So Sheltered I could die…

Many people my age or older have had the pox of a chicken at some point before now.

Not me. I have never had the chicken pox.

There are pros and cons to never having the chicken pox:

I have always been able to refuse to babysit or care for anyone who has it. You can get out of a lot of responsibilities if you use the power wisely.

Another plus is I don’t have any scarring from those awful bumps and I never had the pleasure of having an oatmeal bath or whatever it is that soothes the chicken pox.

But, working with the public poses a threat as many people have young children who are at the ripe chicken poxing age or are carrying the dreaded pox bacteria. I could get really sick I hear, shingles even… WebMd says that shingles are caused by the herpes zoster ophthalmicus virus…. I could get herpes…This just got real people.

Apparently there is a new vaccine out there to prevent the chicken pox and it has been suggested that people like me should get this vaccine. This person is scared of needles so I did some research .

After reading up on the vaccine, I found out I don’t know if I’d rather have the chicken pox instead…

www.CaringforKids.cps.ca says

 “It is very safe.

With any vaccine, there may be some redness, swelling or pain at the place where the needle went into the arm or leg. This is not dangerous and will only last a day or two.

Some people will get a very mild case of chickenpox (less than 50 spots) 1 or 2 weeks after they get the vaccine.”

photo credit: meme-pictures.feedio.net

So even if I get the vaccine I could get the chicken pox…and I wonder if I’m going to get vaccinated as an adult does that mean that I would get a mild case or get a normal to crazy bad case and could have just done without the vaccination in the first place?

There are some discrepancies about why I have never contracted the spots. My mother is from South America and did not get the chicken pox until coming to Canada. She cannot recall when she had them (how convenient), if she was married or if she was pregnant or if was when she first came here. I assumed that she had it when she was pregnant with me, hence why I did not get it. But then I read this:

“Babies who get chickenpox from their mothers before birth could be born with birth defects. Some examples of these birth defects are skin scars, eye problems or arms and legs that are not fully formed.” – www.CaringforKids.cps.ca

I got my arms, legs and no defects that I know of... Except my eyes- I have glasses…does that count??

My sister has had the pox as well and I didn’t contract it from her, so I’m assuming I had it in the womb- the best place to have it.

Another reason maybe not to get this vaccine is that you need to get it twice. Two is never a good number when talking needles. I made it this far so I guess I will revisit the issue if I decide to ever have children- either get the vaccine so they don’t infect me or use it for a free vacation!