Chicken Pox !! any advice please

[Crunchie]

My little girl (nearly 3) has just errupted in the Chicken pox rash poor mite, although she seems to think it is funny being spotty!

Anyhow I did a trail through some old stuff, but got waylaid and confused, so please tell me.....good remedies.....who do I need to keep away from....how long beofre her sister gets it etc etc.

So far I have bathed her with bicarb of soda in the bath and am trying to get homeopathic remedies. My GP surgery said, don't bother to come in, just treat with Calpol/Medised and calamine lotion. However I may go in as I think she has a spot just inside her labia, she keeps scratching there!! and it looks sore

[SoupDragon]

You need to keep away from anyone who doesn't want to catch CP until the last spot has gone crusty. Incubation is something like 7 - 21 days I think and you are contagious for about 3 days before the spots appear (so your other DD could get it any time from 4 days from now to 21 days after her sisters spots have gone crusty)

Remedies? Calpol & Nurofen (can be taken together) and Piriton.
Rhus Tox pillules (homeopathic remedy) and I also used something by New Era (suitable for children) sold for skin conditions.
Medicated talc is nice to dry them with after a bath.
Eurax cream can help with the itching (not suitable for under 2s I think).
Tea tree oil and lavendar oil in the bath along with the bicarb.
I mixed Calamine with aqueous cream with some tea tree oil and lavendar oil in it, together with vitamin E for scarring. This was easily applied and seemed to be soothing.
Vitamin E oil (squeezed from those capsules you're meant to swallow) is good to help healing & prevent scarring. Also is supposed to help scars fade.

Good luck! We went through this (twice) this time last year.

[LIZS]

Poor little thing.

You could try Piriton syrup to reduce the itchiness.

She will be contagious until all the spots have crusted over - about 5/7 days - and would have been for a day or 2 before the spots appeared. Incubation is 2-3 weeks.

Hope she feels better less itchy soon.

[Lisa78]

Avoid pet shops - when DS1 had it, he was so miserable, I got conned into buying him a hamster!

[Lou33]

If you can get your gp to prescribe it, then Zovirax really helps. Also use a cream not a lotion, as it dries out quickly and makes them more itchy. Calamine cream, or Eurax cream is excellent for relieving itching.

[GenT]

Oooh flashback to a month before I was due. Use a paintbrush to put on the calamine lotion and lots of it as the itching is unbearable.

Please stay away from anyone who is pregnant.

Do hope she feels better soon.

[Crunchie]

Thanks for all this guys!!

Just one more question, when will my other dd1 get it? I have worked out they were exposed at the same time, but so far only dd2 has come down with it. I am worried as I know there is up to 3 weeks incubation period and we are booked to go to Center Parcs in 3 and a bit weeks!! Knowing my luck she'ss come out in spots the day we are due to go (last time she caught Impetigo, and couldn't go swimming!)

[bundle]

crunchie we had the calamine cream, which dd put on herself rather than the lotion, which I think does sod-all. I never had chickenpox as a child despite lots of friends having them - my sister had one, I think - and got them at 20 at college and it was hell so do try to encourage both to get them!!

[nutcracker]

There was 2 weeks between my dd's getting it. Eldest got it first and only had a few spots but then dd2 got it and was covered.

[fio2]

Awww crunchie hope she gets better soon Just piriton syrup, Calpol and calamin lotion. My dd caught it first then 2 weeks later ds had it and dh () Poor dh was terrible with it, so best to catch it when young!

[LIZS]

crunchie

It depends whether dd1 contracts it from that same 1st contact - which would mean it would appear about now - or from her sister, which could be up to 3 weeks away. Either way, not much you can really do about it now apart from wait and see . Hopefully she will get it sooner rather than later, or is there any way she may have had it mildly in the past and is already immune.

[Lou33]

Also Crunchie, try and stay away from anyone on immuno suppressants, or steroids, their system is not as good at fighting chicken pox. I have to carry a card around warning me to tell mt gp immediately if I have come in contact with anyone who has Chicken Pox because of this. The gp also warned me this was very important.

[zebra]

Some people never get it, Crunchie, no matter how often they get exposed. I don't know why!

[batey]

Rhus tox really helped my dd2 with her CP. It speeded up the whole process. And piriton eased the ichiness.HTH and good luck.

[SoupDragon]

Chances are your DD1 will get it in under 3 weeks because of the close/multiple exposure to it from her sister. Unfortunately, I think this is why the second child can get a worse case

From what I remember, DS2 got it about 10 days after DS1s first crop of spots. HTH

[SoupDragon]

Oh, and neither DS1 or 2 were ill for more than 7 days having been treated with all the things I mentioned in my original post. Neither of them was irritable for more than 2 days, simply being spotty & contagious for the rest.

[marthamoo]

You can get something called LactoCalamine - it's pink, and is much less chalky and drying than bog-standard calamine. Boots or any chemist will have it.

Hope she feels better soon

[Crunchie]

Poor thing is now covered head to foot in calamine lotion and thehomepath should be getting us the Rhus Tox. She doesn't seem to be too miserable, but the spots in the bits and around her bottom are really irritating her. I really dd1 gets it soon. I know it is selfish, but i want my holiday!!