Question:
Shingles- Are they contagious and can I get them after having WLS?

My mother has shingles will she be able to see me when I return home ?will there be a chance of me getting this because I just had surgery?    — meredith B. (posted on June 12, 2003)

June 12, 2003
Shingles are caused by the same virus that caused chicken pox. They are contagious. People who are stressed can pick it up pretty easy. I would say that surgery is a stressor. I certainly wouldn't touch skin with her. But I don't think I would quarantine her from you either.
   — lindadougherty

June 12, 2003
I had shingles six months ago. They are a form of the virus that causes chicken pox. You can only get shingles if you have had the chicken pox. They usually appear at times of stress. You cannot get them from another person but you can get chicken pox if you haven't had them and haven't been immunized against them if you touch the blisters directly. If you don't touch them then you should be ok.
   — libra966

June 12, 2003
Please ask your surgeon what he/she thinks. My husband had shingles last month (only about 5 outbreak spots about a quarter size each --- we were lucky caught it early). His doctor said that as long as he kept the sores covered we were OK. I had shingles a few years ago and we had to be really careful as my husband had never had chicken pox so that made him more suseptible ... luckily he didn't get them at that time. I also just had a few spots on my back. Sure hope your mom feels better soon. They can be so painful.
   — [Deactivated Member]

June 12, 2003
I had shingles a couple of years ago, it was awful, they are very contagious during the time of blistering, just like chicken poxs. So if she has blisters do not go near her, other wise it would probley be okay. Hope this helps
   — cindy

June 12, 2003
Yes, and yes. The other answers are correct. Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. It is important to avoid exposure to all illness right after surgery... your normal immune system will be stressed out already and you don't need to be catching anything!
   — Anne R.

June 13, 2003
i agree with MOST of what the other posters said... it IS very contagious (it is spread via air), it is contagious from about a day or so BEFORE the lesions show until they are dried up, and persons with compromised immune systems, and pregnant women, are at the highest risk of complications if they are exposed. yes, surgery is a major stressor -- which could render you more susceptible to contracting it (you don't mention if you ever had chicken pox). besides the pain associated with this, there is also a real risk of "superinfection" where a bacterial infection arises on the site of tissue compromised by this VIRAL infection. nasty to deal with, and very nasty to have. and, even though the patients have these lesions on their skins, actually this infection is located in nerves, so, pain is a significant factor. and, by the way, when i had this, (the first time), my daughter (then 1 year old) caught chicken pox as a result of her exposure to me. the second time i had it, her younger brother was an infant, and i had to be hospitalized, on iv's, in a room with universal precautions... the doctors and nurses had to gown, glove and mask when they came in, and the dietary workers couldn't enter my room, rather, they slid my tray in, and someone would have to get it to me...in reverse, since it was disposable, it was just trashed. not everyone who comes in contact with a patient with shingles will develop problems, however, as i said, there are groups who are at higher risk, and you appear to be in one.... why don't you ask your surgeon and/or your primary care physician???
   — tuxedoll