Exposed to rubella and possibly not immune?

[rlap13]

I work in an ER and am 8 weeks pregnant, On Sat. night I was exposed to a pt. that may have rubella. I had titers drawn in May that came back equivocal for rubella. My number for my Rubella titer was 8. The doctors are rechecking my titers and sent the patient's blood off as well. What are the chances of me contracting rubella with an equivocal titer? If it turns out I am not immune adn the patient does have it, how long before it would show up in my blood work to see if I contracted it? Any help would be appreciated, I'm really worried and unable to sleep at night. Thanks.

[hawki]

Gosh, I know nothing about this, but I just want you to know that I am thinking of you and hope it all turns out ok.  Are the chances great?  I doubt it...although possible, but maybe it was just a wake up call to be really cautious or see if you can somehow avoid that sort of thing.  I have no idea, but good luck!

[Cheryl23]

Here's some information about Rubella and pregnancy, if you were to in fact have contracted it...



The symptoms of rubella can be pretty vague, however, if you do have the typical symptoms, they start to show up about 12 to 23 days after you're exposed to the illness. You may first have a low-grade fever, malaise, swollen lymph nodes, joint pain and swelling, reddened eyes, and a runny nose for one to five days before a rash erupts.



The rash lasts only a few days, usually appearing first on the face and later spreading to other parts of the body. The swollen glands and joint pain can last several weeks. You're contagious from one week before until a week or so after the rash first appears. The most contagious period is when the rash is erupting.



If you're found to have rubella in early pregnancy, you'll see a genetic counselor about the risks to your baby and you'll be able to decide whether to terminate the pregnancy. There's no known effective treatment for rubella or any way to prevent it after exposure. If you choose not to terminate your pregnancy, your practitioner may give you a shot of immune globulin as soon as possible after exposure in the hope of reducing your baby's risk of defects. However, the shot won't prevent your baby from becoming infected.



In the extremely unlikely event that you came down with rubella during the first month of your pregnancy (generally before you know you're pregnant), there's a high chance (up to 90 percent) that your baby would be infected.



During your second month, the chance that your baby will develop a rubella-related birth defect drops to about 25 percent; during your third month, it drops to 5 percent. AFTER 20 WEEKS THERE IS VEYR LITTLE RISK OF ANY DEFECTS, EVEN IF YOU HAVE RUBELLA.

[tiffsedge]

I am not sure if this helps, but I had rubella as an infant and when I got pregnant with my first son they told me I had no antibodies to fight it off which was odd since I thought since I had it there would be something to fight it.  Did you have it as a child or maybe your parents or guardians could help refresh your memory of childhood sicknesses. Another doctor told me you could only have it once although I have never heard that before. Check and see if possibly you might have had it. You are in my thoughts.