I got one! Chicken pox scars (that’s not a thing anymore) and parents gathering other kids when chicken pox came around to infect all of us, so they could mange time off work/ staying home with kids.

[-]

GoodMorningDye@reddit

Yes! I have a few. Even one between my boobs. I used to ask my mom what all these spots were and she was like those are your chicken pox scars. I think she said I got it was I was 2 or 3.

[-]

_Winterlong_@reddit

I have one on my chest from a “chicken pox party”. My kids always ask what it is. I cant even say the last time I heard chicken pox were going around.

[-]

I have a few pox scars. I got real sick. A few of my spots got infected and landed me in the hospital for a couple weeks and I had to have emergency surgery one of them to drain it 😳. I was 5, fun times, named my IV pole thingy George. When I got to go home my brother was soo mad. My half of our room had been decorated with sreamers and the flowers I gotten for a 'welcome party' they threw me. He wanted to know why I was getting a party and didn't. It wasn't my birthday or anything. My Grandaddy told him if he spends as long as I did in the hospital, then he could have one.

[-]

Dreamingofapastlife@reddit

My mom said I couldn’t leave the house until my scabs were all gone. I picked every single one off that night. I am COVERED in tiny scars.

[-]

FluffySpell@reddit

I never got chickenpox, I think I was like 10 when the vaccine came out and I remember getting it. I'm so glad that's a thing now and we no longer have people purposely making their children horrifically sick.

Though with our current state of things *gestures broadly* I'm sure all of these once eradicated diseases will make roaring comebacks.

[-]

marteautemps@reddit

My worst one is of course dead center of my forehead. I've got a couple of other minor ones.

[-]

Barbiegrrrrrl@reddit

Me too! I've been looking into cosmetic dermatology recently.

[-]

Siouxzanna_Banana@reddit

I had one on my cheek since I was a one year old. I am 46 now. I recently did micro needling on my face and it’s gone now. I was shocked! You might look into it. I went 3 times, which was a standard package.

[-]

Barbiegrrrrrl@reddit

Thanks for the tip! I'm not sure if needling is enough or if I need to look at lasers. Did they talk to you about that option?

[-]

Siouxzanna_Banana@reddit

I actually went just to improve my overall skin, like pores , wrinkles, sun damage, etc. I didn’t even consider or mention my pox scar. I figured it was there until death. After I got in there she started focusing on it and it was really a little cluster of about three little pox scars right on my upper cheekbone. She focused on them for a couple of sessions and they are gone. I was kind of amazed. 🤷‍♀️

But I am sure there are tons of other options. I hadn’t looked into anything because about 15-20 years ago I asked a dermatologist and they said nothing could be done. A lot of techniques have become available since then. 😊

[-]

Barbiegrrrrrl@reddit

That's awesome! Can I ask what it cost?

[-]

Siouxzanna_Banana@reddit

Sure. It was $900 for a package of 3.

[-]

Kaeljae@reddit

Yup I have one right between my eyebrows. Looks like a third eye lol.

[-]

lankyleper@reddit

Same here, but it kind of melds into my natural skin creases now.

[-]

BrockLV@reddit

Same for me. If you look at Shakira, mine is in the exact same spot.

[-]

Whatchab@reddit

I had pox bad, inside my throat, inside my ears, missed a few weeks of school.

But the only visible scar I have is a really a bummer one, and it's right in the middle of my eyelashes. So I have an eyelash gap. You'd be surprised how many random strangers say, "Do you know part of your eyelashes are missing?" YOU DONT SAY!

[-]

Dreakgirl@reddit

Are you me? I got chicken pox when I was 11/12 and had them in my ears and throat too. Luckily it was the first week of summer vacation I came down with it…..

For like a decade afterwards, whenever I would get cold, especially after swimming, all the pox marks would be visible on my skin as blue/purple dots. I swear it still shows up when I am cold and it’s been 30+ years.

[-]

Jrewy@reddit

I had it that bad, and then somehow turned septic. Had to be admitted to the hospital, and 36 years later I still remember it as the sickest I’ve ever been. Never quite forgave my mom for that after the vaccine came out when I was a teen.

[-]

WhatTattoo@reddit

Had an ex with 2 different colored eyes and people would say that kind of thing to him too haha. He'd always be like, "WHAT?!"

[-]

roonilwonwonweasly@reddit

That's so cool! I've never met anyone with different color eyes. I would gush all over them.

I have green eyes (think cat colored eyes) and people used to asked me where I got my colored contacts or to take pictures of my eyes. Like...no? Sunglasses are a godsend.

[-]

mmoonbelly@reddit

I have radial heterochromia. Yellow around my pupil and blue eyes. Most people thinking have green eyes and get shocked when I say that Minecraft blue.

[-]

atomicgirl78@reddit

I have heterochromia too! I have orangey brown spots in my blue eyes!

[-]

Maleficent-Box4114@reddit

Same. I call the brown spot my eye freckle!

[-]

Muddy_Wafer@reddit

I have it too! Light brown around my pupil and green around the outside. The green at the very outside is starting to turn grey-ish as I age, and the brown is starting to lighten too, almost getting some yellows in there.

I grew up being told they were hazel because they seem to change color, but it’s just that the brighter it is (and so smaller my pupils are) the more green they look because more green is showing.

[-]

ACorania@reddit

Mine change with lighting and such. When I got my first license both the worker and my father (a cop) looked closely and agreed on hazel. They are then clearly bright blue in the picture taken 5 minutes later.

[-]

jar36@reddit

for me, mine are more blue in the light and green in the dark. I didn't see it until a few women that I slept with said something about how my eyes would be green just before making out

[-]

Muddy_Wafer@reddit

I’m a woman so I probably spent more time than you as a pre-teen looking at my eyes just from playing with makeup, but I thought my first boyfriend’s eyes were weird because his brown eyes were SO uniform. And since they were dark brown you couldn’t even really see the texture of the iris. They looked so flat!

[-]

After_Preference_885@reddit

I guess I do too, didn't even know it was a thing, just thought it was what Hazel was called

[-]

roonilwonwonweasly@reddit

That sounds so cool!!

[-]

Specialist-Leek8645@reddit

I always got, "what beautiful blue eyes." Yes they're pretty if you're not the one using them. They're so sensitive, burn and tear up for everything. The worst part of eye exams is the slit lamp.

[-]

roonilwonwonweasly@reddit

Same. I cannot go outside without sunglasses and they have to be dark black.

[-]

Specialist-Leek8645@reddit

Then years of accommodating it slowly turn you into a troglodyte lol *Hiss* mustn't leave shelter while Angry Fireball is awake.

[-]

jar36@reddit

I have blue eyes, my mom green. When mom took me to get me registered for kindergarten, the nurse there said something about my blue eyes. I had already asked my dad why I don't have one green eye and one blue eye, so I told the nurse what he told me
I said, I was born with one blue eye and one green one. Since I am a boy and my dad has blue eyes, the doctor squeezed me down there (pointing to the groin area) and the green one went down there and popped up the other blue eye to here (pointing to an eye)

[-]

Indubitalist@reddit

“Oh God no, it’s all happening again!”

[-]

imnottheoneipromise@reddit

I had a childhood friend that had this happen to her! You’re not from MS are you?

[-]

Whatchab@reddit

Nope, CO.

[-]

ChonkyGloves@reddit

I came here to talk about my eyelash gap! I'm lucky though in that it's on my lower eyelid so it's hard to see.

[-]

Whatchab@reddit

Hello pox eyelash gap buddy!

[-]

Delta632@reddit

I’ve got one on the left side of my nose.

[-]

VincentMac1984@reddit (OP)

Fuck those assholes, you’re old enough to tell them now, “I survived a plague” back in the 1900’s

[-]

LibertyCash@reddit

People are so stupid

[-]

Puzzled_Loquat@reddit

I had them in 4th grade. I had a super mild case. I was outside playing with the neighbors after school because I felt fine, and they had already had it. I have a scar above one eyebrow.

[-]

Petraaki@reddit

We definitely had these! And then a vaccine came out and we literally banished a disease! Isn't that great!? Vaccines work! Too bad a bunch of people missed the science memo. There'll probably be polio parties for the anti-vaccers soon

[-]

steakmander@reddit

I know a number of people who still/have recently had chicken pox parties. Not everyone vaccinates for chicken pox, even if they vaccinate for other things. Vaccines are not all equal is safety or effectiveness and chicken pox is one that many people skip.

Now scars, I hadn't heard about. I had chicken pox with all my siblings and I'm not aware that any of us have noticable scars.

[-]

hisamsmith@reddit

I have no chicken pox scars because my mother dragged me to a friend of hers house when her kids got it from daycare. I was 16 months old according to my mother (I don’t always trust her timeline). She did it because she had multiple severe scars on her face and arms and didn’t want me to have them.

[-]

ChaucersDuchess@reddit

I have a scar that looks like I had a lip piercing at one time, so I get asked all the time about it. I have many scars from it since I had a bad case of it, and very noticeable scar on my chest.

[-]

sed2017@reddit

I have a chicken pox scar right between my eyes. I got it when I was 4 and my dad got the chicken pox from me, he never had it as a kid and he was super sick…I remember him just lying in his bed all lethargic

[-]

Nobodyville@reddit

I had a chicken pock in the middle of the roof of my mouth. I’m pretty sure my scar is either on my leg or under the hair on my head. I got pox when I was 18…it was no bueno.

[-]

Mysterious_Fennel459@reddit

I dont know who I got chicken pox from when I was a kid. I just remember getting them at the beginning of summer vacation and I ended up giving them to my two brothers and step sister right afterwards.

I do remember flying on a plane to visit my dad at the beginning of summer vacation with visible chicken pox and I can't believe they let me fly back then. (This would have been mid 90's at the time)

I was so itchy and sleepless the night before the flight that I remember taking a bath in the middle of the night to relieve the itch and falling asleep in the tub and waking up in freezing cold water.

[-]

Longjumping-Air1489@reddit

Ummmm, these things are coming back with moronic anti-vax parents.

Welcome back to the 1970s! Kids were dying.

[-]

AdComprehensive7939@reddit

I still have a visible scar on my upper lip but had a handful more that didn't fade until adulthood. I was an unwitting pox party victim, can still remember rubbing my body on our scratchy wool couch to relieve the itch. I'm super happy for the younger kids that they aren't going to have to worry about shingles. Wish the vax had come a decade sooner.

[-]

lowercasenameofmine@reddit

unvaccinated children to the virus

Because the vaccine literally did not exist 😂

[-]

Fantastic-Guitar-977@reddit

Some of the people you listen actually have cystic acne scarring, which is different from pox scarring.

I was born in 82, never heard of a chicken pox party til I was in high school. Dont have any scarring even though I did have a pretty bad case of bock bock pox. Do have severe cystic acne so have scarring from that. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[-]

Rurumo666@reddit

Nowadays you can always tell who's a MAGA because their kids look like Edward James Olmos.

[-]

nighteyes_fitz@reddit

I have a hatred for chickenpox. My Mum feels awful because we had a chickenpox party when I was 3 and it nearly killed me. No scars because they came up as blood blisters. I was ICU about 4 days before they worked out what was killing me. Fun fact it was my future uncle in law who was doing a regional registrar rotation that worked it out 😂

My daughter has been vaccinated and has not developed immunity at all which is weird because she's had shingles. Then CP after shingles over and over. Something in our blood doesn't seem to like chickenpox!

[-]

bearsdiscoverfire@reddit

Another person who nearly died from it! Antivaxxers still call me a liar and argue with me about the seriousness of chicken pox despite my experience, hospital records, full body scarringand permanent cardiac damage demonstrating otherwise.

A pox on the pox party! No, it's not NBD and the vaccine is damned near sacred.

[-]

VincentMac1984@reddit (OP)

Jesus Christ, that’s pretty fucking traumatic! I’m really sorry that that happened to you, I mean that sincerely

[-]

nighteyes_fitz@reddit

It was pretty awful. More so for my parents I think. I have vague memories ( my first ones) of pulling out my blood transfusion and thinking it was funny but mum freaking out. It spawned a life of an auto immune disorder that has required multiple blood transfusions and steroids. Plus having a blood transfusion prior to testing in the 80's in the HIV hysteria impacted me throughout my childhood right down to dentists refusing to give care even though I had blood tests every 3 months. So yeah I kinda HATE chickenpox 😂😂

[-]

dammitbeth@reddit

I legitimately forgot the scar on the front of my shoulder is from chicken pox. It sounds so strange and archaic to have a pox scar.

[-]

LatherRinseRage@reddit

No, both of my siblings had it twice and I never got it. I had to get an antibody test when I got a job in a healthcare setting and it came back positive. They said I either am a carrier or I had it but was asymptomatic. 🤷‍♀️

[-]

BraveLittleToaster8@reddit

Oh man, I remember having to miss field day in elementary school due to having chicken pox and being sooo upset about it, so I made up a fake field day in my yard and my siblings and I did relay races and obstacle courses and my mom was annoyed because she thought if we got sweaty running around the yard we'd scratch our pox more and get scars. I do have one a scar, fortunately it's on my knee.

[-]

Significant-Rush-129@reddit

Didn’t need a party, chicken pox spread thru my 1st grade class like a brush fire. If it were around today like it was then, kids would probably contract it younger as many of them are in daycare at pretty young ages.

[-]

rebelangel@reddit

Mine are probably mixed in with my acne scars. I never attended a pox party, but I did get it in kindergarten. I don’t think my youngest brother was born yet, but my other brother got it from me. He was 2 at the time. I remember the calamine lotion and the little red bumps all over. I think I was out of school for at least 3 days.

[-]

ACorania@reddit

I had a very light case but gave it to my brother who was hit hard.

It always worried me that might mean a new infection or early shingles. But... I made it to old enough for the shingles vacc so feeling safer.

[-]

throwingwater14@reddit

I have a few. I don’t recall a party, but I was also in daycare at the time. I brought it home and gave it to my younger brother. I was about 6 at the time and he was about 3. He ended up with CP, scarlet fever, and something else all at the same time. Poor Boy had it ROUGH. I remember popping some of the blisters. Some hurt, some didn’t. I think there was an oatmeal bath or two in the process. But I don’t remember calamine being used.

[-]

Murderhornet212@reddit

We had an accidental chicken pox party. My mom wouldn’t have exposed me voluntarily yet because my brother was only like 3 and it’s riskier at that age. There was a neighborhood birthday party and me and my best friend got it and gave it to my little brother and her little cousin who was like 4 and who almost died from having it all down her throat.

[-]

Striking-Win-3239@reddit

I have one on my arm. Most miserable I remember ever being in my entire life.

[-]

sexwiththebabysitter@reddit

I either had a very mild case or didn’t get chicken pox. 3 brothers all had it at the same time when we were kids. I’ve thought about getting tested for chicken pox titers because I’m sure of if I am exposed now it won’t be fun.

[-]

wishuponareddwarf@reddit

People don’t have chicken pox scars anymore? Do we have a vaccine against it now? I’m old

[-]

After_Preference_885@reddit

Not only are there fewer scars but there are fewer dead children.

https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/whats-the-big-deal-about-chickenpox/

[-]

wishuponareddwarf@reddit

I fully support vaccines. I had measles when I was seven and nearly died as my mum didn’t have me vaccinated.

[-]

Confident-Cellist-25@reddit

Yeah, there’s been a vaccine for a couple of decades now

[-]

it_aint_me_babz@reddit

The vaccine came out Jan 2026 in the UK.

[-]

After_Preference_885@reddit

Why is that - that seems crazy? My child got that vaccine and he's almost 30.

[-]

Hellament@reddit

That’s wild to me, since it’s been part of standard childhood vaccinations for so long here in the US. Your comment sent me down a short internet rabbit hole…the reasons they didn’t recommend it were interesting.

[-]

Apprehensive_Hat8986@reddit

TL;DR pls?

[-]

Hellament@reddit

Essentially, they theorized that by not vaccinating, the natural occurrence of the disease would continue, but mostly in childhood (where it is fairly benign) and that exposure of adults to the childhood occurrences would help boost their immunity and lower the cases of adult chicken pox and shingles (which can be more serious as people get older).

There may have also been some concern that in a world where most everyone is vaccinated, natural infection would continue but me much more rare, so the unvaccinated minority would be more likely to get the disease in later adulthood, where it more dangerous.

Apparently, having so much data to draw on from other countries (and the availability of a shingles vaccine) it was decided that the benefits of early vaccination were just a little better, hence the recent change.

[-]

Apprehensive_Hat8986@reddit

Thanks!

[-]

wishuponareddwarf@reddit

I’m from England I didn’t know 🤷‍♀️ I have a couple of chicken pox scars and so my kids who are in their mid twenties

[-]

it_aint_me_babz@reddit

me neither, i've got a beauty scar in between my eyes! my son (20) has a few, I have a kid on the way and was already dreading chicken pox! amazing that it wont happen to him

[-]

impliedapathy@reddit

There’s a shingles vaccine too. I’m unsure if there’s an age range for it but we aren’t far away if there is one 😂

[-]

FatReverend@reddit

I didn't know there was a shingles vaccine. I feel like I should probably be getting on that cuz I really don't want to get it.

I'm going to pause here and look up the age where one is supposed to get the shingles vaccine and insert it into this comment .

The shingles vaccine is recommended for healthy adults age 50 and older. Also anyone 19 and above with weakened immune systems. It requires two doses.

[-]

sok283@reddit

My doctor told me not to get the vaccine because of my health issues, that I just need to catch it early.

I feel like a ticking time bomb. My dad, brother, and sister all got Shingles in their 40s. That's how I got the chicken pox - when my dad had Shingles when I was in the 3rd grade.

[-]

impliedapathy@reddit

Once I hit that age I will 100% be getting one. Chicken pox sucked so bad I remember it 40 years later. I hear shingles is worse my an order of magnitude. Noooooo thank you.

[-]

AlienDelarge@reddit

There's been vaccines for 30+ years now somewhat dependent on country. We were about the last generation not to get it in the US. Even younger millenials had it available. I remember it being on the news when it came out in '95. Pretty sure my brother got it. Now they do it starting at like 1 year old so both my kids have had it already. Not all countries adopted it though.

[-]

wishuponareddwarf@reddit

I’m from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 not sure about here, my twins are in twenties and both had chickenpox when they were two. I’m glad there is a vaccine now as it was awful.

[-]

rexallia@reddit

I guess I knew there was a vaccine now but it didn’t really sink in until now. I’m still covered in chickenpox scars. I had it particularly bad. I have divots in my hairline and I remember popping them on my scalp. What a time

[-]

VincentMac1984@reddit (OP)

Yeah, they have a vaccine now! Fucking crazy right?

[-]

Sofagirrl79@reddit

Off the top of my head it came out in 1995,of course that was 10 years after I got chicken pox in '85 🙄

[-]

LKayRB@reddit

I don’t have any scars but I did have chicken pox twice! I had it once before my sister was born (7 yr gap) and I got it again when she got it. Fun times.

[-]

dragon34@reddit

I was the guest of honor at a chicken pox party and then my insurance was charged 700 dollars to verify that I had antibodies when I was pregnant since I didn't have a vaccination record. I was like folks did you see my birthday.

[-]

Fr4gd0ll@reddit

Some people live under a rock.

[-]

After_Preference_885@reddit

Hey so this ICU Nurse who has seen children suffer and die wants people to know why preventing chicken pox is a big deal - you should read her story and the others, begging people to take it seriously:

https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/whats-the-big-deal-about-chickenpox/

[-]

CloseButNoChicory@reddit

Don't remember chickenpox parties. Of course they might not have been a thing in Ireland. I did indeed have chickenpox and was amazed a few years back to learn about the vaccine! Sure what is childhood without the calamine lotion and the itching?

I don't know if I have chickenpox scars. Maybe I do and never realised what they were!

[-]

After_Preference_885@reddit

https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/whats-the-big-deal-about-chickenpox/

"Once his treatment was explained to me, I realized how arrogant I’d been about varicella. Just because my brother and I got through that miserable summer without issues doesn’t mean other kids did."

[-]

wingthing666@reddit

Don't think anyone was having chickenpox parties where I lived. But I have some good scars and a boatload of simmering resentment that I got my first spots the day before grade 6 Spring Break!!!

Spent the whole week slathered in calamine and bundled up to keep from scratching myself bloody. And look at that, I was just starting to feel better in time to go back to school. 😡

[-]

Nyotree-001@reddit

My mom did the chickenpox parties and I had it twice because the first time apparently I didn’t get a bad case of it and it came back hard, but I was very lucky with these scars

[-]

SisterShiningRailGun@reddit

I had chicken pox as a kid but it wasn't really bad for me at all and I don't have any scars from it.

No chicken pox parties for me and my brothers though, since my mother didn't get chicken pox as a child and was terrified of getting it as a adult.

[-]

Interesting-Hawk-744@reddit

Id say we probably didn't notice them on the movie stars not because they were commonplace but because the cameras didn't show things in such high definition for a while, plus they have makeup and lighting tricks. In Marty Supreme you could see Timothee Chalamet's scars clearly (they were actually makeup).

Apparently a lot of actors hate the new HD cameras because they pick up on every flaw.

[-]

Former-Fig3342@reddit

My first was on my left cheek and left a scar. I got them EVERYWHERE. My mom would make me soak in oatmeal bath before bed and not rinse off. I can remember laying on crusty oatmeal sheets in agony. Daytime was calamine lotion.

[-]

bigfancydelta@reddit

I got chicken pox when I was very young, I believe 1-2 years old. Mom said I apparently got lucky when the pox sores started showing up, that I didnt breakout as bad as others. And yes, she did bring me over to someone's house to expose me intentionally. My sibling (10yrs younger) also got it around the same age as me, and was exposed on purpose using my cousin who had it. My sibling had an insane about of sores, sooo many all over, yet they dont have any scars that are visible.

[-]

Meatball-Alfredo-Mom@reddit

I got chickenpox twice, which is extremely rare. I don’t have any scars on my face somehow. I attended quite a few Pox Parties as a kid… that’s how I got it twice lol

[-]

Hotspiceteahoneybee@reddit

It was me!! I am the one that gave every kid in my neighborhood chickenpox. I caught it at school and had symptoms two days before Christmas holidays started and got sent home. All of my mom‘s friends were like “Woohoo! Our kids are already gonna be out of school… let her get all our kids sick too and we can get it over with during the holiday! We couldn’t have planned this better!”

So they made me Typhoid Mary and I had to play with a bunch of kids while I felt pretty crappy and got everybody sick.

There were these two sisters that overheard my their mom telling my mom how I needed to really hug and love up on them to make sure they got it and the little sister scratched my face when I tried to hug her because she didn’t want to get sick!

It was a miserable Christmas holiday. I was already nerdy kid too and I don’t think that this improved my social situation at all, lol.

[-]

LovelyGh0ul@reddit

I was the child who had the chicken pox in a house full of children of extended family members. All I remember is my grandma taking care of me, her other grandchildren and nieces and nephews running around the house, while miserably existed.

I don't think I have any scars, though. I did end up with shingles about a decade ago.

[-]

sherahero@reddit

My sister has chicken pox but only jad like 3 bumps on her whole body, it was weird.

I remember having to do the oatmeal baths. Hated it.

My kids are happily vaccinated.

[-]

Skitchybusiness@reddit

Ugh I had chicken pox SO bad. Over 400 on my face alone. They were everywhere. Caused really high fever and I ended up being admitted I was so damn sick, dehydrated and lethargic.I have scars all over my forehead (yay bangs) and quite a few on my body. Won’t lie..I’m terrified of the shingles that will happen…

[-]

iwantmy-2dollars@reddit

I had chickenpox down my throat, in my ear canals, up my nose, basically everywhere inside and out. I don’t remember much because they just knocked me out with Benadryl for most of it. I do have a scar on my back. Thank got both my kids are vaccinated. I am anxiously awaiting my shingles vaccine.

[-]

emsumm58@reddit

they’re still a thing in the anti-vax community, sadly.

[-]

Practical_Reindeer23@reddit

I had pox twice thanks to my brothers friend who I still blame to this day. I have a couple marks on my arms but none on my face.

[-]

giraffemoo@reddit

I got a mild, normal case of chicken pox. My sister was a year older than me and hadn't had it yet (the vaccine wasn't available yet) and so my mom made us do everything together until my sister got it. But she got it WAY worse than I did, and ended up with shingles before she was old enough to be in middle school.

I don't have any scars but I'm sure my sister does. I just haven't seen her in like 15 years.

[-]

Late-External3249@reddit

We all got the pox just after school ended. Didn't get to miss class. Such a bummer.

[-]

vulchiegoodness@reddit

i have one about the size of a nickel right near my eye. my new PCP thought it was an age spot. 😞

[-]

Specialist-Leek8645@reddit

Doesn't RFK jr want to being those back? Weren't ppl trying to do this w Covid?

[-]

Confident-Cellist-25@reddit

My mom sent me and my brother down the block to play with the kid who came down with the chicken pox so we would get it together and get it over with

[-]

VincentMac1984@reddit (OP)

My mom kept us drunk on Hot Totties, (Whiskey, tea and honey) and told us to sweat it out in sleeping bags… in southern Arizona. She was Irish and Native American. It was a miserable experience. It was an Irish American version of a Native sweat hut… she was experimenting apparently, found that shit out later.

[-]

Sofagirrl79@reddit

My mom is half Mexican and mostly Irish,grew up in West Texas and California,that said she gave me blackberry liquor mixed with ginger ale when I got really sick with ear aches or a bad cold,slept really good though lol 😆

[-]

Specialist-Leek8645@reddit

Pretty sure a friend's grandma gave her blackberry liquor for colds. Mom wasn't happy.

[-]

VincentMac1984@reddit (OP)

They were doing their best, how long ago say is that I was the first person to graduate from college and my entire family.A legitimate high school to be honest.

[-]

Sofagirrl79@reddit

My mom dropped out of HS in the 10th grade,I dropped out my senior year but got my GED a few years later

I'm autistic though and went to special education classes most of my school years, didn't help that a few of my classmates were borderline "Terry Shiavo" brain dead or had down syndrome, totally made me feel like I was "regarded" when my issue was just being disorganized and bad at math for the most part

But on another note I met the mom of the kid who had down syndrome cause she lived on the same street as me and we got to talking and I although I was only about 11 she confessed it was a struggle but I mentioned that he was a good kid and was trying to fit in,even though I kinda resented having him in my class at first he was nice and never made fun of me like the other kids did to me

[-]

VincentMac1984@reddit (OP)

Sometimes, getting your ass kicked and having to raise a family young age. Makes you into a better person later on.

Are you able to help others

[-]

Sofagirrl79@reddit

Uh,IDK I have no children and never was physically abused to the point of "getting my ass kicked" I mean I got spanked a few times but that was rare

[-]

S4FFYR@reddit

*Hot toddy

Tottie is a completely different thing that you were likely too young to even notice 🤣

[-]

johnny_moronic@reddit

Same. There was a chicken pox party at the trailer park. All the the kids got lice as well.

[-]

Sofagirrl79@reddit

My mom didn't participate in the "chicken pox parties" and was still pissed I got chicken pox 🫤

[-]

VincentMac1984@reddit (OP)

You missed out on a lot of rummy card games and classic rock on a shitty radio

[-]

Icy-Finance5042@reddit

I don't have chicken pox scars and my sister and I were both sent to the neighbors when their kids got it. I don't think my sister got any either.

[-]

Icfald@reddit

I had it the year I turned 13. I’ve got SO MANY scars. I ended up with some infected in my left upper arm, so I had to go on antibiotics. I’ve got scars on my stomach, legs, hands and some on my face. I was asked for years “what are all those scars” in particular for the ones on my left arm.

[-]

AshleyRoeder33@reddit

My sister came home with chicken pox and my mom made me hug her. I was probably 5 when I got them and I still vividly remember like it was yesterday. My sister ended up with one pox scar on her shoulder. It was definitely a right of passage. Kids these days will never understand.

[-]

Organic_Popcorn@reddit

I was vaccinated back in the 80s, thank God for my mom who was a super vaxxer.

[-]

fireyqueen@reddit

I didn’t go to a chicken pox party but got them at 13 when I visited my older sister who was a nanny and those kids had the chicken pox. It was so bad, I had them everywhere. I don’t have scars on my face but I’ve got them on my arms

I’m terrified of shingles. I’ve heard it’s miserable

[-]

Sufficient_Turn_9209@reddit

The fact that some of you guys had parents who would intentionally expose you guys in the 80s is wild! They used to do that in families way way back when (like mu mom talked about her mom's family doing it in the 20s and 30s!), but kids were forced to stay out of school when I was growing up so that they didn't expose the rest of us. Also, your wife 100% had chicken pox if she developed shingles. She was either too young to remember or she was asymptomatic, but shingles is a reactivation of the dormant chicken pox virus in your system.

[-]

Clean-Ocelot-989@reddit

Our parents believed getting chickenpox late in life might kill you, so they thought it was good parenting to ensure you got it young. When my neighborhood all got it the eldest teen was bedridden for weeks,c from what I remember, because she couldn't bend her legs due to the scabs. I remember not being able to see my best friend because his dad hadn't been infected and they didn't want to risk it. It sound weird but everyone believed it was better to get it over with. No one had any idea there would be a vaccine in 10 years.

[-]

Electricpuha@reddit

Yeah I was scrolling to see if someone would mention this. Getting a mild exposure when kids were young was seen as the best way. Like a sort of home diy version of inoculation.

[-]

muthermcreedeux@reddit

My brother tried to have a chickenpox party back when our kids were small, like 15 to 20 years ago. I didn't attend and called him to let him know that my kids were vaccinated, because the vaccine already existed at that point. Why would anyone torture your kids with the pox when it's unnecessary? He's older than me, nearly a boomer, so I'm assuming he didn't trust the new fandangled way of vaccinating against infectious diseases.

[-]

AlienDelarge@reddit

I don't believe I have an scars but did have chicken pox in kindergarten and then shingles in 2020. My chickenpox were pretty mild though.

I was lucky enough to recognize the shingles early and my doctor gave me an antiviral which really helped. I first thought I had hurt my back but then noticed the rash starting at my spine.

[-]

othertigs@reddit

The day I came down with chickenpox, my grandma had had a stroke that landed her in the medical center at her retirement community. We, of course, went down to visit. I, being 6, got bored and ran all around the facility when I wasn’t in my grandma’s room.

After lunch, I think I told my mom that I wasn’t feeling great and also, my legs were kind of itchy? One look at my legs and I was no longer allowed in any of the buildings in the retirement community for the rest of the day.

I don’t think any of my chickenpox scarred long term, but my other grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary was only a few weeks after I got sick and my mom was so concerned that I would still have the scabs/spots in all of the pictures.

I don’t think anyone came to spend time with me when I was sick so they would get it too, but I do remember being the only one of my friend group who could go play with another friend when she came down with it as I was theoretically immune.

[-]

Dunnersstunner@reddit

Don't forget to get a shingles vaccine if you had chickenpox. I know someone who lost vision in one of her eyes because of it.

[-]

ineffable_my_dear@reddit

I think the vaccine is also only for >50 in the US.

My sister got shingles twice before she turned 50. Brutal.

[-]

CupcakeGoat@reddit

Same with my older sister. She's turning 50 this year and she just got shingles again.

I was approved by my doctor to get an early shingles vaccine, but it was denied by insurance.

[-]

Intrepid_Notice_4637@reddit

I got them when my older brother and sister brought them home from school. I had them so bad that my mom would gray tape boxing gloves on my hands so I wouldn’t scratch the blisters.

[-]

WhatTheCluck802@reddit

I had chicken pox but don’t remember how I caught it. I don’t think it was at a designated event. My only scar from it is on my nether regions.

[-]

singlesunbeam_enough@reddit

My older bro got it first and his case was bad. I remember they were on his eyelids and he would cry because he couldn’t open his eyes it hurt so bad. I think I was jealous of all the attention he was getting and decided to hang out with him so I’d get it. It worked but I had a very mild case. My mom would say she was worried I would catch it again when I got older because my case was so mild. Sure enough I’m one of the rare cases where I got shingles in my early 30s.

[-]

the_amazing_spork@reddit

I didn’t even know they had a vaccine until I asked my wife if we were gonna try to get our son to catch it or just let it happen naturally. She looked at me like I was insane.

[-]

Altruistic_Bus1988@reddit

My poor sister got chicken pox right after she broke her arm so she had a cast on. I can only imagine how uncomfortable that must have been with itchy chicken pox under an itchy cast!

[-]

eternallysantanasass@reddit

I never had chicken pox, measles yes, chicken pox no. I have never been to a pox party. Fast forward when my daughter was in pre-k she got chicken pox a mild case and I didn’t get them at all.

[-]

DontYouReconizeYou@reddit

I have a scar dead center of my forehead. These days I don't even see it anymore even tho it's still there it's just part of my face now. My memories of chicken pox was me being on the couch for a week watching remote control, and an oatmeal bath.

[-]

ineffable_my_dear@reddit

No scars or party but I loved being home with chickenpox because my mom bought me stack of giant velvet coloring pages.

I’ve heard horror stories of people getting it in adulthood and apparently it’s so much worse. One coworker got them all down her throat. Fuuuuuck that.

[-]

magsli@reddit

I don't have children, so I had almost forgotten that the vaccination existed! Wow. Late 90s right? Now I'm wondering if my younger coworkers born after 1995 ever had the virus!

Those of you with kids, how do they react when you describe it to them?

Crazy to think we were the last cohort to really go through it!

[-]

Ohshithereiamagain@reddit

I didn’t know this. I always wondered why all my friends came to visit me when I had the pox. I thought I was dying.

[-]

HungryMenu8627@reddit

They didn’t do that to manage time off of work, it’s because the pox is much more dangerous health wise to get as an adult, so the best thing to do at the time for the health of your kid was to get them infected as a kid so they had immunities to it as an adult.

[-]

carradio81@reddit

My mom invited over children who had chicken pox on purpose 🥳 No physical scars but I have emotional ones 😂 as I knew she did it to me and I remember in my misery asking her why she did it...

[-]

nneighbour@reddit

I’m one of the few that never got chicken pox. I’m an only child and my mom looked at me in horror when I asked if she ever sent me to a chicken pox party. Once the vaccine came out when I was around 18, my doctor had titres drawn to make sure I had never had it and I was vaccinated.

I’m now at an age where I’m starting to wonder if the shingles vaccine applies to me or not.

[-]

Iamthegreenheather@reddit

I got chicken pox when I was 13 and was so sick I lost 10 pounds in a week and I didn't need to lose weight. I have a scar in one of my eyebrows. I have another big one on my chest and one on my forearm. I also got shingles when I was 14. All of it was awful.

[-]

SnorkBorkGnork@reddit

I was raised in The Netherlands and it was the same here. When one kid got it we all had to play with him so we got it ourselves. It sucked and itched like hell. I still have a chicken pox scar on my forehead.

[-]

roonilwonwonweasly@reddit

I don't. I had chicken pox twice when I was a kid. Weird thing to feel left out of.

[-]

temporary_bob@reddit

Yup, I was sent to the neighbors to get chicken pox

[-]

tomahawk66mtb@reddit

I thought you couldn't have shingles if you've never had chicken pox? It's the same varicella-zoster virus. After you recover from chickenpox, the virus never leaves your body; it remains dormant in your nerve tissue. Shingles occurs when that dormant virus reactivates years later. My wife had chicken pox as a kid and shingles as an adult.

Best is vaccine, then you can't have either.

[-]

lushico@reddit

I remember about 6 or 7 of us getting it at the same time and the moms would take turns hosting all the kids at each house.

[-]

Ishmael_1851@reddit

No party, but I did get the pox and have the scars on my face to prove it. Also used so much calamine lotion that now I'm allergic to it

[-]

SpoonwoodTangle@reddit

When I was a kid, these were somewhat common. There was a local kid who died of chicken pox, so that put a damper on them for a few years. Rare but it can happen.

[-]

Equal_Membership_923@reddit

I think it was more a case of far better to get it as a child than as an adult. I got it when I was 30 whilst on holiday in the Maldives! I’d contracted it in the UK based on its incubation period. My god it was hands down the most ill I’ve ever been. It was agony. I could hardly sleep with pain and I lost nearly 2 stone in 3 weeks. I was quarantined in a beach bungalow and I wasn’t fit to fly for a month. It may sound idilic being in the Maldives but I can tell you it was torture. A holiday id long saved for ruined. All I could do was lie in bed looking out at a beautiful beach and ocean that I was unable to enjoy due to being so ill. Some of my spots got infected and a huge one fell out my face in the sink and left a massive hole in my face. Luckily I was able to pick the stalactite shaped piece of flesh up and put it back in. It then healed into a small scar.

I so wish I’d had it as a child!

[-]

IntelligentAd3283@reddit

I have one on my forehead. We literally passed a lollipop around when the neighbor kids got it. 🤢 My kids have no idea what they’re missing. 🤣

[-]

Witty-Management6094@reddit

My brother has one on his eye brow.

I don’t think I have any. We had the pox twice. It was awful. 😢

[-]

cupcake_burglary@reddit

I got chicken pox but must not have been that bad, or I got it early. I don't really remember it, aside from itching a bit.

Jokes on me, I got shingles in high school and I have scars from that along my ribs

[-]

Brianne627@reddit

Right temple. I had chickenpox when I was 6. Missed a week of school. My baby brother got it from me (he was only 2 months old) and had it so bad he was almost hospitalized. He basically just cried for a week, my mom was so exhausted.

[-]

Not-a-Kitten@reddit

They had pox parties so we could get the disease as young as possible. It was much worse for older kids, so you wanted it asap.

[-]

Withnail_I_am_I_am@reddit

South Park had an episode about a chicken pox party. The kids find out and get revenge by paying a prostitute to rub her herpes all over their parents items, bed sheets, toothbrushes, etc.. Shit man, the episode came out when most of us were still in high school, 1998, and it's still going.

[-]

MeanWafer904@reddit

I have one over my right eyebrow.

My Mum said something a few years ago about sending us to a Chickenpox party. Apparently there were some religious nuts on the street who organised a thing for kids at their place. But everyone knew their kid(s) had chickenpox so they sent their kids for that.

[-]

morganalefaye125@reddit

I know of chicken pox "parties", but I was never a part of one. I came down with it anyway. Never had any scars from it, but I did get shingles in my early 30's

[-]

Birdsonme@reddit

Lucky for me my mother is insufferable and had no friends when I was a kid (this also meant I didn’t get to have friends, either). So she didn’t have anyone to send me to and I never got chicken pox. I was a pretty healthy kid (physically).

[-]

c0mput3rdy1ng@reddit

Tossed the lot of us together in a bathtub. I caught a very mild case of it. Had maybe 3 or 4 spots from the story my mum has told me.

Had a friend in highschool get chicken pox when we were 14 or 15 and my buddy got sick as fuck for a month.

[-]

_undercover_brotha@reddit

My kids both have scars from having it. They're teenagers, and we had a chickenpox party for that very reason when they were little lol

[-]

Into-the-stream@reddit

I went to a pox party, and I was the only kid that didn’t contract it. My sister got it and I still was in the clear. My parents assumed I was immune.

Then I got it at 16. Still have no idea who I got it from, because I was not around kids of any sort as a teen. It suuuuucked.

[-]

Baked_Potato_732@reddit

I have one scar on the inside of my elbow and one super tiny one one on the back of my thumb. They’re both small enough that I doubt anyone could find them if they didn’t know where they were.

[-]

HildeFrankie@reddit

I had chicken pox so bad. My brother was just an infant and he literally got one pox on his stomach. Years and years later when the vaccine came out he tested positive for antibodies and didn't have to get the vaccine. My youngest brother got the vaccine.

To this day I have to admit that I am a wee bit pissed that both of my brothers escaped the hell that is having chicken pox. 🤣

[-]

Sithstress_@reddit

Me and my two older sisters all had it at the same time, (4, 6, 8) none of us have any scars.

[-]

jackfaire@reddit

My younger siblings got Chicken Pox. If I did it was so mild as to be unnoticeable.

[-]

Dickrubin14094@reddit

I thought chicken pox parties was just something from tv and movies, never heard of them happening in real life. I also don’t know where or who I got mine from. None of the friends or parents I was around had them, but one morning I woke up with chicken pox. Still have 1 scar on my chest

[-]

TALieutenant@reddit

I don't remember a chicken pox party, but I seem to remember my parents not really keeping me away from my brother when he had it. He was school age and I wasn't.

[-]

YinzaJagoff@reddit

Never had the pox. Never went to someone’s house to play so I’d get the pox.

Had first off two chicken pox shots 15 years ago, had a reaction so no doctor has wanted me to get the second shot since or restart the shots.

[-]

Peripateticdreamer84@reddit

I’m sure one would have happened if it didn’t tear through my kindergarten class organically. My students who were born after the vaccine don’t believe me about chicken pox.

[-]

jestingvixen@reddit

It wasn't a deliberate party, but yes. My mum knew it was going around, knew the younger you get it the easier it is to bounce back, didn't make an effort to keep me from playing with kids who had it, and was prepared to catch me when I fell ill. I remember the Pink Baths vividly. No scars, though. I actually have next to no scars anywhere in spite of some pretty good reasons to have a lot of them.

Vaccination for this was not a thing when I was a kid (I may be too old to be here, hi anyway 😅) and it seemed like the best solution to a lot of people at the time. "Go experience stuff. With your face. Come home with all the parts you left with and no new holes." I do now have what we call a robust immune system! And yes, I still have no piercings.

[-]

LSherwood1024@reddit

Mine is dead center in the middle of my hairline on my forehead

[-]

Tygie19@reddit

There are definitely going to be young people with chicken pox scars, now that there’s a resurgence in anti vaxxers.

[-]

Arisyd1751244@reddit

I had gotten it first and my neighbor sent her kids (also my good friends) over to get it too.

My brother and I had mild cases, one of my friends had a horrible case and the other ( her sister) never showed signs.

I was lucky-no scars

[-]

VincentMac1984@reddit (OP)

There’s mine, this picture I took of myself was actually, disheartening. Even though it’s late at night, I got a lot of gray.

[-]

Soggy-Blood9603@reddit

Chicken pox is still very much a thing in the uk, though possibly less so now the vaccine is being rolled out, but my son had it last year and despite my best efforts he is covered in scars now. Makes me a bit sad to see them all. Most kids get it as toddlers from school / nursery but he was a bit older and it hit him hard.

[-]

VincentMac1984@reddit (OP)

I’m really sorry to hear that, and I mean that sincerely. Like I said before, there’s a lot of movie stars that have them.

I’ve got a few, not just on my face on my body as well. I turned out decent, never made my Mom standards, even after university and owning a few businesses. She wanted me to be president. That shit was never happening. 🤣 , because she taught me to be honest, kind and trustworthy.

Politicians are none of those things

[-]

Nerdmitage@reddit

I have a scar on my forehead, and above my eyebrow in a weird spot that makes people want to ask if I used to have an eyebrow ring but it would be too far in really. I have a couple on my scalp too that I remember picking and you can feel them if you try to find them. I could not help but pick some and those are my permanent reminders not to pick!

It's funny I was at a gathering and a younger person came up to me all awkward but concerned and asked if I had been checked for skin cancer (was a university event and she was from the medical department), I had honestly forgot that they were on my face, and clearly she hadn't studied them yet in school, so we had a laugh after a mini heart attack! They've been here since so young (all I literally remember about having chicken pox is being fitted with calamine lotion, some kind of strange bath and picking the scabs, SO glad I was clearly too young to know what was going on! And I'm SURE it was an intentional exposure on my mom's part) that I don't even see them anymore. But yeah they're damn visible I'm sure to stranger, like small moon craters! Lol

[-]

VincentMac1984@reddit (OP)

It’s the same with small pox scares on your arm just from the vaccination, people have become naïve

[-]

Nerdmitage@reddit

Yes they just get their nice little wee needle that goes away. 😆 But honestly I'm glad for the kids, I know some had a VERY hard time of it and if kids don't have to deal with that I'm for it. Much like carpeting the walls of your bathroom and having hot tubs indoors, people just didn't know any better in the 80's!!

[-]

VincentMac1984@reddit (OP)

Absolutely me too, also really happy about AIDS not being a death sentenced now. It’s fucking crazy that we’ve come so far in such a short period of time. I’ll include Covid in that, we did a pretty fucking good job on that as well.

[-]

Nerdmitage@reddit

Yes! We thought that would be deadly forever and it's amazing. Now they need to work on ebola because apparently they've got that going on in some African countries and we all remember Outbreak! No thanks! I'll take what they give me man I hate being regular sized sick. Lol

[-]

Stormyday73@reddit

I got chicken pox in my mid 20's, absolutely grim experience! I had 95 on my face and neck alone. So big they looked like closed up sea anemone. Have a few scars of course (survived teenage years without acne then scarred from chicken pox!). I made sure my kids were exposed to chicken pox. Max spots was like 30 evenly dispersed across their body when as an adult I had hundreds.

[-]

VincentMac1984@reddit (OP)

Fuck My Life, nope that shit sucks, I’d rather have it as a kid. I’m sorry you dealt with that.

[-]

WeAreNotAmused2112@reddit

I didn't have scars, but it was not pleasant. I broke out internally first then externally and have always had high fevers, so that had me in bed for days. It wasn't just a few days vacation from school watching The Price Is Right or reruns on TV. I'm glad they have a vaccine now so children don't have to experience chicken pox now.

[-]

thatotherguy57@reddit

I had several chicken pox scars, but most have faded as I got older. I can only locate one on my stomach now. I was seven when I had it, and I had it severely, every orifice, as I recall. I missed so much school because of chicken pox that the school wanted to hold me back a year. I also remember the first time I heard of a chicken pox vaccine on the news, sometime in the late 90s and wondering why I hadn't gotten it, since I knew I had been vaccinated.

[-]

VincentMac1984@reddit (OP)

Man, that shit sucked. Whole body felt like it was on fire, you’re itching everywhere and you couldn’t scratch, for like 7-10 days, that was a shit disease. I remember it because I was probably had some sort of hyperactive disorder at the time, which was never diagnosed, and still isn’t!

But we were so lucky. It was a cause of death for our parents and grandparents. It used to actually be concerning.

[-]

SpookySchatzi@reddit

“It was a cause of death for our parents and grandparents. It used to actually be concerning.”

The anti-vax morons will take us backwards eventually. Just like measles.

[-]

VincentMac1984@reddit (OP)

Agreed 💯

[-]

Glass_Donut9391@reddit

Got chicken pox my mom quarantined me in my room tells my sister to stay out since she didn’t want her catching it. I got stuck for a week but I did enjoy watching price is right and some gameshows especially scrabble and love connection. No scars because calamine lotion.

[-]

Gloomy-Moose-4367@reddit

ya we had a chicken pox party, fucken itchy shiet.

[-]

TheVenetianMask@reddit

I almost got my school closed for a day because when my teacher asked about my sibling I didn't know the difference between measles (which we were all vaccinated for) and chicken pox.

[-]

ToWitToWow@reddit

Mine is behind my ear.

I think I have some memory of being “allowed” to scratch that one because no one would see

[-]