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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be so worried about chicken pox?

43 replies

poppymouse · 26/08/2010 21:10

think it's getting out of hand, it started when someone was talking about it at work a few weeks ago and I'm now forever worrying DS might have it, or be about to get it. I almost wish he would so I could stop thinking about it.

Is it really that bad?

OP posts:
CatIsSleepy · 26/08/2010 21:12

how old is he? dd1 had it at 18m, it wasn't that bad really, and it got it out of the way nice and early

nickytwotimes · 26/08/2010 21:14

Ds had it at almost 4 and me at 36 and pg with his wee brother! It wasn't bad. If your kid ois over one they can have piriton andyway and that knocks 'em out!

Worst bit is when they are well enought o play but still infectious and you are under house arrest, but it is only for a week.

QueeferSutherland · 26/08/2010 21:14

It's perfectly natural to be worried about your child getting sick.
It is better that he gets CPox while he is young though. It can be terrible if you get it in adulthood.

It's not that bad.Smile DD has had worse bouts of illness tbh. Swine 'flu was awful.

Have you had it?

Schulte · 26/08/2010 21:15

Why are you so worried poppymouse?

violeteyes · 26/08/2010 21:18

my 3 have just had it, in staggered bouts. they are 4.0, 2.1 and 17 weeks. 2 youngest really really spotty, but noone actually seemed ill. no temps, no itching, nothing. middle one a bit off perhaps, but as nickytwotimes said, worst bit was being stuck on our own for most of 4 weeks in summer-lots of outdoors walks in unpopular spots/times!

Treetrunkthighs · 26/08/2010 21:18

DD2 had the worst case I have ever seen. The worst case anyone who I've shown the photos to has ever seen. We had two bad nights, two crabby days, and honestly, it wasn't that bad. It took all my time/energy/patience to care for her but it wasn't that bad.

Would you feel better if you were armed with coping strategies so when it does hit you know what to do?

skintbint · 26/08/2010 21:21

two of mine were vacc against, but got it anyway (really mildly though - we didn't even realise it was chicken pox until the two others came out in spots)

it can be nasty, but it can be just a bit of an embuggerance.

in north america they routinely vacc at the same time as mmr. you can get it done privately in the uk i think.

why are you so worried?

Original poster
poppymouse · 26/08/2010 21:23

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I thought it might be a bit dull for AIBU.

He is 19mo.

He didn't have swine flu but we all had norovirus at once and that was hell, in fact it might be that experience making me oversensitive to him being ill.

If he sleeps loads I can handle that fine, I've heard of kids crying all night over it so I am most relieved to read your comments.

It's funny as I'm not the mumsiest mum at all and sometimes feel a little lacking in mothering instinct but I can't stand the thought of him being covered in sores and miserable.

If I can relieve the pain, dummy in and we'll cuddle up in front of Waybuloo, that'll do me.

I thought about getting calamine lotion so we don't have the Sunday afternoon, shops shut, we'll have to do without until tomorrow, there was an element of that with the norovirus, it was Saturday night by the time we realised how bad it was.

OP posts:
signet · 26/08/2010 21:24

my 3 had it all at the same time. the boys were absolutey fine. spotty, cranky and miserable for a few days but other than that, ok. DD on the other hand was very very ill with it and ended up being hospitalised as her fever just wouldn't break and she was delirious. Having said that, she's incredibly highly strung and doesn't do things in half measures Grin

everyone else i know who has had it has just had a grumpy, spotty child for a few days.

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 26/08/2010 21:25

ds1 had it at 2 1/2 when I was 36 weeks pregnant with ds2 and on crutches due to spd.

Calpol, piriton and calamine aqueious cream saw us through without too much upset.

He was most grizzly the day before the spots came and the first day of spots.

It's really not too bad, and much better to have as a child as a pp has said.

Original poster
poppymouse · 26/08/2010 21:25

I cross posted with the last few. So grateful for everyone helping me get it in perspective, I've totally over worried this. Not for the first time. If I can't just put it out of my mind maybe I'll see about a private jab.

OP posts:
nickytwotimes · 26/08/2010 21:25

Get some Piriton syrup and Calpol at the ready as well as the calamine lotion. Baths with bicarb are nice too.

nickytwotimes · 26/08/2010 21:27

And god, yes, other childhood illnesses are MUCH worse tbh. If you've survived massive puke bugs, cp is NOTHIUNG

Lindax · 26/08/2010 21:29

ds had it at around 3.5 yrs old, various kids at his nursery were catching it for about a year before it was his "turn". Was covered head to toe in spots and was itchy, but otherwise fine.

intense itching only lasted a couple of days and we had a couple of nights where he would wake in the middle of the night because of it and we'd give him a quick cool bath with bicarb at 4am which fixed it and then back to bed for the rest of the night.

I was surprised at how bad it looked, but apart from the itching he was fine and in good spirts, apart from being bored by about day 3!

Original poster
poppymouse · 26/08/2010 21:30

Lovely, I'll get piriton, (more) calpol, and bicarb, I'll know I'm armed. Maybe tuck away some Cbeebies DVDs off Amazon. Once he's over the worst there is a country park a few minutes away where he can run about without contaminating anyone. If I have to take a couple of weeks off work and get into unpaid leave, so be it.

Open to any other suggestions.

OP posts:
CatIsSleepy · 26/08/2010 21:31

yep get in the supplies of calamine lotion, it's good stuff

honestly i don't know if dd1 was just unnaturally stoical at 18m (she sure as hell isn't now) but she didn't seem that bothered by it at all, didn't scratch her spots or anything.

3 of her molars came through that week too Grin

she had one evening of high temp and grouchiness, was slightly off-colour for maybe a day or two

biggest pain in the arse was not being able to go out anywhere

orienteerer · 26/08/2010 21:32

Totally normal childhood illness. DS had it quite badly (in terms of spots) at 3 but was over it pretty quickly.

tryingtobemarypoppins2 · 26/08/2010 21:32

Did anyones child scar from Chicken pox?

LadyBiscuit · 26/08/2010 21:33

My suggestion is to get it over now - it's much worse when they're older. My DS was a bit miserable for about a day and a half, the rest of the time he looked pretty awful but felt fine.

Get loads of cheap toys from the charity shop and hide them away - worst thing about chicken pox really is the quarantine - if you're on your own with them then you can't go out so it makes you a bit stir crazy. We went to stay with my mum and dad - then at least I could leave the house for 1/2 an hour every now and then

orienteerer · 26/08/2010 21:34

This plus a dose of Medised at bedtime work a treat.

mummytime · 26/08/2010 21:34

My 3 all had Chicken pox. DD2 had swine flu, swine flu was much worse for us.

Chicken pox was annoying as they didn't feel that ill. I have taken a child with chicken pox to the park in the for at 9 am on a school day just to survive. We saw no one, and it was cold and wet I doubt we infected anyone afterwards.

Very, very, very rarely there are complications. And even rarer are these complications dangerous. But then you can get complications from a cold.

QueeferSutherland · 26/08/2010 21:35

You can get Calamine in a cream now. Much easier. Worth getting some in.

When DD had it aged 3/4 we just snuggled up while DH layed a new carpet. (We pick our moments.)
It was quite nice, actually.

Original poster
poppymouse · 26/08/2010 21:35

Just told DH I'm going to make myself (and DS) a chicken pox box. He is laughing at me.

OP posts:
Lindax · 26/08/2010 21:37

ds has a couple of little white marks on his chest and one on his back which I didnt notice at the time, but think might be chicken pox scars - they are just white marks, not raised or anything.

QueenofDreams · 26/08/2010 21:41

Well my DS currently has chicken pox. He'll be two next month. He is a bit more high maintenance than usual, and his spots are still coming up. But I've been expecting it as it's been going round like wildfire here. He's bearing up quite well really although he did join us in bed last night.

Second what others have said: It's better to get it young. I had it at ten and felt vile for about two weeks.