When is chickenpox serious?

[WeWereInParis]

DD2 (11 months) has chickenpox. She got her first spots on Thursday night and is now completely covered. I thought DD1 had a lot of spots when she had it a couple of weeks ago but that was nothing compared to this. Plus they're bigger, and "angrier" looking than DD1's. Her whole back, chest, and face is covered, plus lots on her arms and legs. They're in her ears, on her lips, all over her head. She has a fever and isn't eating much but isn't overly upset by it as long as she's being held.

I know that most of the time, chicken pox is just unpleasant and there is nothing for a GP to do. But is there anything I need to look out for? Online it said to see a dr if the spots became infected, but how would I know?

They could be infected if they're are angry red around them.
My ds had it agen2 and I think they were infected but as he was not as poorly as his sister I didn't see anyone about it. They went away but both kids have significant scarring, I wish we knew more or vaccinated against chickenpox - we don't seem to take it seriously in the UK

The temperature would have me calling the Dr, it sounds like there is an infection in her system (could be related to the pox or something new entirely). Do not give her ibuprofen to control it, it's contraindicated with Pox

The second child often gets it worse as they have had prolonged exposure to the virus. If you're worried I would see a GP.

Chicken pox often is very unpleasant but we seem to gloss over it in the U.K.

Do the spots have red patches around them or any tracking? How high is the fever? Seek advice if you are worried. It’s really not uncommon for children with pox to need medical attention.

The temperature should start to come down once the spots come up. If the spots are infected the skin around them will look red. If in doubt speak to your gp asap.

About 10 years ago, my otherwise healthy daughter nearly died from complications from chickenpox - although thanks to advice from Mumsnet, she survived, for which I shall be eternally grateful.

She actually had relatively few spots but one became infected - the whole area was red and very swollen, and she had a high temperature, around 40°C, which didn't respond to paracetamol. Our GP didn't even think she needed hospital treatment, which was utterly wrong in our case.

Never give nurofen/ibuprofen to anybody with chickenpox BTW, as it can be very harmful in some circumstances. It was the first thing we were asked in A&E, and they told us it was very lucky we hadn't given her any.

Chicken pox can be very serious. I don't want to alarm you but my youngest had it when they were 2.5 and had a rare complication of spots on his bonchial tubes which led to a bout of pneumonia. If you're worried please do seek advice (we were admitted for 2 nights, but had to be isolated from the other patients to protect them from infection which really showed how serious CP can be).

Can you send a photo of the spots to your doctor’s surgery to see if they can advise whether infected?

My second daughter aged 11 months became floppy and lethargic. Went to gp, and sent to pharmacy for Zovirax. It was very scary and later found out how ill/ fatal chicken pox can be.

Thanks everyone. I did end up calling 111 as DH and I realised she hadn't been weeing much today, and she was crying without any tears. When the nurse called me back she wasn't worried once we talked through it, and DD has since had more milk.

I don't think any spots are currently infected, they look quite sore but not with large red patches around them and certainly not spreading. I've taken pictures of the ones that look the worst so that I can easily check whether they get worse. I gave her an oat bath which seemed to help while she was actually in it, but not sure it helped much once she was out. She just sat there looking forlorn and letting me gently rub the oat filled tights on her back.

DD was older but had spots on her eyeballs, which I only realised as it affected her vision, she’s fine now, but do check eyes