Re: [JRA]chicken pox potentially fatal?

[Guest guest]

Becki or Val or whoever-

Why is chicken pox potentially fatal to kids with jra? I'd heard the chicken pox vaccine is live and is not recommended, but not this.

Diane (, 3 pauci)

[Guest guest]

Hi Diane,

Kids with JRA as you know have a messed up immune system,then the drugs they take alter the immune system and lower it.So some infections like chicken pox and pneumonia and the flu can be devastating because the immune system just cant fight it like people whos immune system is normal.To most of us adults chicken pox was a right of passage,just being a part of childhood.Every year several children died from it,so that is why they decided to come out with a vaccine.The ones that died almost always had something wrong with there immune system,wheather it was from a disease or meds they took.Look at West Nile virus,most people only get flu like symptoms or dont get sick at all,the ones that get really sick or die are the elderly and peolpe with lowered immune systems.Go back to when was a baby and getting her live polio vaccine.They should have asked you if you had anyone in your home with HIV or a suppressed immune system because if they changed s poopy diaper they could contract the Polio virus.Sorry to get so involved in answering your question.You know I love to ramble.

Hugs

Becki and 4systemic

[Guest guest]

Becki-

You can ramble all you like :-) Actually, I don't remember ever getting any kind of warning with any of my kids' vaccines . . . how nice. Now I'll be in a panic if I hear of anyone at 's school having chicken pox. Always something. Thanks for the info.

Diane (, 3, pauci)

[Guest guest]

Hi Diane:

We went through a lot of scary times before Mickey finally did get chicken pox. BUT - there is a product available that if does get exposed, she can take this med for a week or ten days, I forget, that helps her suppressed immune system fight it. Mickey went on it, but she had to come off the mtx, too, for a month, so her body could fight the chicken pox. I forget the name, I'll look it up in the archives, or somewhere and get back to you. It really made the chicken pox very easy on her. They only give it to high risk people... HIV, or kids like ours with compromised immune systems. I want to say cyclosporine, but I'm not sure thats right. Pretty sure its wrong, actually... something sounding like that...? I'll get back with it soon.

Lynn

From: dbornscheu@...

Reply-

Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 17:29:42 EDT

Subject: Re: chicken pox potentially fatal?

Becki-

You can ramble all you like :-) Actually, I don't remember ever getting any kind of warning with any of my kids' vaccines . . . how nice. Now I'll be in a panic if I hear of anyone at 's school having chicken pox. Always something. Thanks for the info.

Diane (, 3, pauci)