hello, new to the forum; my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in October and is currently undergoing chemo. I am really worried as i have been in contact with someone with shingles; can anyone tell me anymore about the risk to mum from me having been in contact with shingles?
Thank you
Hi Mandy
Welcome to the BCC forums, please feel free to call our helpline for further information, it’s open in the morning from 9am on 0808 800 6000.
Take care
Lucy
Mandy to get shingles you need to have had chicken-pox in the past and have been in contact with the person with shingles yourself. Yuor mum might like to ring the help line as suggested and mention it to Onc and / orchemo suite nurses before her next chemo if she is worried. Jackie
Someone who has shingles cannot pass shingles on, but they can give chickenpox to you if you haven’t had chickenpox. So it all depends on whether you have had chickenpox. If you haven’t, you could now catch it, and your mum might be at risk if she hasn’t had chickenpox.
I had shingles when I was having herceptin. I had to stay away from the chemo suite until it was gone to avoid infecting anyone there.
Strangely I had shingles six weeks after my MIL had it, and she had it 6 weeks after her friend. Even so the doctors were adamant that you cannot ‘catch’ shingles, you get it when your immune system is low and the chickenpox virus re-emerges (if you have had chickenpox the virus then lies dormant in your body and can then give you shingles at a later date)