is it just me or would this make you mad?

Question

my little boys nan usualy haves him over on a friday night and when she got here to pick him up this week she said she has shingles, but its not catching and so theres no need for me to worry about him getting it from her, well getting chicken pox anyway. so agreed that she could take him. and now, i have just researched it and found out that it is contagous and now my son, who is not even 2 yet could, and probably will, get chicken pox! (he catches everything someone could sneeze 6 miles away and he would catch their cold)

im really really angry with her now as i am actualy going on holiday tomorow so its going to be a nightmare if he has chicken pox while im away!!

to all the people that say i should be mad at myself and that its my fault, can you tell my why i should dis-beleive someone who says that their doctor had told them it was not catching? im not angry at the fact he could get it as i know kids get things and theres nothing you can do i am angry at the fact that she knows im going away and still told me it was not contagious!

Answer 1

Hi
i think the chicken pox virus has a 2 week incubation period so you could be back from your hols before any spots appear.

Think his nan was probably mis informed would she have taken him if she knew she could give him the virus?

Answer 2

Well if her gp told her it wasnt contageous, I dont think its fair to be mad at your sons Nan - She did after all ask the doc, and she then also informed you before caring for your son.
I can see why you would be frustrated at the thought of your son being ill while you are on holiday - but that asside I'd be pleased to expose my child at a young age to chicken pox. Small children deal with it sooo much better than older children! lol And I hear the older you are the worse chicken pox can be.
I'd see it as a blessing that its another common childhood illness been through and done with.
I truely hope your son isnt ill for your holiday, but my friends child had chicken pox when she was about 16 months - came out in 2 spots and that was it!! Her son also had very few spots and didnt feel ill at all - he was around 2 and a half. SO even if worst comes to worst and your son does get the pox, he might not even be too bad with it ;)
Enjoy your holiday!!

Answer 3

No it ISN'T just you .... as a couple of others may have suggested ..

YES the kid will probably get them in his life ... and infact IF it wasn't for the fact that you are going on holidays .. I would possibly say that it isn't a MASSIVE issue ( still most annoying BUT the holiday factor makes it massive) ..

Shingles is something that some adults get sometimes if they had the chicken-pox at an older age ( teen or adult ) I BELIEVE ( and will happily stand corrected) that it is the same virus.. and that if a person contracts chicken-pox at an early age.. they are less likely to get shingles ( has something to do with the way the body develops it's immunity... but again if somebody has information to the contrary PLEASE post it)....

ALSO .. some diseases have an incubation period and after it has passed the illness is no longer contageous .. BUT .. I would never risk passing a germ onto another person if i could avoid it .. so If I was your boys nan.. i would have called you and told you the story ....and not taken him this Friday.

WHAT the inconsiderate thing is .. that IF she KNEW you were soon to go on holidays .. and she was ill .. and that there was a possible chance HOWEVER slight that your son COULD catch something .. she should have declined to take him for a sleep over.

RE chicken-pox though .. a while back .. when my daughter was a toddler .. there was a trend to have *chicken-pox parties*. If one child had the chicken-pox their parents would call other parents with young children and invite them over PURPOSELY to expose them to the germ... the reasoning behind this was to get the child infected and over it BEFORE they were old enough to start school. A child's system seems to handle chicken-pox a lot better than an older person .. so as weird as it seems .. the trend did i guess have it's merits. We didn't attend a party .. we just stumbled across it .

Hope all goes well and he didn't get a bug :)

EDIT .,.. just read a couple of comments re you possibly being annoyed re your holiday being spoiled .. WELL HELL YEAH YOU WOULD HAVE A DAMN RIGHT to feeling that way ... YOU can be concerned for your child being ILL but still be pissed at Nana for passing a germ that ruined your holiday ..

a sick child needs our care .. and I am SURE that you would still care for him and be worried about him, ... but you have obviously had plans WHICH I AM THINKING INCLUDES your son .. and having him fall ill because of somebody else's misinformation and actions would piss me off too...

Answer 4

For a start, shingles is really painful, way more so that chickenpox. So perhaps you could have let her have the night off and kept you son at home for her sake!

Chicken pox takes 10 - 14 days to appear, so if you are going away, the chances are you could be back before it breaks out. Just make sure you have travel insurance - my little boy got chicken pox when we were on holiday, and we were not allowed to fly home! Instead, our insurance company paid for us to stay for an extra week.

Answer 5

Can I just point out that shingles can be a horribly painful condition and your mil is probably not feeling very good anyway. Her doctor might have given her information which she believed. You can be angry if you wish, but I think you are being a little self centred. Your child could have caught chicken pox from anyone. Your mil didn't want shingles - it wasn't a choice.

Answer 6

I am sure your nan didn't intentionally mislead you as to the fact of whether she is contagious or not. Most older people do believe that the shingles bacteria is not directly connected to chickenpox.
If your mother or motherinlaw is good enough to have your son every friday night maybe you should cut her a little slack as am sure she will be feeling pretty bad if her grandson gets chickenpox because of her.
You should also perhaps be more concerned about how your childs nan is feeling and if she could perhaps do with a little sympathy and concern instead of moaning about the holiday you may have to miss. The poor woman is most likely not feeling at all well and you come across as very heartless.
You should also get used to having holidays and well anything that you can possibly think of doing ruined due to children vomiting or hurting themselves as it is just part of being a mother.

Answer 7

Hey look on the bright side - if your boy gets chicken pox it's at least one thing you won't have to worry about and if he catches it on holiday, chances are that your health insurance will pay for you both to stay longer... (in Europe they would anyway, don't know what your location is). Win-win situation, is it not?

Hope that if he does get it, your boy feels better soon and that he only gets a few spots. Calamine lotion helps with the itching by the way. Best of luck...

Answer 8

chicken pox is easier for the child when caught at a young age, although this doesn't help if you're on holiday when he has an outbreak because most airlines won't let people travel with the condition. in answer to you question, yes it does make me mad in situations like that, but you should have checked it up first and not accepted the words of an elderly lady who probably did things a lot different in her day.

Answer 9

I think its safer on the kids if they catch the chicken pox when there young expecially boys as it can affect there ability to have kids later on if they catch it when there older but yes i would be angry with this person she should not have took him

my dad got the shingles and he kept his grandkids away untill his cleared

Answer 10

I think you are missing a very important point about how lucky you are to have a Nan who will care for your child every week. The fact that the poor woman is ill through no fault of her own, and may I point out that Shingles is very nasty, I think that you are extremly selfish. Children get these things anyway and far better to get it now than at 36 like myself. I have never felt so ill in my life. I would sugest that you repay the Nan by looking after her whilst she is ill, as she has been kind enough to care for your child every Friday night. Heaven forbid that the poor woman was to feel guilty about passing it on while she is herself unwell. Do you get my point?