Could this be chicken pox with no actual spots?

[pmTea]

My DD (almost 5) was exposed to chicken pox at school about 2 weeks ago. To my knowledge, no other kid in her class has caught it from the one boy we know had it. She was right as rain until last Thursday night, when a dry cough and sore throat started. Friday she was off school as a fever had started by then and she was worn out from coughing all night. I gave her some Calpol and cough syrup. Friday night her fever climbed to 39.5C and she was burning hot but not sweaty- classic viral response. She was listless, off her food and had achy joints and a bit of a headache. Same all weekend, only since Sunday, her cough is productive, her nose very snotty (previously just runny) and cough is driving her and us mad. Fever is down now, but not gone. She has some very feint, pale pink pinprick sized spots on her forehead and cheeks- no blisters and not itchy. The back of her head was itching earlier, but I couldn't see anything on the scalp. Rest if body clear. Could she have pox but just be a child in which spots don't come out? Or is it more likely she has had influenza? Has anyone heard if a dry chicken pox cough ever turning productive even? Thank you so much for reading and replying :-)

[WeAreSix]

Chicken pox spots can often follow on from a cold / flu-like illness. Watch & wait, you might have more to come (sorry!)

[pmTea]

Thanks for replying...am just confused by the dry cough turned productive, which doesn't fit any chicken pox description I've ever heard of...

[RubbishCrackerPuller]

It is definitely possible to have Chicken Pox without definitive spots, as my poor DS got a bad case of shingles without us ever realising he'd ever had CP. He'd had occasional virus symptoms sometimes with rashes, but never anything that looked like CP.

[pmTea]

Oh god so maybe she really has it but it just hasn't manifested in the typical way yet? I just know that so w little cold it ain't- she has never had a fever so high nor for so long, nor felt as miserable and I would just love to know what the hell she has...I suppose short if having a blood test, nothing will tell me...

[BeaWheesht]

I think pneumonia is a known but rare Follow up of chickenpox.

However IMHO it sounds like she's had a really horrible virus - if she still has a fever above 38 tomorrow I'd get her checked out. You could call ahead and say you're querying chickenpox so they quarantine you.

[Jemstone]

My DS and OH both had chicken pox without the typical spots, they just had some very small faint spots which never blistered and gradually went away. DS only got about 5 and if it wasn't for his dad having chicken pox and nursery pointing the spots out,(without knowing about his dad) I would never have realised. Only reason I know it was chicken pox is that OH was very ill so was in isolation in the hospital and had loads of tests which confirmed it (and he had had chicken pox as a child so you can get it twice).

[Pooka]

Ds2 has been exactly the same, same time frame and everything. But going by my older two, proper spots appeared within about 2 days of temp and cough.

There are loads of kids off school ATM with flu like virus so I reckon ds has that and not the pox. Was hoping was chicken pox because less likely to run rampant through the rest of us in lead up to Christmas.

Ds's cough is slightly croupy.

[pmTea]

Thanks everyone-good to have other slants on it as its so confusing...well DD fever gone now- dry cough back and keeping us all up all night. Slight runny nose. Little pink dots on face have gone. Appetite not recovered yet. Pooka there are no nasty vueuses going her school, only CP, nori virus and lice! So annoying when there are no obvious spots, but spots aside, her symptoms are textbook CP and a she was exposed to a lid on her class who had it 2 wks ago. Strange. I may take her to GP to see if I can get her tested for antibodies so we know for sure.
In cases where CP presents with few or no spots, does anyone know if it correlates with a weaker immune response, ie that the child has had a milder form of the disease?

[pmTea]

@ Jenstone I hope your OH is all better now- sounds scary...and very possibly similar pattern to my DD (though neither me nor DH have been at all sick)

[pmTea]

Argh bloody iPhone predictive autocorrect!

[Jemstone]

OH much better now, was very scary at time though as in space of half an hour got call from OH that he was being sent straight to a&e by Gp and nursery phoned to say ds was ill and they thought it might be chicken pox but weren't sure as spots a bit weird.

DS recovered very quickly although with no scans was difficult to know when he was no longer infectious. OH had anti virals and it took about 2 weeks to be well enough to go back to work. As I said very atypical presentation, similar to chicken pox but spots not right. DS never had blood tests but OH did.

No idea how their immunity is now. Hope your DD is fully recovered soon pmtea, and that out was chicken pox and she's immune now!

[pmTea]

thanks Jemstone - it wasn't the pox, but she did catch it back in Feb this year and no mistaking it his time!