Hello ,
my mum is undergoing chemotherapy , my son currently has chicken pox . My mum has had chickenpox as a child so is there for immune but how does this work with her having chemotherapy ? Does this stop her being immune ? Also when will it be safe for me to let her see my son ?
I had chicken pox as a child so I am immune but if I went to see my mum without my son can I pass it on to her because my son has it for example on my clothes ?
thank you xxx
Dear Jessel,
My name is Kenny and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurses here at Macmillan Cancer Support. Thank you for getting in touch.
I hope your mum is doing well and is coping reasonably well with any potential side effects of her chemotherapy. However, you are right to be vigilant about the potential risk of infection for your mum at this time.
Chemotherapy reduces the number of white blood cells produced by the bone marrow. This can have a detrimental effect on your mum’s immune system and makes her at an increased risk of infection.
If your mum has had chickenpox as a child, then it would be extremely unlikely she will develop chickenpox for a second time. You should be fine to continue to visit your mum yourself as I am sure she will really appreciate the support right now. If you are worried about any clothes being contaminated, then a boil wash will remove this danger.
Your son can spread chickenpox to other people from 2 days before the spots appear until they have all formed scabs (usually 5 days after spots appear). 48 hrs after these scabs have crusted over tends to be considered non-contagious with kids. As discussed, being vigilant is important for your mum right now, so once your son has passed the infected phase above, he should then be able to visit your mum.
I hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Kenny, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.
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Hello ,
my mum is undergoing chemotherapy , my son currently has chicken pox . My mum has had chickenpox as a child so is there for immune but how does this work with her having chemotherapy ? Does this stop her being immune ? Also when will it be safe for me to let her see my son ?
I had chicken pox as a child so I am immune but if I went to see my mum without my son can I pass it on to her because my son has it for example on my clothes ?
thank you xxx
