• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

measles twice anyone

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
Anyone had measles twice. I know normal people once they have had it they say you cant get it twice, but they say that about chickenpox which i have had twice.

Im just asking because the last few days been feeling unwell with typical viral symptoms, headache, dizziness, mild temp and sweating episodes and pulse has been tachy the last few days. I have the drippy nose and sinus symptoms but thats normal for me.

I have seen recently that there have been some measles outbreaks around the city i live, they say outbreak but been several people i guess. Tonight my wife cut my hair and noticed a raised red type rash on left side of my head just above my ear a couple inches square? It looks swollen slightly but not sore to touch. Not dandruff or anything like that.

It could be just a random infection and rash and i will keep an eye on it. For me and i guess other cfsers, we dont have great protection from these infections especially since i have neutropenia and low nk function. Another thought is its some type of die off as i have been attacking my chronic sinus infection with oral abx and a abx nasal spray(which i have used before) and seems to be responding.

The other thing is could it be shingles??

Anyway appreciate if anyone can tell me if they have had measles twice.
 

WillowJ

คภภเє ɠรค๓թєl
Messages
4,940
Location
WA, USA
It's possible to do serological testing to see whether or not you have immunity. But I guess you would know that.

Take care.
 

Sea

Senior Member
Messages
1,286
Location
NSW Australia
I've had measles twice...and chickenpox twice...and whooping cough twice, though I do hear it is unusual. Something definitely wrong with our immune systems.

Of course measles is not the only virus that can give you a rash, but it's still probably worth getting checked out
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
Thanks guys.
I will go and see a doctor tomorrow.
Looking at pics of different rashes online i think it might be the start of shingles? I started taking famvir again a few days ago when i felt viral symptoms come on in case it was my usual cmv, but it felt different, see what tomorrow brings and may up my famvir dose?
I will try and post a pic.
 

bertiedog

Senior Member
Messages
1,738
Location
South East England, UK
No haven't had measles twice but had mumps twice which I didn't think was supposed to happen. Second time was only 10 weeks after giving birth and loosing 4 pints of blood which probably damaged my pituitary.

Hope you soon feel a lot better @heapsreal
 

barbc56

Senior Member
Messages
3,657
I thought a second bout of chicken pox is considered shingles but don't know if that is correct or not.

A friend of mine had shingles twice and I would not wish this on my worse enemy. This is why I got the shingles shot last year.

I also remember something about exposure to chicken pox after you've had it and getting shingles. However my memory is again kind of fuzzy about this. I don’t have time to check this but will layer.

Anyone else hear of this?

Barb
 

Mij

Messages
2,353
@heapsreal I've had dizziness, viral symptoms, sweating etc in the last few days too. Oddly enough I have an elevated red patch on the side of my head. I have the same concern as you.

Shingles is painful from what I've heard.
 

anciendaze

Senior Member
Messages
1,841
I had measles as a child, then, at college, I developed a rash which was diagnosed as rubella (German measles) largely because I couldn't have measles twice. Differential diagnoses are based on a number of symptoms and signs, plus "what's going around". I had photophobia, which is associated with true measles, not rubella, but this was ignored. The problem here is like the problem with diagnosis of mononucleosis, reactivated EBV infection can produce such symptoms, though generally not the distinctive rash. Definitely weird things going on in immune function.

Reactivated chickenpox is named shingles, which has convenient clinical signs. This neatly disposes of the problem for doctors.
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
@heapsreal I've had dizziness, viral symptoms, sweating etc in the last few days too. Oddly enough I have an elevated red patch on the side of my head. I have the same concern as you.

Shingles is painful from what I've heard.


Rash itself is not sore but bad headache on tjat side. Insomnia worse last few nights. Plus I wonder if stsrting famvir a few days ago may have reduced rash some ?? I guess many viral infections can produce a rash?? Strange.
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
I had measles as a child, then, at college, I developed a rash which was diagnosed as rubella (German measles) largely because I couldn't have measles twice. Differential diagnoses are based on a number of symptoms and signs, plus "what's going around". I had photophobia, which is associated with true measles, not rubella, but this was ignored. The problem here is like the problem with diagnosis of mononucleosis, reactivated EBV infection can produce such symptoms, though generally not the distinctive rash. Definitely weird things going on in immune function.

Reactivated chickenpox is named shingles, which has convenient clinical signs. This neatly disposes of the problem for doctors.


Generally reactivated chickenpox is shingles but my 2nd bout of pox was pox and not shingles as shingles is general a patch or an area across a nerve which is infected. Rash is very localized. The 2nd lot of chickenpox I had spots everywhere literally everywhere, my mouth bleed brushing my teeth. So did my bum wipping it. No mistake it was chickenpox.

So after that infection, always worried of getting shingles, if it is than its no where near as bad as the second bout of chickenpox.

I wonder if a die off from treating chronic sinuses could lower immune system and could get shingles.

Just checked rash , its not any worse but im wide a awake at 3am and suppose to go to work at 8am????
 

justy

Donate Advocate Demonstrate
Messages
5,524
Location
U.K
I was vaccinated as a child and then had measles as an adult - which is unusual. I believd that measles was THE one THAT YOU COULDNT HAVE TWICE - a bout of measles should confer life long immunity - but then we are weird!

Hope you feel better soon - could be shingles from the description
 

August59

Daughters High School Graduation
Messages
1,617
Location
Upstate SC, USA
I've had measles, rubella and chicken pox once. Never had mumps (had been wrestling with my cousin on the day his was recognized) or whooping cough.

The only vaccinations I can remember were tuberculosis, tetnus (probably 4x) and maybe polio.

I did have Meningococcemia (in 1967) when I was 8 and was in the hospital for 7 days (quarantined with deep muscle injections in my rear 2x a day :eek:) and stuck at at home for 7 more days. Somehow I still passed the 4th grade!!! It was my teacher that noticed something was wrong?? There was no other reported case a month prior to or after my infection and how I contracted it is still a mystery. I have granulomatous spots on my spleen and 1 in my right lung, which they contribute to the Meningococcemia, that was spotted 30 years ago and have never increased in number or size.

I do not want to get the shingles, but I'm wary of the vaccine!

Edit: I forgot that I did have the polio vaccine and it wasn't oral either!
 
Last edited:

IreneF

Senior Member
Messages
1,552
Location
San Francisco
It's not entirely true that you acquire life-long immunity from either an immunization or actually having a case of one of the "childhood" diseases. Most people acquire immunity for a long time, but...

Way back when, you would get a case of measles or whatever, and either die or develop immunity. Because there were always some people with measles around, your antibodies would get boosted every time you were exposed to their germs. These days, we don't have that pool of sick people to keep our immune systems charged up. So immunity wanes over time.
 
Last edited:

Mij

Messages
2,353
This is from the CDC website:

Why are people born before 1957 exempt from receiving MMR vaccine?
People born before 1957 lived through several years of epidemic measles before the first measles vaccine was licensed. As a result, these people are very likely to have had the measles disease. Surveys suggest that 95% to 98% of those born before 1957 are immune to measles. Note: The "1957 rule" applies only to measles and mumps—it does NOT apply to rubella.
 

Mij

Messages
2,353
Do people who received MMR in the 1960s need to have their dose repeated?
Not necessarily. People who have documentation of receiving LIVE measles vaccine in the 1960s do not need to be revaccinated. People who were vaccinated prior to 1968 with either inactivated (killed) measles vaccine or measles vaccine of unknown type should be revaccinated with at least one dose of live attenuated measles vaccine. This recommendation is intended to protect those who may have received killed measles vaccine, which was available in 1963-1967 and was not effective.
 

August59

Daughters High School Graduation
Messages
1,617
Location
Upstate SC, USA
This is from the CDC website:

Why are people born before 1957 exempt from receiving MMR vaccine?
People born before 1957 lived through several years of epidemic measles before the first measles vaccine was licensed. As a result, these people are very likely to have had the measles disease. Surveys suggest that 95% to 98% of those born before 1957 are immune to measles. Note: The "1957 rule" applies only to measles and mumps—it does NOT apply to rubella.


I was born in 1959 in South Carolina (very rural) and never received the MMR. I've had measles and rubella, but never had the mumps. I never had any problems enrolling in school or playing sports (that I'm aware of). Every one of my childhood friends (born in 58, 59 or 60) and my close relatives had the mumps.

There was a couple of neighborhood parents that thought I was a little unusual, if they only knew!!!

I will say that if by chance myself, friends and relatives did receive it. It did not work.

Just my 2 cents - I'm not against the process of vaccinating against a disease. My problem is that they keep adding new ones and COMBINIG them into IM injections. I am convinced that better delivery systems, safe vaccines and only 1 vaccine given at a time with a specified time period between them. I can only imagine what a healthy (or maybe genetically predisposed) immune system has to endure when receiving a combination vaccine, like MMR or DTAP, It also appears to me that the newer vaccines are not as effective as they should be!