I was hoping to see if anyone has experience on how contagious warts were and how to prevent them from spreading to other members of the family.
My husband had cancer 5 years ago and went through chemotherapy. We are very relieved that it was successful and he has been overall healthy but it seems like his immune system is still weakened. He is being treated for a sinus infection right now but one thing that he's really worried about is that our 8 year old daughter will catch warts from him. The general doctor said it was a common wart and so far he has one on his chin and another on his elbow. They have a rough texture and are not bleeding or open but when he searched online it said warts can be very contagious and spread though objects not just direct contact.
We just sold our house and are in a transition stage so we're living in an apartment where we all share a bathroom. In the beginning I didn't take any steps to prevent infection so me and my daughter used the same shower and tub and the sink area. Is there a chance that the rest of the family will get warts from sharing a bathroom?
Any help would be very very appreciated. I know warts are not life threatening but my husband has been through so much and still suffering from lingering health problems and he would blame himself and feel horrible if anyone especially our daughter were to catch anything from him. Thank you!!
Thanks for the advice and sorry about posting for medical advice. I have actually asked our doctor and he said warts are not as contagious as you think and rarely spread to family members but through a quick google search I found that the chance of getting one is quite high. I mostly wanted to see if anyone dealt with this in the family and whether the parents or kids could get warts from each other.
Thanks for your answers! Hopefully DH can treat his quickly and I will make sure my daughter eats healthy and keeps her immune system strong so hopefully she won't get one.
Update-Husband is using ACV since after so many medications we prefer to try natural treatments. He is the one who is worried it might be contagious, I am not too worried even if I catch one I had them on my finger as a child and was able to get rid of them pretty quickly.
Hi J. - Welcome to MamaPedia.
This site is not really a good place to seek medical advice. But, as luck would have it, there is another new poster who has asked two wart questions recently. Look down the main page for a wart question from earlier this week and you could connect with that poster, she might have helpful advice.
ETA: So, based on your "So What Happened," you DID talk to your doctor, but you didn't believe that advice, so you Googled it? I really think that, given your husband's history of cancer and various other infections/complaints (sinus, warts), and your own problems and those of your daughter, you probably should find new doctors you trust and enlist an entire team. No point in your staying with a doctor you don't believe. Alternatively, you can keep trying Google for medical info and check out all the forums and see what sort of consensus you get. Hopefully, you'll find sites where people don't get annoyed. You might search out those that focus on alternatives to traditional medicine. If you skip the doctors, it will save you a ton of money on medical visits from people you don't trust and prescriptions you don't need or believe in.
Original response: Welcome to Mamapedia. As Chacha says below, we are not a medical site. We are a parenting site.
This question should go to your doctor immediately. Anything related to viruses and infectious diseases belongs with a medical professional. If your husband has a compromised immune system, that's even more true.
There must be something "out there" that says to go to Mamapedia for wart questions, because we've just had a few, and all from new posters. Very odd. So, FYI, we are not a wart site, nor are we a site for people who want to ask the same question over and over (which you will see if you search similar questions). There are some very straightforward answers to those questions which I think will tell you everything you need to know about how the moms on this site feel. (Pretty much, it's "treat the problem with a qualified medical professional.")
In general, wasting time on the internet for medical issues that should be resolved with your family physician or pediatrician just adds to the risks for your family. If you love your child and your husband, which I am positive you do, you'll do the most sensible and most efficient thing, which is not to wait while women all over the country get a chance to answer medical questions when they don't have the expertise.
My doctor said that to prevent spreading the virus while treating the warts to simply keep them covered with a bandaid or tape.
warts seem to be a theme. hm.
if this ISN'T the previous wart poster trolling, i suggest your husband get his warts treated, and you and your daughter take sensible precautions to prevent infection.
khairete
S.
What is it with all the wart questions lately?
If you are concerned, explain the situation to your pediatrician and see about your daughter getting the hpv vaccine on the early side - I've read girls can start the shots at 9 yrs old.
Your husband should probably keep the warts covered at all times - tape, bandage, etc.
I'm thinking if it's on his elbow an he rests it on a chair arm or couch then those surfaces might be points of contagion.
Bathroom might be a common transmission point but it's not the only place it can happen.
I have never heard of keeping up one's immune system so as not to get a wart. Seems a little extreme.
Treat the warts.
How likely is it he's using his chin or elbow to do things around the house? It would be different if it was on his foot.
Use different towels than he has.
It's not the end of the world. After Cancer (glad to hear he's now well) this seems relatively minor.
Yes, warts are contagious. You can catch them from him too.
Please go to a dermatologist who has laser equipment and have the dermatologist treat them. Either they will freeze them or laser them. I have had both done. Freezing on my leg and laser on my cheek. Plantar warts on the bottom of the feet are the absolute worst! They hurt because they are digging into the tissue in the bottom of the feet, deeper and deeper. Usually those have to be frozen several times. The one on my cheek took just a few seconds, didn't hurt much at all, and I don't even have a scar.
It's worth the money to have this done, J.. My best to your husband as he gets his strength back. (And not having to look at warts on his face will make him feel better too, in addition to knowing he won't pass them on to someone else!)
I suggest you rely on your doctor for information. I would trust what he says over what you read on the Internet.
I've had warts frozen off. Most were treated more than once. I still have a wart on my thumb and several plantar warts on my feet. None of them hurt perhaps.because of multiple treatments by freezing. No one I know have caught warts from me even when they were active.
Warts are common and usually leave with treatment. I suggest you stop worrying about getting warts. Really they are not a big deal. They're a hassle but do not cause long term problems. Trust your doctor.
If he has one on his elbow, anything his elbow touches that is touched by another person, could transmit the virus. If he touches his chin, then uses that hand to touch a doorknob, same thing. Most humans are infected with the wart virus. If her immune system is strong, she might get a wart from time to time, but probably not have them often. Can he have them removed? They can be burned or frozen off by his physician. I wouldn't get too worried about this. She's probably already exposed. There's not much you can do about it in a home and making him feel like he should be controlling it is quite a burden. I'm glad he responded well to the chemo. This isn't often a terrible disease. I'd stop worrying.
