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Erica Sanchez
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| Posted: April 28 2011 at 12:02pm | IP Logged
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Well, we have it. I had been reading the thread about teens and chicken pox worrying that none of my kids have had it and now we do. :)
Everyone is terribly disappointed that we'll miss the big homeschooling camping trip this weekend, although many families want their children exposed and are encouraging us to come. If Luke was a bit closer to the end, we might consider it, but he has way too many open pox to risk secondary infection.
No one else has broken out and I'm wondering if they will in the next few days or if they weren't exposed when Luke was. No fevers or anything either. I had them all share drinks and food this morning, which just sounds gross, but I really want everyone to get it now.
Some of my friends would like to come over and expose their children. I am completely fine with that, but read in an older thread that purposely exposing a child to the virus might not always be wise.
Any thoughts before I open my home/germs to friends?
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Have a beautiful and fun day!
Erica in San Diego
(dh)Cash, Emily, Grace, Nicholas, Isabella, Annie, Luke, Max, Peter, 2 little souls ++, and sweet Rose who is legally ours!
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: April 28 2011 at 12:11pm | IP Logged
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i would have a hard time purposely exposing my children, I mean on one hand I understand but on the other I'm thinking.. I always try and protect my children, help them stay well, and now I'm purposely making them sick (maybe.. exposure doesn't guarantee catching).. it just doesn't work for me.
But I wouldn't be concerned that others came over I don't think.. as long as they were well. chicken pox is an illness and the last thing I'd want to do is expose the sick child to another illness when their immune system is already struggling with chickenpox.
The one thing is that I wouldn't take them somewhere that people who aren't trying to be exposed are. The one time my kids were exposed. The boy across the street apparently had a light case and was required to stay home from school.. but he was out front playing.. it was 5 weeks before Thanksgiving when my whole family was coming from out of town because I was due with #8 right after Thanksgiving (family was going to do all the cooking etc). I was absolutely furious. Because incubation would have put all my kids down and sick while I'm in labor/have a new baby exposed to a whole house of it etc.. not to mention all the out of town relatives (my family getting together like that doesn't happen often) that I might have to cancel at the last minute.. or might be here when everyone came down sick. 
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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stellamaris
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| Posted: April 28 2011 at 1:09pm | IP Logged
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No advice here, Erica, just prayers!
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In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to  dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
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Erica Sanchez
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| Posted: April 28 2011 at 1:59pm | IP Logged
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Jodie,
I totally understand what you are saying. I've put out emails letting everyone know what is going on here and asking if there is anyone who doesn't want to be exposed for whatever reasons. So far, everyone either wants to be exposed or has been vaccinated and doesn't care. Luke won't be going anywhere. It's the others that I don't know quite what to do about. I'll wait and see if anyone objects to them being out and about. We have one class tomorrow and then Mass on Sunday. Would you take your kids to Mass if they had no symptoms?
Normally, we are quite careful if anyone is sick. My thought here is that if my other children were exposed at the same time as Luke, would they be breaking out in the rash by now? And, if they are only now being exposed via Luke, they won't be contagious, if they even catch it, for another two weeks or so. I don't care if we miss anything for a few weeks, but what if only a few catch it and come down with symptoms in a few weeks, and then a few more after that and so on. It could go on and on and on. Has this been anyone's experience?
What I learned from my research on chicken pox is that if a person is exposed and actually catches the virus, they will have symptoms anywhere from 10 to 21 days afterward, normally appearing between 14 and 16 days. If you have no symptoms after 21 days, you do not have the virus.
My sister was here on Easter and her boys are not vaccinated. She was thrilled to think her kids may have been exposed even after I reminded her that they may come down with symptoms right about the time of her oldest son's First Holy Communion. She said he could make it with my daughter in June. I'm not sure I would have been that happy or easy-going. :)
Sigh. Much to think about.
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Have a beautiful and fun day!
Erica in San Diego
(dh)Cash, Emily, Grace, Nicholas, Isabella, Annie, Luke, Max, Peter, 2 little souls ++, and sweet Rose who is legally ours!
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MaryM
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| Posted: April 28 2011 at 2:43pm | IP Logged
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Erica, you have probably read my take on this from the older thread(s). I have no problem with purposeful exposure. It is unfortunate that the situation is such that it is often very difficult to get it without doing so. An update from the last time I wrote about this is that after trying several times over the course of 8 years, we finally did have an exposure for #4 that resulted in him getting them. The thing with a casual exposure (from friends for a few hours) verses familial (over many days) is that you do get a milder case. That to me is benefit. Hopefully all children get it from that exposure but the reallity is that doesn't necessarily happen.
So...if everyone was exposed at the same time as Luke, they could still come down with them, but it could be still many days. Let's say he was exposed and came down this them on the short end of incubation (10 days) but it incubates in your other kids a different length of time - even up to the 21 days. That would mean you could have kids end up coming down with them from the same exposure but 11 days after Luke. Add to that the fact that now he does have them and the rest of the family is now exposed so those kiddos could come down with them in 10 days anyway from that exposure. Or it could be up to the 21 days.
So really you should consider the kids potential for being contagious for the next 3 weeks. But that doesn't necessarily mean you need to curtail all activiity. They are not contagious until just before the first pox start to appear. In most cases you have warning signs - slightly elevated temperature and feeling a bit yucky or under the weather 24 hours before the pox, during which time they are contagious. For a child who is not feverish and feeling fine, it's very unlikely they are in the beginning stages yet, so not contagious. With children in that condition I would generally do the regular activities. With any who are under the weather, consider it start of pox and no exposure unless to those who want it. Being in small, enclosed areas with others is a bigger risk for transmission, so avoid situations where that may be the case - or where there are pregnant moms or newborns. Outdoors, areas where they are not in close contact with others, low risk even if they are contagious.
Starting to ramble so got to go for now.
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Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
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Erica Sanchez
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| Posted: April 28 2011 at 5:44pm | IP Logged
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Super helpful, Mary! I was thinking the same thing about the incubation times. My head was swimming a bit at that point and thought my local group might think me mad if I started explaining it all. 
Cash may take some non-symptomatic kids up to the mountains for the day on Saturday. :)
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Have a beautiful and fun day!
Erica in San Diego
(dh)Cash, Emily, Grace, Nicholas, Isabella, Annie, Luke, Max, Peter, 2 little souls ++, and sweet Rose who is legally ours!
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4Real Forums : Our Lady of Good Remedy and Care
Topic: My Luke has chicken pox
