Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[JulesL]

I can't believe it. My son was sent home from nursery today because they thought he had shingles. Took him to the doctor who raised an eyebrow when I said they thought he had shingles and when she actually looked at his back and stomach she couldn't believe it and confirmed he had!

 

She confirmed it was the youngest case of shingles she had ever seen or heard of.

 

He isn't even 3 yet...

[Egluntyne]

Poor lad.

 

I hope he isn't feeling too poorly.

[Snowy]

Oh bless him, that is not nice Plenty of calpol, poor little thing

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Help . I thought you only got shingles if you'd had chickenpox already .

 

Poor little thing, I believe it can be nasty . Hope he's not feeling too poorly .

[dogs and chickens]

I had shingles following a major car crash a few years ago (apparently it can be brought on by stress). It is really not nice and must be awful for your poor little chap who I'm sure does not understand. My next door neighbour has it at the moment and has been told by his doctor to keep away from babies and young children as they can get it really badly, I assumed he meant they would get chicken pox clearly I was wrong!

[Clur]

I feel for your little lad. My son had shingles when he was 5, not nice. He'd previously had a v.mild dose of chickenpox, and then got it very badly about 3 months ago (I was in hospital with v.meningitis - how's that for timing?!).

 

I thought kids could only get chickenpox once, and that they couldn't get shingles, show's how much I know!

 

Hope he has a speedy recovery and isn't in too much pain.

[BeckyBoo]

Poor little mite, hope he's not too bad with it. Is it the same as shingles in adults as I know that can be nasty. Hope he gets better soon, lots of love to him

 

Mrs B

[Cate in NZ]

Oh poor little lad, that sounds miseable for him

I hope that he makes a quick recovery and that he's not too unwell with it.

[Guest]

It seems strange to hear of so many cases of shingles. My daughter (19) has just had it, fortunately not too badly.

 

We were told at the hospital that you can only get shingles if you've had chicken pox as it is a flare up of the virus which remains dormant in your nerve endings. Shingles cannot be caught by anyone else, but as it is the chicken pox virus, those who haven't had CP might catch it. The doctor also said people don't usually have it more than once, but twice is possible.

 

I wonder why there are so many cases around?

[rusky123]

So sorry for your son. It can be really painful.You usually hear of it in adults. Fingers crossed it will be a mild dose, I hope so, and wish your son a quick recovery!

[Karen & co.]

Poor little man hope it's only a mild case and he gets better soon.

 

Karen x

[Cinnamon]

Cleo gets ruccuring Shingles,but has not had an attack for a few years now.

In fact she must have been about 3 when she got her first one,& it was following Chicken Pox.

She must have had it 8 or so times so far.

 

My doctor told me that its not contagious,so there is no reason to keep them at home. I used to pop down to school every break time to dose her up with Calpol

[JulesL]

Thank you all for your kind messages. He seems ok in himself and doesn't have a temperature. I know the spots are irritating him though and I caught them when I picked him up this afternoon - he really cried.

 

He had chicken pox when he was 3 months old. No idea why this has suddenly happened. He has been in really good health this year - hasn't had a thing!

[Seagazer]

Oh bless him - I hope he feels better soon.

 

My OH had it a few years ago. He was in a lot of pain and had a strange rash. I said I thought it was shingles. He saw practice nurse who said he must have strained his back. He went back and saw a doctor who said he had a rare form as it wasn't the normal sort of spots.

[redhotchick]

The poor child! Hope he gets better soon.

I believe there is a drug for shingles but not sure if it would be suitable for a small child. I think it has to be given quite early on (but I'm not sure). It is based on Acyclovir.

I had shingles when I was 30. I was aware of the drug but thought I'd just let it run it's course. I wish I hadn't. I was quite poorly.

[..lay a little egg for me]

Sorry to hear about your son...poor little mite. I expect that having CP so young meant that he did not develop full immunity like an older child would.

 

Normally, after you recover from chickenpox, the virus 'hibernates' in your nerves and periodically 'reactivates' (wakes up), reproduces and some of the virus and travels down the nerves to your skin where it tries to become shingles, if you have full immunity, however, your immune system kills it off before you get shingles. As your immunity to the virus fades with age, one day it fails to kill off the reactivated virus and you get shingles, which is why it is generally elderly people who get it. When you do get a dose of shingles it acts like a vaccine booster dose and your immunity is restored so you don't get it again. However if the initial dose of CP or later shingles is mild you may be at risk of getting shingles again. Also if you have a weakened immune system for another reason such as HIV infection, transplant drugs etc.

 

In your son's case, his immune system was not able to create a solid defence against the virus, so when it reactivated, it turned into shingles. The immune system is not normally fully functioning until around 5 years old, so I think that having CP so young was the problem. My son had CP at 9 months so I would not be surprised if he got shingles young too.

 

Acyclovir and famciclovir are both used for shingles but are only effective if taken during the first couple of days when the patient feels poorly (flu like symptoms) but before the rash appears. The drugs can shorten the duration of the disease and also help prevent or lessen the nerve pain (called postherpetic neuralgia) that can occur afterwards in elderly patients. They are not licensed for use in children though.

 

Hope this info helps.

[JulesL]

Very informative, thanks!

 

He is having 2.5ml of Acyclovir 4 times a day although he didn't start his medication until Tues. His first spots appeared on Sat! Every now and then he'll suddenly burst into tears saying that his spots hurt but generally he is fine although not sleeping well

[Tiggy]

hope your little one feels better soon, I'm seeing a lot of chickenpox & shingles at the moment

[AnnieP]

How is he today?

[JulesL]

He is ok - he just reminded me that he needed his medicine - I'd forgotten! I can't believe I'm being reminded by a 2 year old!! His brother is at home today so is playing with him. Every now and then he complains about his spots and he had a restless night but at least he is eating and playing ok. He has just been out feeding the chickens too.

[Mrs Frugal]

Oh bless, Jules. Sorry, I've only just seen your topic. I hope the little fella is soon feeling much better.

[Cooks]

Sorry only just seen this, I hope he is feeling a little better now he's on his medication. Bless his heart.

[Gamebird]

Jules, sorry to hear your little boy has shingles. Poor wee soul. I hope he recovers soon.

 

Caroline, thanks for the interesting information about shingles - how, why and when you get it. It really made sense. Thanks

[Ange1]

Jules, your poor little lad I hope he's better soon.

 

I had a rare form of shingles last year and was off work two weeks, was really poorly with the most painful stabbing pains in my sides!

 

As someone else said on here, it's not as uncommon as I thought!

[MedusA]

Sending get well vibes to your poor little lad. My brother had shingles. Not nice!