Chickenpox all over dd 2.5y genitals - help please

[inneedofcake]

Can anyone help - my youngest who is 2 and a half has chickenpox all over but has loads and loads of spots around and in her bottom and vagina which are driving her mad. We've tried
Calpol - brings temp down but nothing else
Piriton - nothing
Bicarb and oats in bath - help while she's in there but not once she's out
Aqueous calamine cream - not sure whether it helps or not but she hates having it put on and says it hurts
I'm desperate for any suggestions that might relieve the pain/itching for her she keeps crying and telling me it hurts and I just can't do anything, it's so upsetting. She only slept a couple of hours last night as it was so sore, the rest of the night we carried her around or she was in the bath!
Any suggestions would be really welcome
very much inneedofcake!

[inneedofcake]

btw have spoken to gp on phone who says nothing he can do if I'm doing piriton, calpol and calamine already!

[timetosmile]

piriton/antihistamine crean onto her bum?

sudocreme or epaderm? both have slightly antiseptic action i think, which would stop them getting an infection in the spots themselves in this 'dirty' bit of the body

try to chat to your GP today about the possibility of some anti-chickenpox medicine..but if she's had it a few days it may be to late to be effective

[Seeline]

My DD was like this when she had it at that age - the only thing that helped was the warm bicarb baths. She had several a day and stayed in them until I was worried she was getting cold. It is soo hard to deal with. Keep an eye on the spots to make sure they don't get infected. The worst is over once the spots reach their peak after three of four days if that helps

[Seona1973]

Poxclin mousse is supposed to be good but have never tried it. have you tried nurofen as well?

[anniebunny]

I've had the same thing this week with DD (age 5) and I've been using Sudocrem 'down there' which seems to be helping. I also gave her Phenergan (a sedating antihistamine) at night twice as this gave her some much needed sleep. You can get it over the counter but they will quiz you before they sell it! I've been using Poxclin on the rest of her which seems to habe really helped with the spots and itching. and is much easier to apply and less messy than calamine. Good luck :)

[Seona1973]

when dd had them she was soothed a bit by a wet face cloth against her back (the bit that was itchiest when she was in bed)

[WhereTheWildThingsWere]

My dd had it just like that at the same age, tbh we just let her be in bicarb baths practically all the time, made her comfy with an inflatable cushion and towels then just sat and watched dvds on the lap top with her, it was the only place she didn't cry.

Is awful, but the worst will b over in a few days.

[AlwaysbeOpralFruitstome]

E45 itch relief cream has a mild anaesthetic on it and does exactly what it says on the tin (well tube). I'm using it on my almost two year old and seems to be helping. Poxcilin (sp) has been recommended on here although I haven't tried it as my local Tesco didn't have it stocked but might be worth a try (I gather it's a bit costly though).

[GrooveIsInTheFart]

Dd was covered in them and some became infected. Sudocream helped her stop itching and calpol to stop the pain. Day 3/4 and things should get better

[DorisIsWaiting]

DD 2.7 also had them on her genitals (came out in spots on new years day!)

We used eurax ( I think it said for over 3 but I wasn't going to debate a couple of months!) combined with priton, we used aqueous/ calamine for dd2 when she got spotty just before christmas, but gave up and used the eurax instead.

[DorisIsWaiting]

this You can pick it up in boots

[inneedofcake]

Thanks so much everyone, will try and get hold of some of those suggestions this afternoon and the dvds on the laptop suggestion is inspired!! Poor thing is still sleeping now after 1 hour, she flaked out on the sofa after 36 hours with only 4 hours sleep! I'm preparing myself for another rough night in the bathroom!!
Thanks again, helps to know that it's not just me and great to have some practical advice that people have actually used xxx

[StantonLacy]

You're not alone - chicken pox is doing the rounds by us at the minute and my DD is in just the same sorry state as yours...poor things, it must be dreadful.

We've been using virasoothe (from boots), a gel especially for chickenpox. I must say I think it's brilliant. She visibly relaxes when I put it on her spots (she is COVERED) and asks me to put it on when they start itching again. Worked a treat on DS too, earlier in the year. Nice and cooling to put on (bit pricey though, about £8 I think)

Having said all that, it didn't help her to sleep for more than forty minutes at a time last night, so it's no miracle cure!

Good luck

[inneedofcake]

StantonLacy thanks, i've just located some virasoothe in a chemist a few miles away so off to get it! Sorry for the details but do you know if you can use it around bottom/vagina or is it just for rest of body?

[StantonLacy]

Well, we have been using it on those areas with no problems...I'm pretty sure I read the instructions carefully before applying it (but can't be certain ) - I'll go and have a quick look now at them for you.

We were alternating with sudocrem on her bum, but I really feel the virasoothe is better, she seems much happier once it's on.

Back in a minute..

[StantonLacy]

Right, can't find the paper insert thing, but have checked the box which states:

"It can be used all over the face and body." It also says on the box that it can be applied two to three times daily or whenever relief is needed. So it seems fairly mild in composition if they're happy for you to apply 'when needed', IYKWIM ?

I do hope it helps her, thank goodness chicken pox is of a fairly short duration - there's only so many porridge baths I can run in the space of a day!

[Matronalia]

DS got it badly on his bum when he had it at 10 months, it helped him when I put his nappies in the fridge to cool down. If your DD is out of nappies perhaps something like a maternity pad or sanitary towel or slightly damp rolled up flannel that has been cooled in the same way might help.


There are also cooling pads designed for women after childbirth like these www.amazon.co.uk/smartchoices-SMART086017-Smart-Choice-Feme/dp/B000UX52Z0?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 but they are £££. Perhaps these www.amazon.co.uk/Healthpoint-Re-Useable-Maternity-Nursing-Breast/dp/B002ISEQ16/ref=pd_sim_by_6?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 would do for a toddler.

I know its contraversial and frowned on by lots of people but when I was desperate with DS a small spoonful of Medised was the only thing that helped him sleep and seemed to ease the rash.

But it will pass really soon, chickenpox lasted about a week total in my two before they were spotty but fine, so hopefully it will go really quickly.

[inneedofcake]

So...... got hold of virosoothe and poxclin with some sudocrem for back up if they don't help! I have 2 new pots of bicarb at the ready and we'll see how tonight goes.......

[PiedWagtail]

Pox clin mousse worked here - ds had terible CP all over his genitals and was driven insane by it. Nappy off at night, bed mat on bed, no PJ bottoms all helped - lets air circulate and stops them getting too hot which makes the itching worse. Hardly any of ds's spots on his boy bits burst and scabbed - they just vanished after a few days, so hope the same happens for your dd. Good luck. x

[Grooviechicmeme]

I have noticed a few people suggest ibuprofen for anyone now looking at this thread please don't use it in children with chicken pox as it can cause more complication

[woollybobs]

Why is that groovy?? My ds has the pox and the pharmacist told me to use calpol and ibuprofen to keep temp down today. Worried now!

[woollybobs]

Have since googled and its very true. I think a trip back to the pharmacy today is needed.

[curiousparent]

I really feel for you as my DD at the same age was covered in that area. We used calamine cream which we kept in the fridge and applied it really liberally. For my dd the virasoothe was a waste of time. We also gave lots of bicarbonate and ground oats baths. Hope it clears soon.

[Lottie4]

Keep her as cool as you can, low heating temperature and loose pyjamas or (if you have them) summer shorts for nightwear.

[CosmicDespot]

My dd has just come down with chicken pox for the second time. Apparently that's possible, which is rubbish because she's much more itchy this time round. Thanks for all the suggestions. I hope she has a comfier night tonight, now.

Apoarently you shouldn't give them aspirin either - which I don't remember reading about last time. Does anyone know if that's new advice? Saw it on here:

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Chickenpox/Pages/Treatment.aspx