Contagion

By breejanai - 11/04/2017 04:00

Today, while working as a veterinary assistant, an owner stood extremely close to me and kept accidentally petting me instead of her dog. After her dog was examined, she asked me if I'd ever had the chickenpox because she has shingles and it's contagious to those who haven't. I haven't. FML
I agree, your life sucks 5 675
You deserved it 307
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Top comments

inappropes 31

How tf do you "accidentally" pet a person and not your dog?

66 1
Garnetshaddow 30

Maybe you had the vaccine! I hope things work out for you.

31 0

Comments

Garnetshaddow 30

Maybe you had the vaccine! I hope things work out for you.

31 0
inappropes 31

How tf do you "accidentally" pet a person and not your dog?

66 1
CassyM 6

I hope you don't get it. Way better for your health if you never do. Those chicken pox parties are very old thinking. That person is rude for being out with active shingles going on. I am guessing because of the dog they might not have had a choice.

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WhatHappenedToIt 22

my grandpa had shingles and he was fine to be around kids older then 5 after a few weeks and he had the side effects for a couple years after.

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Lovefail91 6

the shingles can only go through a wound to infect you I think, and it must be from the pus in the shingles, I could be wrong though.

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rickAUS 22

Correct. Just like chickenpox, it's only contagious if you a) haven't had chickenpox before and; b) come into contact with unscabbed blisters.

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mariri9206 32

Um, I'm pretty sure you could sue her for that. One: It's unwanted touching (or so it seems based on your FML) so you could probably do harassment charges of some sort as well as maybe a battery charge for offensive touching and it's endangering your life and risking your health.

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mariri9206 32

I meant to make a two parter but it morphed into one part. lol

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WhatHappenedToIt 22

umm I think that's backwards...I've been told if you have had chicken pox then your subseptible to shingles, not that the other way around.

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PennyLane27 32

It's from the same virus. Vericella zoster (chicken pox) is a herpes virus. There is an initial sickness (chicken pox), but it never actually goes away. It stays dormant and then can flare up again once you're older or sometimes if you've become immunocompromised. When it flares up again, that's the same virus, but the condition manifests differently as shingles. If you've got an active shingles infection, with open sores and such, it can transmit the zoster virus. OP would be at risk of contracting the virus, which would probably present itself as chicken pox first. And given OP isn't a young child, the chickenpox would likely be more severe.

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WhatHappenedToIt 22

ooh! I get it now. maybe I should be paying attention to the posters then and ask my Dr about a shingles vaccine... :/

0 0
Garnetshaddow 30

It's the same virus. If you get it, it's in your system for life. They call it "chicken pox" when its the first time you get it. It's worse for adults than children. "Shingles" is what it's called when you have outbreaks later in life. It can be brought on by immune disorders or stress. Sometimes they're just random.

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WhatHappenedToIt 22

ahh the being worse for an adult then a child I know is true. my grandpa got it and his symptoms lasted for a few years.

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PennyLane27 32

OP, get to a doctor asap! Maybe it's not too late for a chicken pox vaccine and a shingles vaccine?? Maybe there's something they can do? Ugh. it should be a criminal offense to knowingly infect someone with something like that!

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redlizzybeth 25

I would contact your doctor and the health department. If that person has active shingles and is wandering around then the health department would be the best group to address it.

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Jweyker85 2

You are susceptible to shingles if you HAVE had chickenpox, not if you HAVEN'T. And yes, the pictures need to be active for you to contract it. If you haven't had chickenpox, you're fine. But I would say go get the chickenpox vaccine if you're a candidate, because shingles hurts like all holy hell!

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Garnetshaddow 30

If you've never had chicken pox you can get it from somebody who has shingles. Same virus.

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never_three 21

Well you can get the shingles if you've had the chicken pox anyways.

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