To ask you about your experiences with chicken pox as an adult?

[SheWhoShouldNotBeNamed]

DD came out in chicken pox 15 days ago. Absolutely fine with it, no problem, and is now recovered bar a couple of scabs.

Me, on the other hand...

I never had chicken pox as a child according to DMum, and I am inclined to believe her as my sister got chicken pox from her DC in October.

Since Thursday, I have been feeling dreadful. It started with body aches and now I have a temperature and sore throat. Also, the left side of my face is hot and swollen. But no spots yet. I have to say, I feel completely and utterly rotten. And I feel worse because I can't pinpoint exactly what it is

yet, so make myself paranoid.

If you have had chicken pox as an adult, what was your experience like? Was it hell on Earth, like this?

It was a few days of going hot and cold and feeling a bit out of it. Then it was just itchy and annoying but I felt OK and it was quite nice to have time off work.

My husband had 2 weeks off work. It was dreadful. Get to the GP. He was given something to speed up the process and something to help him sleep.

Yep I felt like you initially but as soon as I saw a spot I went straight to the gp and got anti viral medication.

I felt much better after taking it and it seemed to stop further spots coming out! You have to get it within 24 hours of the first spots for it to be most effective.

I didn't know you could get something from the GP to speed it up?

I had kind of resigned myself to the fact I would just have to ride it out. Will be extra vigilant for spots now. Nothing as yet but my swollen half a face!

I had it as an adult for the first time. I was very unwell.
Didn't help that I had two children with chicken pox at the same time, a breastfed baby ( also very unwell) and a two year old. No family hep and my OH was working abroad.
Phone your GP. Chickenpox is a notifiable infectious disease. Don't go to the surgery, you may pass on the virus.
I phoned the surgery and my GP paid me an unexpected visit, which was very kind.

@speakout

Oh poor you, that sounds dreadful!

I had thought about infection and visiting the doctor. I will ring if needs be. I'm just so unsure if this is actually chicken pox as they seem to be taking a long time to actually come out.

I can't deny though, I feel probably the worst I've ever felt in my life bad one instance of flu over 10 years ago. The body aches are just horrendous!

I second or third? the advice to contact the GP. Does the practice offer telephone consultations? You could ask the receptionist for a doctor to call you back. Chicken pox in adults can be very nasty.

@TapasForTwo

I'll definitely be ringing them tomorrow.
Although I feel rotten I don't think I need to contact anyone OOH today and feel I can manage till tomorrow. Will just keep monitoring it.

The body aches are just so profound. From head to toe there's not one part of me that doesn't hurt. Cocodamol and Ibruprofen is helping somewhat though!

Had it at 23, home from uni for the summer. it's the only time I've begged my mother to stay with me! Felt dreadful, slept a lot. If You need to scratch, only scratch the ones in your scalp, they really do scar

I got it when I was 37. It made me really ill, I was off work for a fortnight but still really rough for another week. I'd say it was aroung 6 weeks before I felt properly well.

When I got it, I'd been feeling quite poorly for several days before any spots appeared: flu-y and achey, but I can't recall whether I had a temp and I certainly don't recall any hot/swollen areas.

I wasn't that spotty, but most of them were on my face and neck, a few on my upper body. I had several around one eyebrow, they all formed one huge scab as they started to heal. It was completely grotesque, and I was quite surprised not to get any scarring.

A couple of years later, I had the first of several attacks of shingles. For about 5 years, I got shingles whenever I was particularly stressed. I now get post-herpetic neuralgia from time to time, although this has become less and less frequent as I've got older (early 60s).

My experience is one of the reasons I'm in favour of CP vaccination. I've been suffering the aftermath of chicken pox for getting on for 30 years.

I was really surprised to get it too. I'd never caught it as a child, despite my mother's best efforts and almost every child I knew having had it. I assumed I had acquired immunity, but I was clearly wrong.

I hope it isn't the pox, OP, and if it is, I hope you feel better soon.

The incubation time for chickenpox is 10-21 days so you are still well within the time frame for developing it,
I knew I’d not had it as a child so when DS got them I went to my GP for antiviral medication and also to my Occupational Health dept for an immunisation to try and stop it. I got the first spot on day 21.

Definitely speak to your GP because adults can be very very ill with chickenpox.

I had it when I was about 30. It was fine, just irritating for a couple of days.

I had what I thought was really bad flu. That lasted about three days and I started to feel better. Then spots started to appear and someone told me they were chickenpox. I didn't actually feel unwell with the spots, just had to put up with the itching. And being treated like a leper.

I had it in my 20s and don't remember being particularly ill. But I gave it to my flat mate who was quite ill and to my then boyfriend who was very very ill with it.

I'd definitely explore the anti-viral option if you can.

I had it when I was 28, two weeks off work, still didn't feel well after 3 weeks. I was in agony, pox inside every orifice, lost a tonne of weight because it hurt to eat and drink.
Luckily my neighbour came to see me around day 7 as she said ring the docs now, your chicken pox are infected. Sure enough I was given antibiotics.
Camomile lotion didn't help, I just wanted to be sedated if I'm honest!

I just had paracetamol, my GP told me they only do antivirals for people who are immunocompromised

I had my first 'pock' as I went into labour with DD (DS came down with chicken pox a couple of weeks before my due date). We had to spend 2 weeks in hospital as DD had to have injections.

It was bloody awful because every morning I woke with more of the damned things working their was down my body.

Most annoying was that hospital initially wouldn't give me treatment because the blood test came back negative. I ended up losing my rag with the Dr and asked if I didn't have chicken pox what the hell was it. She then agreed to the anti viral and hey presto no more crops.

I got it last year after DS got it. Annoyingly I had the double dose vaccination through Oct health at work two years prior!

Neither of us were particularly ill to be honest, didn't even get that many spots, so I wonder if we got lucky and got a very mild strain.

I know my XBIL was really poorly and got the antivirals Avoclor (?) from the doctor.

I got it at 30 pre-kids from a friend’s kid. It was awful - completely smothered in them and got quite a few facial scars. When the first spot came up I went along to the doctors who just diagnosed chicken pox and signed me off work for 2 weeks. I was chuffed by that because I was going through a load of stress and was exhausted. Then it hit. With a vengeance and the spots just multiplied and I can’t begin to describe the itchiness. It was the height of summer, it felt like the worst flu. My male friend caught it later in the year and ended up in an induced coma - it affected his lungs. He nearly didn’t make it but thankfully did. Am sure this is very rare but do keep an eye on it. No anti-viral was offered to me but this was over 20 years ago.

Don't take ibuprofen, I did during the first week and was told that could have been why my pox became inflamed and infected. Stick to paracetamol only.

I caught it in my early thirties and ended up giving it to my kids . I felt like I had flu for a day or so and then the spots appeared. I didn't feel too bad once the flu like symptoms had gone. A GP did a home visit (but we are talking over 20 years ago!). Be very careful with the spots, I now have scars on my forehead as I didn't realise I had chicken pox spots until I rubbed my forehead. I would definitely speak to a GP in the phone as the thing with the side of your face sounds unusual. Hope you feel better soon OP!

Thank you for all the advice!

I will lay off the ibruprofen.

I'm sat here absolutely covered in sweat, aching from head to toe. I've never had to call the doctors on a weekend, is it worth even trying?

I have a spot that looks like a blister on my arm, but really don't know if I'm just being paranoid!

Worst part is DH works nights, so he's gone up to bed. Me and DD are just hanging out. I've got absolutely no one to come and help me. I've got some poxclin from DDs bout so may slather myself in that as a preventative measure!

My heart goes out to you it really does, keep as cool as you can - windows open/fans/ice lollies, drink plenty of water. Try to sleep as much as possible. Oh and cut your nails really short, you'll scratch in your sleep without realising! Get well soon.

I'm sat here absolutely covered in sweat, aching from head to toe. I've never had to call the doctors on a weekend, is it worth even trying?

Yes, you really should. Most GPs will prescribe anti viral medication for adult chicken pox because it can be really nasty. It won't take away the current symptoms but might shorten the illness.

"Annoyingly I had the double dose vaccination through Oct health at work two years prior!
Neither of us were particularly ill to be honest, didn't even get that many spots, so I wonder if we got lucky and got a very mild strain"

You probably had it mildly because you had the vaccination.

Silvercatowner I think it would be a good call to contact OOH and see if you can get an antiviral. I hope you feel better soon