have you had chickenpox? at what age? and have you had them again? PLEASE ANSWER!!!?
91278
I had bad chicken pox at ages...2,5, and 8. I am now 30 yrs old and they have not come back. My immune system took a few times before it came up with the antibioties for it.
548539
Epstein bar virus causes shingles in adults that had chicken pox when they were kids.
336811
YES.  diseases are becoming bigger and badder as we get older.  even if you were imunized as a child, a different strand could be out there and you could get it.  sad but true.  same with chicken pox.
571545
I would say Chicken Pox. Is the rash itchy?
301697
Unfortunately, there is such thing as reoccurring strep throat. I ended up getting strep throat six times in three months, and in the end had to take a massive shot of penicillin.
231525
Take baths in soda water. The chickenpox will run its corse and there is nothing that you can do to make them stop. Baking soda brings them out sooner than if you do not use it.
796602
My son has had 2 . The first one was about 4 years ago. He was having it in his sleep. The second one was about 2 1/2 years ago, and he was real tired so he layed on the couch and less than an hour later he had one. Both times he was brought to the hospital and numerous test were done. None of the doctors could figure out why he had them, or if he will have more. It is a very scary thing to deal with.
1178368
Not everyone gets it hun. You may be lucky and already be immune to it if you have been in close contact to someone who had it, eg a sibling. And it's not just young kids who get it... I had it aged 26!!
572569
Hi, the incubation period for chicken pox to be infectious is prior to the rash and blisters developing. There is a small chance of being contagious with the fluid that is in the blister so is always better to stay away from people.\n\nThe stats are... if you havent been exposed to chicken pox before...and you visit someone that has active blisters...and lots (disseminated chicken pox).... you have an 85% chance of getting them yourself.\n\nChicken pox is both airborn transmission, and direct touch transmission.\n\nFrom a hospital standpoint, we isolate all people until the blisters have dried - this because of the small risk of transmission... to the many immunosuppressed people that are in hospital.\n\nIf someone is on medication for the blisters then the infectiousness is very minimal.\n\nI recommend anyone getting the vaccination. As an adult contracting chicken pox is life threatening
139811
I think chicken-pox scars are the kind that are permanent. But using vitamin E can't hurt.
559384
Children dying and getting the acual disease is very rare. In my state you can't attend school unless your children are immunized. Also Don't forget that whooping cough is going around. Last year My husbands cousin had a baby that died from it. She was too young to get the immunization. I am for it. There is even a shot for chicken pox. I let them give my kids that but now I wish I hadn't. It was optional they didn't have to get it to enter shcool. I thought I would be protecting them but now I wish I hadn't. Some of these diseases can kill your kids I'de rather take my chances with the immunizations.I don't think less of you by the way. Just sharing my experience. Good Luck.
372303
Chicken pox is far too old a disease to be able to answer that question but here's some stuff about the history of it:\n\nOne history of medicine book claims Giovanni Filippo (1510–1580) of Palermo gave the first description of varicella (chickenpox). Subsequently in the 1600s, an English physician named Richard Morton described what he thought was a mild form of smallpox as "chicken pox." Later, in 1767, a physician named William Heberden, also from England, was the first physician to clearly demonstrate that chickenpox was different from smallpox. However, it is believed the name chickenpox was commonly used in earlier centuries before doctors identified the disease.\n\nThere are many explanations offered for the origin of the name chickenpox:\n\nthe specks that appear looked as though the skin was picked by chickens, \n\nthe disease was named after chick peas, from a supposed similarity in size of the seed to the lesions \n\nSamuel Johnson suggested that the disease was "no very great danger," thus a "chicken" version of the pox \n\nthe term reflects a corruption of the Old English word, "giccin", which meant "itching
1730
Holy christmas (literally!)... the last poster, be careful.\n\nI was diagnosed in 1999.  I didn't start taking medications until 2004 (had a bit of denial there)...\nI got a flare-up that forced me to think harder about my future (and a great fiance to boot!).\n\nA lot of people go on the interferons, and Glatiramer acetate, which is what I'm on.  When I decided what to go on, I thought about what I'd have to do for it.  I was a bit worried about giving myself a shot, and I figured that I would need to have the least intrusive method of medication delivery... so I decided subcutaneous (just under the skin).  That cut down the list of interferons... \n\nThen I thought about side effects, a lot of the interferons have flu like symptoms.  When I started the meds, I was feeling weak, pins and needly, and limpy.  I said, do I want to have a cold on top of that.  No siree.\n\nI mean, you really have to talk to your NEURO, and what (s)he recommends.  It just so happened that the first NEURO in 1999, recommended Avonex as he was drinking out of an Avonex branded mug (no foolin!).  That is what turned me off from the med idea in the first place.  My SECOND neuro, he asked me my concerns, and we decided on Copaxone.  Yes, it's daily, but it's under the skin, and it just has local reactions for me as a side effect.\n\nI WAS PETRIFIED of giving myself these shots.  Many of the companies (my drugs, included) have autojectors, so you don't even have to see the needle.  Copaxone (or my doctor, I can't remember, it was so long ago!)... required me to have a home care nurse there the first time to show me how to administer the drugs.  I gave it to myself without hesitation the first time!  I am a little wary of someone else doing it (though she had recommended that my fiance learn how, too).\n\nResult?  Well, there's not much to say!  (that's a good thing)... my original symptoms had faded, and I don't know if that was the copaxone or what.  I've been on it since 2/2004 (wow!  going on 2 years soon!), and I have NO NEW LESIONS!  boy, that's more exciting than I thought it was going to be.\n\nNow, your milage WILL vary, and unlike my first time experience, you will LIKELY have to go through a few drugs to find one you like.\n\nGood luck to you!
891991
I don't know if this helps.  It IS confusing to figure out how it might happen that you would be exposed 16 years ago and just now have an outbreak.  That doesn't seem possible.  However, it is possible to be infected 16 years ago and never have had a primary or recurrent outbreak.\n\nWhat Happens\n\nYou can become infected with genital herpes when the herpes simplex virus (HSV) enters the body through sexual or other direct contact with herpes sores. HSV infections cannot be cured. Once you are infected with HSV, the virus remains in your body for the rest of your life. Many people do not develop symptoms and thus are unaware that they have the virus.\n\nFirst-time (primary) outbreak\n\nThe incubation period—the time from exposure to genital herpes until the primary outbreak of infection—is 2 to 14 days. The entire body may be affected, causing you to feel as though you have the flu. Blisters appear around the genitals or anus or in the area where the virus entered the body. The blisters break within a few days and become painful, oozing sores. The sores usually heal within 3 weeks (without treatment) and do not leave scars. Sores that occur in women usually take longer to heal than sores that occur in men.\n\nRecurrent outbreak\n\nAfter the primary outbreak, the herpes simplex virus remains in the nerve cells below the skin in the area where the sores first appeared. The virus stays in the nerve cells but becomes dormant, causing no symptoms. In most people, the virus becomes active from time to time, traveling from the nerve cells to the skin and causing repeated blisters and sores (recurrent outbreaks). \n\nSores from recurrent outbreaks usually heal faster and are less painful than those from the primary outbreak. People report that certain factors such as stress, illness, new sex partners, or menstruation may trigger recurrent outbreaks.\n\nAbout half of the people who have recurrent outbreaks of genital herpes feel an outbreak coming a few hours to a couple of days before it happens. They may feel tingling, burning, itching, numbness, tenderness, or pain where the blisters are going to appear. This is called the prodrome.\n\nPeople who have symptoms average five outbreaks per year during the first few years. Most have fewer outbreaks after that. The pattern of recurrent outbreaks—how often genital herpes infections return and how long outbreaks last—varies greatly. Some people have many outbreaks each year while others have only a few or none at all.\n\nGenital herpes infections caused by HSV-1 recur less frequently than those caused by HSV-2.
1020324
Herpes zoster is caused by a varicella zoster, the same virus that causes chickenpox, and the reinfection in an adult is often known as shingles.  When you get chickenpox as a child, the virus often migrates to the root ganglion of certain nerve cells and remains dormant, sometimes throughout your life.  About 20% of all adults will get an outbreak of shingles later in life, usually with advancing age.  Some causes for the reoccurrance are immunosuppression (either as a result of age, stress, depression, or other disease) or chemotherapy.  It is usually not deadly if treated promptly and properly, and with the newer anti-viral medications available on the market, only lasts a little while.  It is exceedingly difficult to eliminate it for good, since it just goes dormant again rather than dying out completely.
1176134
I believe you have! I had the same thing happen on my thigh. It was a large area and was soooooo itchy!I took about 2 weeks to get back to normal. I did not seek medical help, but that might be the wisest thing to do
173988
Office of Disease Prevention\n\nSHINGLES (herpes zoster)\n \n\n\n(This material is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical care. Direct specific questions to your medical provider.)\n\nWhat is shingles?\nShingles is a localized infection due to the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. It occurs only in people who have had chickenpox in the past and represents a reactivation of the dormant varicella virus. Why the virus reactivates in some individuals and not in others is unknown.\n\nWho gets shingles?\nThe disease is primarily seen in the elderly, but occasionally occurs in younger individuals. It affects both sexes and all races with equal frequency and occurs sporadically throughout the year.\n\nHow is shingles spread?\nA person must have already had chickenpox in the past to develop shingles. Contact with an infected individual does not cause another person's dormant virus to reactivate. However, the virus from a shingles patient may cause chickenpox in someone who has not had it before.\n\nWhat are the symptoms of shingles?\nThe first sign is often a tingling feeling on the skin, itchiness or a stabbing pain. After several days, a rash appears beginning as a band or patch of raised dots on the side of the trunk or face. It then develops into small, fluid-filled blisters which begin to dry out and crust over within a few days. When the rash is at its peak, symptoms can range from mild itching to extreme and intense pain. The rash and pain usually disappear within three to five weeks.\n\nHow soon after infection do symptoms appear?\nThe virus lies dormant in someone who has had chickenpox in the past. It can reactivate many years later.\n\nWhen and for how long is a person able to spread shingles?\nA person exposed to a patient with shingles will not get shingles but may get chickenpox. The virus is present at the site of the rash and is contagious for a week after the appearance of lesions (blisters).\n\nWhat are the complications associated with shingles?\nShingles is not usually dangerous to healthy individuals although it can cause great misery during an attack. Anyone with shingles on the upper half of their face, no matter how mild, should seek medical care at once. There is some danger that the virus could cause damage to the eye resulting in blindness. Complications are rare but may include partial facial paralysis (usually temporary), ear damage or encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).\n\nWhat is the treatment for shingles?\nMost cases of shingles resolve on their own without specific treatment. Two medications available for use by physicians in treating immunocompromised patients are vidarabine and acyclovir.\n\nWhat can be done to prevent the spread of shingles?\nChickenpox must be prevented in order to prevent shingles. A live attenuated viral vaccine against chickenpox was licensed in the U.S. in 1995 and is very effective (95% efficacy).\n\n \nChickenpox is an infection with a blistering rash, which is caused by the Varicella virus. This virus also causes shingles. \n\nCourse and Symptoms\nThe incubation period, the length of time from exposure to the virus to developing the condition, is two to three weeks. If someone in the house has chickenpox, the likelihood of someone else in the house catching it, who has not already had it, is as much as 90% ie 9 out of 10. \n\nChickenpox usually affects children and starts with a slightly raised temperature, and feeling under the weather, along with the development of red spots, mainly on the body and face. \n\nThe spots appear over a few days and progress from being red spots to forming blisters, which eventually burst, dry, and crust, ultimately to heal. The spots are very itchy, and if the child scratches and infects them they will leave scars. \n\nBy the time the spots have stopped forming and are dried over and the temperature has fallen back to normal, the child is no longer infectious. Usually