Scarlet fever in adults, calamine nostalgia (and sympathy!) welcome!

[CalamineRevival]

Am I the only person to think only young children got scarlet fever? I feel very stupid and also very ill!

DS (young adult) diagnosed with it last week and despite all hygiene precautions I was diagnosed yesterday. DS had a sore throat and felt rough for for a few days, then developed an alarming rash (which raised scarlet fever alert and confirmation) he felt better 24hrs after anti biopics althohhh he will ofc finish the course.
since Friday my throat has felt full of broken glass, this week my temp was over 39 and my rash came and got diagnosis and anti bs. I do have other health issues (affects spag so sorry for errors) so would expect to feel worse than DS but this is awful! Everything hurts, my head is banging p and I am boiling hot one second and freezing the next. this morning wasn’t even capable of raising a hand to stroke my cat (she was most unhappy with me) I am sipping liquid through straw and being sponged with calomine. The smell reminds me when all the DC got chicken pox at the same time as well as taking me back to own childhood! I wish my mum was still here.

i think I’m just posting to say if anyone has a sore throat or especially tongue be wary, and to also make a very unsubtle bid for MNers sympathy

I don’t like complaining to my family (and it alarms them given other health stuff, whole other thread there) they are absolutely lovely but I’m a brave face type normally.
please be on the look out if similar symptoms as this is really nasty! And please send sympathy as well for my hard done by cat who isn’t getting her required amount of fussing over!

Come on people there is a cat here needing sympathy as well as me thinking it’s the 1980s!

<offfers cotton wool pads with calamine lotion on>

Sending much sympathy! My teenage DC had it about 18 months ago and it was absolutely dreadful. It started with raging tonsillitis and vomiting before other symptoms kicked in. Was nastiest bug he's had.
He was just about catatonic - by that I mean no energy to talk (could only nod or shake head) hight temps and just looking at him could see how awful he felt. 111 were really crap, also took him to pharmacist. No-one thought it was scarlet fever until after Googling I decided to take him to a walk-in clinic. They said he had an 'active' tonsillitis, took one look at his tongue and felt his sandpaper chest and declared he did indeed have SF. ABs did help.
I hope your ABs help soon and you are able to give your cat all the petting it deserves.

Sounds horrible so lots of sympathy to you! If your dcat is anything like our sadly departed cat she enjoyed sitting on me/ next to me when I had flu as I was a nice heat source! Hope you are feeling better soon

You have all my sympathy! Ds had it almost 2 years ago right before his A levels. He was so ill. The temperature was horrendous, he could barely swallow his own saliva and his hands peeled like sun burn. His rash then got infected and he ended up having a second course of antibiotics.
His A levels were a blur!

His rash burned horribly and we bought little ice packs which helped.

One thing that puzzles me is that ever since - every time he gets ill with a bad cold or sinus infection (too often), he gets a little relapse of the weird peeling rash thing on his hands. I’d love to know why. Doc has no idea.

Please be so careful and look after yourself. It really is a horrible thing.

You have my sympathy! I had scarlet fever a few years ago and I was astonished at how ill I was. I was too ill to call the GP and DH just waltzed off to work every day, so I just lay there popping pain killers in a haze. My throat was agony and my skin peeled off in strips at the end. I thought I'd had tonsillitis until a few years later there was an outbreak and the symptoms were listed including the skin peeling. It was one of those terrible illnesses you never forget. My great aunt died of it before they had antibiotics.

I was diagnosed with scarlet fever back in Dec 2003. I wasn’t convinced as I felt absolutely fine, I just had this really weird rash all over my face. But the doctor was convinced it was Scarlett fever. Your post and subsequent peoples comments have made me think the dr was wrong as I had no other symptoms at all with it, and I remember I wanted to go to work as I didn’t get paid if I was sick, but my boss was pregnant so didn’t want me to go in in case it was contagious. I remember we compromised by her booking a meeting room for me for the whole day and I went straight there and stayed there. Until my doctor confirmed that it was safe for her baby for me to be there anyway!

I hope you feel better soon.

Thank you all sorry to hear others have suffered and their loved ones. How awful about your great aunt @Eyelashesoffire . I have a vague feeling Beth in Little Women died from scarlet fever but may be wrong. @Tillow4everneither I nor ds have a rash on face, his was worse than mine and spread from his torso right down his arms but mine is more contained. Still not to face though I wonder if you had something else?

oh goodness yes the sore throat people have mentioned! DD made me broth, I had to kind of tip it in my mouth from a teaspoon as couldn’t open my mouth enough for a soup spoon! It hurts into my ears and neck if that makes sense.

the cat i patted her a little in a feeble Victorian lady on a chaise longue way but she still sulked until dh came home and had lots of proper ear rubs with pulling and proper tummy rubbing etc. she’s very tactile (and demanding!) and likes being massaged rather than stroked!

i also have epilepsy and feel a bit disoriented like i sometimes do pre seizure. That’s all i need. Dh and lovely adult dc have worked a rota so I won’t be alone in the house tomorrow but after that they can’t jiggle work so I need to feel better quickly. For their sake really as Dh will worry at work if I’m alone. Ds definitely improved very quickly after anti bs so here is hoping. I thank you all for replying!

The positive side is we have a variety of sippy cups with spouts and mugs with straws anyway, in case I have a seizure holding a drink. So drinks are easy, also today I had Granini juices as a treat which we normally wouldn’t buy as they are too expensive!

I am trying hard to find some bright side!

That sounds horrendous @CalamineRevival sending lots of sympathy to you!

I think there's been a revival of scarlet fever hasn't there recently? I only over encountered it in stories until the last couple of years and I'm amazed how many people have replied saying they've had it too.

I really think your DH needs to take some time off work to look after you, this isn't a normal illness and with complicating health conditions you oughtnt be alone.

I've had scarlet fever twice. A GP told me there are 3 strains of it. The first time I was about 10 and was vomiting and had a very high temperature with an awful sore throat. Penicillin sorted it quickly. The second time I was about 19 and a run down student nurse! Again penicillin sorted it quickly. I can remember a red sort of scaly rash on my stomach especially.

Yes in fact I thought it had died out here like smallpox or similar @DoIdriveaVauxhallZafira! Unfortunately Dhs employers have kindly kept him on despite much more absence than is normal as my health has been a nightmare. I’m also hopefully having brain surgery (then months of related rehab) this year so time off has to be strictly prioritised for us.i think his employers may finally have enough if he needs time off for that, and even I can see that despite it being related to being a carer for disabled wife, there’s a level that would be unreasobable. He works shifts so he can be here as much as possible, it’s shit for his health too. Just a shit situation generally! So you can see why I don’t genuinely moan about small stuff, so scarlet fever is definitely horrible!

I just lay down and a load of gunk came out of my ear I’m hoping the anti biotics see that off too!!

TWICE @Hollyhobbi ! Bloody hell! I wonder if they will find a vaccine in future. Btw your username fits in with my 80s nostalgia fits caused by calamine. I had a HH sticker book which I loved

I like to be weird! I’m allergic to Augmentin but not the amoxicillin thankfully) but the clavulanic acid! And kiwi fruit! I don’t think they are too bothered about a vaccine as penicillin is very effective at treating it! Thankfully.

Oh I’d quite like a vaccine so people don’t have to go through being ill before the anti biotics! Also people like @nicky2512s poor DS can have later complications from it
I still feel dreadful today

Ugh. Can anyone who had it as an adult remember how long they felt grotty for? I feel extremely shit. DS bounced back 24hrs after starting anti bs so I was hoping the same! He is a healthy 20 something though. I have other issues like Sjogrens which already cause dry mouth and swollen salivary glands so I think that won’t be helping.

just wondered what the average experience was so I can be more realistic. Currently having a pity party and all the cats have joined in…(they are naturals)

@CalamineRevival I just came to see how you are today, sorry you're still so ill how's your ear/hearing today?

Thank you my ear itself feels better, it’s just mostly my throat and neck up to my ears IYSWIM. I’m just trying to get enough fluids in with a straw. And had some melted ice cream before!

If your hearing has been affected you need to seek medical advice, likewise for the horrible discharge you had 🤒

Lollipops are good for fluids and sugar, might also be soothing on your poor mouth!

You’ve got antibiotics, right? They usually help quickly if they are the right ones, so if you’ve been taking them for three days and aren’t improving, you could consider contacting your surgery.

Bloody nasty, scarlet fever. Killed my grandma’s little sister.

I had Scarlet Fever about 8 years ago - I was in my late 50s, so not sure where I could have got it from. I had all those same symptoms, but was fine a few days/a week later.

Have some sympathy. I got it and went to the GP who said I couldn’t have antibiotics and although I knew he was wrong was on holiday the next day and spent a week camping with small children by myself. I remember those through the night trips to the toilet block with a real sense of horror. We were staying in an area where I had family and they had lovingly planned day trips. It was like some torturous horror. I couldn’t eat any solids at all! I came back a whole stone lighter and found out that DH who had become symptomatic not long after (staying at home due to work) had popped to the docs, got antibiotics and was better before I came home. I think on that basis you will hopefully feel much better soon!

Hi OP. My sympathies, I had it a few years ago and it was awful, as bad as I’ve ever felt as an adult with horrible myalgia and night sweats. I could barely get up stairs. I started to feel better 3-4 days after starting Penicillin.

gosh quite a few of us have suffered with this! I’m still amazed my DH didn’t catch it. @iamasquare I LOVE camping but the thought of camping solo with young DC and scarlet fever…that deserves a medal!

thank you for all sympathy yes lollipops is good call, i could not believe the price of strespsils but they work well. If I still feel this rough (had seizure this morning, didn’t help, lucky I was in bed!) on Monday I’ll ring GP. Hopefully will improve though. Thanks all for sympathy and sorry to @SecretSquirrelLoothats awful. We are lucky to have anti biotics these days.

Just posting so I can seem more positive instead of only negative posts! My rash has cleared really well and is only itchy at the very top now. My throat/neck and chest are still very sore. I’m figuring that I’m on penicillin anyway so will just wait it out and if it extends beyond the AB course I’ll contact the GP but hopefully it will improve. Currently living on a diet of ice cubes, pear juice and Yazoo chocolate milkshake which is quite niche!