First time with Chicken pox

[mariyah]

So my 4yr old has chicken pox and I have no idea what to expect I’m so frighten that he will get really sick. He already has a horrible fever. I’ve put calamine lotion on his spots but they haven’t blistered yet. He had two on his eyebrows that are crusted yellow, are these infected can somebody let me know ? He’s just recovered from a chest infection and is still on antibiotics. The Calpol isn’t bringing his fever down much it was 38.2 down to 37.9. He is fairly okay in him self, he’s drinking in small amounts and had a little bit to eat. I’m just worried about the fever. Can someone let me know their experience. Thanks

Hi op, my ds had chicken pox when he was 2.5yrs and I have health anxiety so really struggled with it. Best advice I can give is virasooth gel is better than calamine lotion when the itching becomes unbearable at nights, and piriton liquid can also take the itch out plus make them a tiny bit drowsy to help them sleep better. The temp is normal and should only last 2-3 days whereas the pox will last between 7-10 days really. If the calpol is reducing temp at all then that is a sign its working, they can't have nurofen with chicken pox though which I struggled with as it works better at reducing fever than calpol in my my experience. Don't worry about not eating, as long as he's drinking and even try ice pops etc.

Thank you so much nogodsnomasters I have anxiety too. I’m really worried about the yellow crust on the two chicken pox spot on his eyebrows. Are they infected? I don’t know how I’m going to do it without nerofen I usually use that for fevers as they work wonders and last the longest. I used nerofen this morning without realising that he actually had chicken pox. As he had fever the last couple of days due to his chest infection. So I’m worried about that too. 😩

OP those temperatures aren't dangerous for a 4 year old. It's good he is drinking. If you want to encourage this you can try with a syringe or fruit juice or something hes not normally allowed, or jelly.

Virasoothe and piriton are helpful for the itch as well

No one is going to be able to tell if they are infected on the internet, normal signs of infection are redness and heat

Actually those temps are not bad at all. I've seen temps in young ones in excess of 39.

In the morning it was 39.1 that’s why I gave the nerofen and didn’t realise it was due to chicken pox

My 14 month old just has it. He was miserable for a few days, fever approaching 40 and then it went. Blisters and then just waiting.

He was remarkably resilient after the initial fever - piriton and paracetamol was fine.

You just need to keep a close eye for signs of infection: cold hands and feet with a fever, very low or high temperature, infected sores, lethargy, vomiting, respiratory problems.

Also does anyone know if all the spots blister or just some of them?

They'll all blister. Chickenpox has vesicles (fluid-filled blisters) rather than a flat rash as you would see with measles. The fluid in the blisters contains the virus. This is why kids are contagious until all of the blisters are dry and scabbed over.

The usual course is that they'll get some spots, then some more, then some more. Usually you see it on the torso first, then moving to the head and limbs.

No more nurofen as that had ibuprofen in which is not advised when they have chicken pox.
Virasooth, piriton, calpol,cut the leg off a pair of tights fill with oats and tie then put in a bath it helps with itching.
It's horrible but sounds like you're doing a great job.
Lots of ice lollies and drinks to keep hydrated.

I was told by the doctor when DD had them to use classic head and shoulders as bubble bath and it worked a treat for the itching. Found it much better than calmine lotion and piritin.

My DD had chickenpox that got so bad they needed antibiotics. She wasn’t overly fussed by them and I can’t remember her being overly ill on them either.
Take photos of the ones you are concerned about for reference so you’ll know if they need attention.
For what it’s worth, I knew my DDs needed antibiotics, they were wet, red raw and seemed more like wounds than chickenpox!
I didn’t find the lotion worked at all for DD.
Make sure you have some piriton or similar for the itch as it will help

Virasoothe was brilliant when my dcs had chicken pox.

Don't work too much about your ds eating, two of my dcs hardly ate anything for the first few days as they had spots in their mouths which made it painful to eat. Ice pops and ice cream were a godsend the first few days, it got some fluids into them and helped soothe their mouths for a little while.

Also does anyone know how long the fever last roughly? fever makes them so miserable, just want that to pass to be honest

I think they feel rubbish and feverish for two or three days. Then they perk up but you still need to stay away from people so it's a bit of a pain when they feel fine but you need to stay home.

Try not to worry, people only post about the horror stories on here but for most children CP is unpleasant with no lasting effects.

I had CP in adulthood and was really poorly some of my spots became infected with MRSA and I did need AB ointment for them. Maybe call 111 for advice but try not to worry.

Fever usually doesn't last longer than that 72hrs but because he already had a fever with his chest infection it could go longer if it runs concurrent. Make sure he finishes the antibiotics course no matter what. Yellowy spots don't necessarily mean infected, usually infected ones become very large, bulging, weeping like wounds, can have big red rings round the actual pox on the skin. My son had 1 infected one and this was the symptoms of it. How is the temp this morning?

Today he’s woken up much better mood as he had his full 12hours sleep. But his fever is still at 38.4 have him Calpol. He’s feeling very itchy this morning. Did give him piriton. I want to take him to the GP to get the two spots that look unusual, checked out. He finishes his antibiotics tomorrow.

No ibuprofen, use calpol (paracetamol) instead.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/chickenpox/

Yes I haven’t been using ibuprofen, only used it before I even realised he had chicken pox. After that I’ve stuck to Calpol.

I'm glad he's on better form, that's really half the battle. If you wish to have the pox checked out you need to call your gp and tell them it's chicken pox first as a lot of surgerys don't want you in the waiting room due to patients with compromised immune systems or pregnant women or newborn babies etc. When my ds saw gp for his infected pox it was the out of hours service at weekend and they asked me to come at a specific time when they knew who would be in the waiting room. I would also recommend the oats bath for the itching, put oats in the foot of a pair of tights and hold them under the tap as the bath runs.

Soon as the fever has gone I will put him in the bath. As I’m a bit resilient to put him in the bath with fever.

I understand what you mean, I don't give my son a bath with fever either, it always makes his drop and then spike within 15 mins of coming out of it. It's gonna be a long week for you op but don't worry, it will pass eventually

It's normal for the spots to go a bit yellow and crusty.
Poxclin is a great cream to use, really stops the itching.

Ds has it just now, got it off his sister. No fever and not really itching thank god. Gp recommended poxclin to put on it, available in boots, its a mousse, non sticky, no harsh chemicals in and also helps block bacteria getting in aswell as soothe itching. Found this to be really good. Didnt bother with calamine. Most of his have scabbed over now, hoping to send him back to school on wed.

Does anyone know what days are the worst or the days the fever peaks.