Chickenpox and a&e

[Iloveanimals]

So I was on antibiotics which made me come out in a huge rash from head to toe. Servere allergic reaction and was told to go up. Whilst there, a couple with a child came in. Child with a few spots. Mum announced to everyone that daughters class had chickenpox last week with few being sent home. They'd brought child in just to "check" if it was chickenpox. Daughter seemed fine in herself. Low and behold she's seen and yes she has chickenpox. Now the whole waiting room (full of tiny babies) has been contaminated. If I'm being unreasonable then I apologise, but isn't this dangerous?? If a child's really ill with it then I completely understand but just to check?? Is this OK or AIBU?

Outrageously stupid behaviour from all concerned.

I called NHS direct once for a minor injury and they tried to send me to A&E with my daughter despite me telling them that she had chicken pox. I protested that there was likely to be immuno compromised people there and they said, 'Well that's their problem isn't it!'

I didn't go, by the way,

I’ m amazed they have the time/ energy to go sit in A&E for a few spots on an otherwise healthy child, tbh.

DD was a bit subdued, had a slight rash, we did the basic checks to be reasonably sure it wasn’t something more serious and kept an eye on her vitals.

So you expect people without a medical training to know that their kids have chicken pox?

Well yeah! I mean it's not hard is it? Especially these days with google!

When my 2 came down with chickenpox last year (within a week of one another), I pretty much knew anyway at the rate they were appearing, but checked google to be sure.

You only need to see a doctor if there's actual complications!

Jesus wept, some people are real fuckwits. Total disregard for everyone else in the waiting area, many of whom are likely to be elderly, pregnant or have compromised immunity.

Sadly there seems to be an outbreak of pox at our nursery every other week. Am just praying that DS gets to age 1 and has his vaccination before he catches it. It's a shitty horrible illness and I can't believe the NHS doesn't vaccinate against it.

That really is such a stupid thing to do, and could be really dangerous for babies and other vulnerable groups. And so unnecessary too, particularly as there had been a spate of children with chicken pox, it would have been pretty obvious.

Both my DDs have had it now, I didn’t even take them to the doctor as it was obvious what it was.

Neither of mine went to the GP when they had CP. I simply rang the Doctors and told them they had it and asked for it be put onto their medical notes for future reference. Which they did.

Then I kept my kids at home until they were no longer contagious.

Fucking baffled that a quick phone call couldn't have been made by this woman. Anyone could have told her what CP looks like. Her mum, a friend, a pharmacist, a doctor.

Bloody ridiculous. Some people have absolutely no thought for other people.

Like the fucking idiot parent a few weeks back who brought their vomiting child into nursery. He puked in the middle of the room as soon as he got in and the mother said to the teacher that he had been puking all morning (the teacher did go a bit mental at this though, but the mother insisted that she could not take time off to look after child. Had to take him home in the end though obviously. Stupid). Of course, the rest of the class went down fairly soon after and noone even speaks to this parent now. I don't understand people like that, who willingly and purposely infect others with whatever illness their kid has. Its just selfishness tbh

Utter stupidity. When our baby had complications with chicken pox we had to go into out of hours but waited in a side room.

luckily most people are able to correctly diagnose chicken pox in their kids, and manage it appropriately - otherwise the NHS would crumble in a day!

that is the most dangerous ignorant and stupid comment I have ever read on this forum, and I hope that you are not a real GP! Advising people to ignore a rash, and ignoring possible complication if it happens to be chicken pox is outrageous.

No, its not up to non-medical professional to "diagnose" their children thanks to google, are you absolutely insane?

I wouldn't take my kids to A&E for that, as I wrote many times already, but I would never mock or advise people not to seek proper advice! (just not A&E)

Oh, and it was the norm when I was a child for doctors to do home visits, for chicken pox , measles or others and it still is the norm in other countries.

The reason you tell people not to go to A&E is because it's not a life-threatening immediate dangerous issue,NOT because it "could be infectious" for others. If you child (or anyone) is in very serious danger, you do take him to A&E. According to your stupid argument, you wouldn't take a child with meningitis, would you?

The so-called advice from fake "GPs" on this forum are dangerous.

Coddi where did you extrapolate this According to your stupid argument, you wouldn't take a child with meningitis, would you? from?

When my DD had chicken pox she kept going temporarily blind. I had to take her to a and e. However, I thought the most responsible thing to do was to call the hospital prior to going, tell them I will be bringing her in. They had a nurse waiting at the door for us, she took us into a room to wait.

YANBU to be thinking it is dangerous. C.pox isn't a massive problem to many healthy children, yet already poorly and tiny babies, it is a killer!

Also shingles in an adult is not neccesarily a risk. Unlike CP, the virus is only spread through contact with the blisters. If the blisters are completely covered then there shouldn't be an infection risk.

Coddi

I think you need to have a little think about what your saying. The gp who posted said nothing of the sort.

Not one person has said someone with a chicken pox related complication shouldn’t be seen, your making that up to feed your lone voice of outrage.

Some of the stuff your posting is the type of thing I would expect to see from someone with some type of health anxiety or a serious case of the drama llamas.

It’s entirely normal with many childhood illnesses for parents to be able to be rational and sensible and know when medical treatment is required and when it’s not, to the point that being very off kilter either direction with the matter can be and often will be treated as a safeguarding issue.

I’m totally confused as to why they needed a diagnosis at all. We just used Google!

We did, however, need to take DD in to the out of hours clinic when she had it. I went in ahead and had to remind them that we needed a separate room to wait in, but I wasn’t willing to risk anyone else. Turned out she had scarlet fever on top of the cp, so we were right to take her in, but we would never have felt the need to do it for cp alone!

Oh, and it was the norm when I was a child for doctors to do home visits, for chicken pox , measles or others and it still is the norm in other countries

It’s also the norm in other countries to vaccinate against it, another thing we do not do in the uk as standard.

Now unless your outside of the uk it’s not nor has it ever been the norm to have a home visit for chicken pox. It’s not even been the norm to have an appointment for it. Measles yes because here it’s a notifyable disease but chicken pox isn’t

I didn't take either of mine to the gp when they had chicken pox one after the other. I phoned to ask for it to be put on their records though.

We have ended up at OOH & A&E last couple of months twice with a child with chicken pox (broken nose on 1 & infected pox other time) both times we have told them at checking in and they have isolated us away from everybody, I thought they would do this as common sense surely!?

I’ve got DCs ranging in age from 20-25. All have had chicken pox, none have ever been to a GP with it, or ever had a GP home visit for anything for that matter. I managed to diagnose it perfectly effectively without the help of google, Facebook or even a pharmacist. Just used common sense.

@CuppaTeaAndAJammieDodger
That's a great rash guide really helpful!
Wish it came in leaflet form that could be handed out with all the other leaflets you get given.

Not something I would even bother the GP with. No wonder EDs are under pressure!

We all had hand foot & mouth last year and me & 9 month old DS stayed home and managed it ourselves. I phoned GP just to ask if there was anything we should do/not do or look out for.

Unfortunately DH spiked a temp a few days later & became confused, incoherent, had rigors and cyanosis so we went up to docs on call after being told to by NHS24 to get checked out. I felt that was appropriate though given his symptoms. Wouldn't have just rocked up at A&E though unless he'd deteriorated drastically.

Some people are so fucking selfish and can’t see past themselves, why on earth would you use a&e just to ‘check’ something especially friggin chicken pox

I once took DD to the doctors with a weird rash (not CP as she’d alrwady had it - never took them to Dr for that) and they made us wait in an empty consulting room. No need to take to a&e for CPs at all.

I knew straight away it was CP with no medical training. It was just so obvious - the type of spots, where they were etc.

My nursery got very annoyed that I didn’t get a GP diagnosis. They tried to insist that my son wasn’t allowed back until all trace of the spots had gone unless I had a proper diagnosis.

In the end, he ended up with secondary pneumonia so he did have a formal diagnosis of CP. And the antibiotics etc worked and he’s okay.

If he hadn’t had the pneumonia, apparently he would still need to be off nursery (3 weeks later) as his spots are all dry but many of them are still there.

As it is he’s been back a week.

Nursery procedures do sometimes mean that parents have to ask for GP appointments (admittedly a&e is one step further) that they wouldn’t usually book. To get prescription medications for conjunctivitis or allergies so that the nursery can administer them; or to get rashes formally diagnosed so that the child can return to the nursery.