Hello,
I was wondering how many of us had this when we were children and if it has come back to haunt us as adults in the form of PN. If any studies have been done in this area I would appreciate you posting any links. Thinking a bit further many of us were vaccinated for polio also. Thanks
Lanny

I had chicken pox, was vaccinated for small pox and took polio sugar cubes.

No vaccination available when I was a kid - got chicken pox when I was 13... was given a polio shot vaccine and small pox when very very young....

I thought the chicken pox came back as shingles?

Yes, kmeb, the chicken pox virus reappears as shingles. I don't know of any association with PN. But then I'm not a doctor, either!

Shirley H.

I had chicken pox, was vaccinated for small pox and took polio sugar cubes.Me too Joe--I had forgotten all about the little polio sugar cubes!

My daughter had shingles when she was 18 and it still flares up at times. I have never heard of a connection with neuropathy, but I have heard of a connection with shingles and celiac disease.

My mother had it years and years ago. It's very very painful (she would tell me over and over). I believe it's the Herpes Zoster Virus or something like that. It's when you have the chicken pox virus (Varicella) inside you but you don't get chicken pox. At least that's what I've believed all these years.

But I seem to remember someone telling me that you can only get it on one quadrant of your body at a time. Like if you have it on your face, you can't get it on your leg,( now why on earth do I remember this stuff, it's probably wrong!!!).

Also my Aunt Josey had it in her eye and the lady across the street from me had it in her eye also. The lady across the street is now 97 and she still talks about it. She had it for years.

Now how on earth can shingles last for years. It's a virus so I gather antibiotics don't help, right?

Melody

From what I understand it is caused by the chicken pox virus and once you have chicken pox, that virus lays dormant in your system. Sometimes, something stressful will cause the dormant virus to come to life, so to speak and cause shingles. My daughter got shingles when she was taking a driver's training course and the teachers was a nasty man who teased the kids. To this day, she does not have a license to drive and she is 24. Her shingles were on her ribs and very painful. At stressful times, they will flare up and give her pain.

Holly had chicken pox when she was 3 or 4 yrs old, so yes, you can get shingles even if you have had chicken pox.

I had written a follow up with a lot of info but the post was not recorded so here is a short version. I went to Mayo clinic and Merck medical manual and did a search for Varicella-Zoster Virus: the primary infection that causes chickenpox also a member of the herpes family. Herpes Zoster the reactivation of the virus that causes shingles. Deb you are right about the VZV being dormant in the body after having chickenpox, what caught my eye is that it lays dormant in the nerves of the body and if the herpes zoster erupts into shingles it travels the nerves paths of the body and can infect the spinal cord. My thinking is a form of shingles exists that just attacks the peripheral nerves which would be in the category of idiopathic neuropathy.