little for my shaky 16-year-old self esteem, let me tell you.

"People 13 and older who have not had chickenpox should get two doses of the vaccine 4 to 8 weeks apart."

I don't think there are good data yet about how long the vaccinations last (i.e., if you need a booster shot down the road). I do think there are some studies that show that the vaccination is pretty good at preventing shingles in adults.

Can you tell I'm a microbiologist who loves all things viral (except having the chickenpox at age 16)?

Where did they put it on you? In America, girls usually got it on the upper thigh for athetic reasons.

I was very lucky - no complications, no substantial itching, no spots in really unfortunate places; I was just gross-looking and housebound for a fortnight (the fever part passed in a couple of days) - Wimbledon fortnight. Hurrah!

We'll hire a boat, kill the engine and I'll show you all my scars.

I also thought it was heat rash for about three days by which time I had big pocky horrid marks all over my left hand side. The scars are still there.

I am drunk.

heh. did anybody see the Chickenpox ep of South Park? Cartman in a bathtub of calamine lotion, talking about how he wanted to be on endor with chewbacca, when the kids hiring a prostitute with herpes to go around licking all the utensils and drinking glasses of the adults to infect them too, all to the sounds of the Monkees' "I'm a Believer."

One of the greatest televised montages of the last 5 years.

http://www.southparkstudios.com/media/images/210/210_boys_with_pox.gif

Here starteth a shingles horror story. Incidently, my mum got shingles* several years back mainly on her head/face (i.e., one of the worst places one could possibly get it). It was misdiagnosed and mistreated for like nearly a year and eventually led to a viral infection in part of her face and eye. She had terrible pains in her head and her eye clouded over. The cornea eventually wore thin and almost broke...she had to have an emergency cornea transplant to basically patch it up. As you might expect, she lost eyesight in that eye. Once her infection cleared up (like a year later), they did a proper cornea transplant (or maybe two, I can't keep track). She is finally getting her eyesight back (she can see shapes and colors...pretty crazy). Thus endeth a shingles horror story (a ~4yr saga!).

Reading that link though reminded me now I hated that there's no rhyme nor reason to shingles. I had it put down to the stress of the wedding (not that getting married was stressful, but the total subterfuge take-over of the day by my mother-in-law was enough to bring anyone out in a fit of feverish illness). I don't like the idea that I should be elderly or immuno-deficient to have contract such a thing, it's not really that common in relatively healthy 28 year olds is it?

By the way, I find the whole "could happen to anyone" aspect of it to be scary too. And of course, given that I've had the chicken pox twice AND shingles seems to like my family (my mum and one or two others on her side have had it), I am paranoid that I'm going to have a long and sordid future with said virus. argh.... I've known a few young, and seemingly very healthy people get it in their early 20s, so it may be more common than you think. It may also go undiagnosed in lots of people, cause they are not "old or otherwise immune-deficient", and so they just think it is a bad rash (as you originally did).

So, I'm 24 years old.
I officially have the chicken POW!

After reading this, well, I'm less than excited about how it'll play out. So far it's just red marks spreading over my body, they itch a little bit, but no problem, but I suppose the big deal is when they break out properly, and when they burst?

So can I expect to get nothing done on my master's thesis/project in the next week or two? God knows I'm behind as it is!

Oh, and don't trip and fall (like I did), if you can avoid it.

I have some zinc "whitewash" thing that's supposed to help when you apply it. So far nothing's broken though (I assume breaking out means that those fluid-filled bastards are bursting, and that's when the itching really starts?)

The most worrying part was the few days before CP manifested itself in spots ...heavy fever, night sweats that soaked the bed, and that scanners-type head-exploding feeling Marcello describes.

I thought I was a goner. It was a relief to find out it was 'only' Chicken Pox.

(but then I guess no-one actually gets measles any more in teh UK)

Btw, is there any reason for me to avoid scratching AROUND the pox? I don't see any logical reason why it shouldn't (and man would it be soothing) but I don't want to risk too many big permantent craters, I have more than enough scars as it is.

I'll note that this affects people differently. My mom who got it right after me had is REALLY FUCKING BAD, and it weird ass places, like one under her eyelid. My uncle had a pox ON HIS EYEBALL! He had to have minor surgery done to remove it. but for both, it went away in just days.

Mine was milder in comparison but lasted over a week. A week of eternity.

Now then perhaps, I should stop hogging the thread. You guys have been lots of help though, thankerinoos!

:(

ugh this is my worst fear. i have never had the pox. need to ask doctor about vaccine now.

I got it about a month after I turned 19. Diagnosed on Monday morning after feeling like I'd VERY suddenly come down with flu the previous day. By Tuesday night I looked as if I'd died and started decomposing.

Woke up Thursday with a few "insect bites"... didn't really think much of it. Verdict: Insect bites?

By Friday some had appeared on my face and I felt as high as a kite. Needed lots of energy drinks to stay awake but the headache overpowered me and I went home, needed to knock back some paracetamol to sleep. Thought: I've given myself diabetes!

Friday evening, wake up, face looks like I spent the last night in the gutter. It's everywhere, in my ear canal, my eyelids, my hair, my fingers... 4 on my nose alone. Witch hazel did not help. I had to change my bedsheets just to move myself around in minimal comfort. Thought: My bed has given me meningitis!!

Saturday am: I am told I have chicken pox, and that I have to take 4 types of tablets for a week, as adult chicken pox "is 100 times worse than as a child". I am stranded in a foreign side of Sheffield for 2 hours with no money and surrounded by skag addicts looking for clean needles. Delirium takes over.

Why did this have to happen now? At the "end" of exams rather than before? Why have I got something with "pox" on the end as if its 1400 or something? Grrrrrrr. :(

A close friend of mine had chicken pox as an adult during the second month of a pregnancy. Physical misery, plus the worry that it is going to seriously impact the health of the fetus.

I don't know why they don't make asking about chicken pox and offering the vaccine a routine part of adult examinations now.

JTS - so sorry you're ill and I hope it passes quickly without too much torment!

My sympathies. I had elderpox at age 16 and it did indeed suck tremendously for ~2 weeks. It is hard to imagine that you will ever look like a human being again, but hang in there--you will. With the newer antivirals they have you should have a briefer illness than I.

Oh god, pox in the VAGINA, ppl! Soooooooo not fun. On my INNER EYELIDS! Down my THROAT. Ugh I don't even want to think about it anymore.

It's just another one of the stupidly random things that chooses to single me out (at the worst possible time) and no one else. Once again I expect sympathy from those from whom I need it the most, and don't get it.

Oh god, pox in the VAGINA, ppl! Soooooooo not fun.

add while menstruating for extrafun!!!

Oh god, pox in the VAGINA, ppl! Soooooooo not fun. On my INNER EYELIDS! Down my THROAT. Ugh I don't even want to think about it anymore.

-- quincie, Sunday, June 8, 2008 1:14 PM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Link

*_*

i've had delicate cases of poison ivy, but that is just wau

I feel bad for my previous statement now. Obviously there are worse things in the world than chicken pox, and reading this thread does help me a lot. Thanks.

Oh god, pox in the VAGINA, ppl! Soooooooo not fun. On my INNER EYELIDS! Down my THROAT. Ugh I don't even want to think about it anymore.

2 out of 3

JTS, I feel for you. Having POXYFULED as an adult is much worse than having it as a child. But you've had it, now it's over! Unless you have it again which is possible. But srsly *huggelz* it's a dreadful thing to go through.

trust me, when you have TEH POX, virtual hugglez are the best kind, given how they don't involve anyone touching you and shooting bolts of pure pain into every nerve in your body.

ugh this is my worst fear. i have never had the pox. need to ask doctor about vaccine now.

-- bell_labs, Sunday, June 8, 2008 9:25 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

this ^^^. Nathalie gave me the fear of getting this while pregnant.

Oh, since I was feverishly posting here on the previous bump, I figure I might as well note that it was a fairly painless process for me, so adult chicken pox doesn't have to be that bad. I just spent a week in bed with a wet cloth on my head/chest, reading lots of non-demanding crap (actually, i recall mostly staring at maps)

Aftermath was a few blotches on my chest, plus one nice bump on the face. Guess I might've been lucky not to have such a bad time of it. No pain was involved (thought a hell of a lot of itching), and no drugs were needed

I think I am going to be mentally shouting "POX IN THE VAGINA!!!!!!!!!!" to myself for weeks.

A POX UPON ALL THESE VAGINAS

poxina.gif

Nathalie gave me the fear of getting this while pregnant.

SS, I recently heard of a case where the woman had to abort the baby due to chickenpox, I think. Err no, it was actually toxoplasmosis. But getting chickenpox while pregnant: NOT GOOD. :-( I guess the best thing to do, if you're a woman and didn't get it as a kid: EXPOSE YOURSELF AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Like visit a daycare and sit in the middle chanting "POXYFOOLED."

Eh, I need to head to bed, brane melt.

Didnt you have a pox scare when you were pregs the second time around?

You have dozens if not hundreds of flights departing a hot zone hosting a novel Mpox clade with a current mortality rate of close to 4%. You just can’t make this stuff up. pic.twitter.com/10p5NjGqYS

— Michael (@mrmickme2) August 27, 2024