When I was diagnosed with PMR and GCA and prescribed 60mg Prednisolone, I was told to avoid chickenpox because of the risk of contracting shingles in a more severe form. As far as I knew I didn't come into contact with chickenpox but I still developed shingles!
If you didn't have chickenpox as a child then you may not be at great risk. I had chickenpox once as a child and then I caught it from my son so it was a case of it lying dormant in my body and ready to break out into shingles!
I do so sympathise with the dilemma you face in choosing between seeing your little grandson or risking contracting shingles and only you can decide........but I wouldn't wish the pain of shingles on anyone! The very best of luck on this.
linnie, I'd wait until he was well --and make sure his mom, dad and any siblings are not infected--before I went to see him! If you didn't have chickenpox as a child, you might catch it; you might also end up with shingles, which are so painful.
Linnie - I'm so sorry to put a damper on seeing your small grandchild but if you didn't have chickenpox as a child - DON'T GO TO SEE THE CHILD! You are at even more risk if you didn't have it as a child as you have built up no immunity to chickenpox and if adults get chickenpox it often becomes a serious illness. For most small kids it is an itchy and unpleasant experience (although I told mine it didn't itch and it worked, they believed me!) but the older you are when you get it the worse it tends to be. My brother caught it as an adult and was really ill and miserable for 3 weeks.
If you google corticosteroids and chickenpox you should find some patient advice sheets and one of the specific mentions refers to avoiding people with chickenpox or shingles and says that if you do come into contact by accident to see your doctor immediately - I presume so you can be given either immunoglobulin or antiviral medication or possibly both. Immunoglobulins can prevent an infection if given quickly enough. Antivirals can reduce the infection, if given quickly enough can prevent the virus replicating and avoid the infection. However, antivirals are really most unpleasant - you feel nauseous and can develop really bad diarrhea (of the explosive variety
He will remain infectious as long as the last blister has not yet crusted over - you have at least not been to see him in the 24 hours BEFORE the first blister appeared which is when they are most infectious. Any of his contacts can develop chickenpox or shingles for up to 3 weeks - so if anyone else in the family hasn't had it they are also at risk of being infectious for at least that long. And contrary to general belief - you can get chickenpox twice!
By far the safest thing is to postpone your visit because the steroids may reduce the efficiency of your immune system for any infection and that means that if you were to get either chickenpox (if you haven't had it before) or shingles (if you had had it) you are likely to get it in a much worse form. I had chickenpox, I've not had shingles but I know people who have had it and, as Pearl says, the pain can be excruciating. The virus gets into the nerves and is very difficult to treat - she was quite lucky that the treatment worked quite well but it is not always possible to treat the pain and it can go on for many months even in people who are not on steroids.
I'm so sorry to be a party pooper - but it would be so much better to wait a few weeks and go when you don't have to worry about making yourself even more ill than the PMR manages. Look at the internet if you want more info or ask your doctor, but I'm sure they would say the same as I have,
MrsE
That's right, MrsE, about it being so much worse for adults. A friend of mine contracted chicken pox as an adult, and was miserable for a long time...the blisters were EVERYWHERE, I mean
everywhere-- she didn't elaborate on exact locations, but use your imagination. Ugh. And shingles, I hear, are so much worse.....thankfully I've never had them and my primary care doc keeps saying she's glad I had the shingles vaccination before I got PMR. It's a live virus in the vaccine, so you can't have it once you are taking prednisolone. Of course, skeptic that I am, I even wondered if the shingles vaccine contributed to my getting PMR but who knows. Guess I should be thanking my doctor.
freesia
Freesia - There are certain parts of my body that it just makes me shudder (to put it mildly!) to think of getting the spots in - and it can happen! I didn't know there was a shingles vaccine - but given that the pain of shingles is nerve pain and can be in a lot of different places it sounds like a good buy!
Chickenpox is always dismissed as "a childhood illness" and if that's where it stays that is fine, most kids with normal immune systems shrug it off. BUT, and it's a big but, if a pregnant woman gets it at any stage of pregnancy it is a bad thing and any person with a compromised immune system can end up very very ill. The old idea of chickenpox parties where the kids were sent to catch it, like German measles, wasn't so far out. Providing, of course, the child was then kept home until no longer infectious. Although it's the 24-48 hours before you know they have it that they are most infectious so there is always the risk that you allow them to be in contact with people who really don't need to get it at that point.
Far too many young mothers now are so irresponsible about taking their children out with infectious diseases. And don't get me started on the ones who don't get the children vaccinated - that is just so selfish. The chances of a child having a bad reaction of whatever sort are miniscule, the chances of them getting measles or whatever much higher and you can die from measles or whooping cough even if you are a normal child. Pity help the disabled ones with dodgy immunity whether from their disease or the treatment for it.
MrsE
MrsE, amen about having pox everywhere!! Along with PMR?? Torture!
The shingles vaccine is very expensive for those without insurance here in the U.S. anyway --it's about 0 but my doctor told me that one of her patients who had shingles said she'd gladly pay ,000 to avoid having it!
When you say how young mothers are irresponsible about keeping infectious children at home (or quarantined)....that's how my friend got chickenpox. She went to either a party or a bridge game at someone's house and a child in the house had chickenpox.
freesia2011-03-27 09:55:09Here's a link explaining about risks of being exposed to chickenpox while taking corticosteroids:
In general, chickenpox and corticosteroids do not mix:http://www.gpnotebook.co.uk/simplepage.cfm?ID=678101030
[QUOTE=RickF]Here's a link explaining about risks of being exposed to chickenpox while taking corticosteroids:
In general, chickenpox and corticosteroids do not mix:http://www.gpnotebook.co.uk/simplepage.cfm?ID=678101030 [/QUOTE]
thats good information, and one deadly illness to stay clear of while taking steriods!
thank you everyone for your prompt replies. think i am going to postpone my visit,so wanted to give that little boy,his sister and their mummy lots of cuddles.know i can get a good answer on here thanks again x keep well xHugs to you for needing to postpone it but I do think it is the right decision - better virtual hugs this month and real ones next month (if big sis doesn't get it too!) than them having to look after you and worry about you if you get it.
thanks for all your replies,spoke to my doctor and as i had chicken pox when small she said there was no problem.so we went ,hardly a mark on my grandson by the time we saw him,his little sister had it a few years ago,well we had lots of cuddles.....thanks again.....down to 10mg of pred x fingers...keep well x
So glad you had a lovely time and the spots had nearly disappeared - which reduces the infection-risk tremendously.
However - I would dispute your GP's verdict. Yes, if you had chicken pox as a child your would have developed immunity then providing the infection was severe enough. You develop the immunity by increasing the level of IgG and that responds later when you meet the same bug. Some of the cells, called B and T cells, also develop a memory for the virus and go into overdrive when they meet it again, stoping it dividing and growing so you don't get the infection again, or only very very mildly.
The trouble is, when you take steroids, the amount of IgG in your body is reduced by nearly a half (you excrete more) and the B cells and T cells also do not necessarily respond as well. Not everyone is affected as much but without doing special tests you can't tell who has lost their immunity. And, in fact, even apparently healthy people can get chicken pox twice (not common but confirmed). Don't know where your GP did her immunology course but taking steroids on a chronic basis affects your immunity - even an existing one. Maybe not as much as some other medications but still.
So - I really am pleased you had a nice weekend with them :) and you'll have lovely memories to keep you going until next time. But if you were to start to feel ill in the next couple of weeks (up to about 3 weeks after contact) and expecially if you were to get any spots - do please go to the doc! Just in case!
MrsE
Yes, Mrs E is right - I can bear witness to the fact that you can definitely get chickenpox twice. I had it as a child and years later I caught it from my son.
At least you are aware and in the event of feeling poorly you will know to see your GP immediately as the drugs prescribed for shingles give immediate relief especially when taken within the first couple of days following onset. Meanwhile you have lovely memories of the time spent with your grandchildren and it sounds as though your grandson was almost recovered so, hopefully, you will be fine.
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