Chickenpox and doctors - AIBU?

[tiredmammma]

Shamelessly posting here for traffic as I'm genuinely not sure what to do.

I have a baby who is a little under a year old. She's got a terrible case of chickenpox - I mean terrible as my eldest had it recently and had a "normal" amount.

They're in her mouth so she can barely eat but she is breastfeeding. She's scratching and screaming day and night, very distressed and COVERED in them.

I called the doc yesterday as some of the spots look sore. They didn't see her but gave some prescriptions including antibiotic cream in case of infection. I don't think they're infected but at night her temperature is high, she's occasionally being sick, she has mild diarrhea and just won't stop crying. AIBU to phone again when they've already said there's not a lot they can do? It just doesn't seem right to leave a baby like this.

Yes this, my friend has three. Baby caught it, was no visible skin. Father saying be ok, we made mum call hospital. Kept in five days.

Hope all is ok.

I don't know if it's appropriate for your little girl, @tiredmammma, but as an adult I had chickenpox and was prescribed piriton to ease the itching. You could maybe ask to see if it helps.
I also had lots of baths with bicarbonate of soda as PP have mentioned, and they did help. (I spent a lot of time in the bath!)
I hope your dd recovers soon.

I would absolutely trust your instincts. Although piriton isn't licensed for under 1s our GP said it's ok (I think over 6 months but worth checking). Same dose as 1s (2.5ml) no more than twice per day. That plus calpol were the only things that helped my daughter when she has chickenpox. There's no harm in speaking to your GP about it when you get her checked.

Our GP said liquid piriton is ok for our 6 month old

I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all the replies. It's very helpful to get an outside opinion when you're functioning on no sleep.

She has a mild secondary infection and is already much better after a day of treatment already.

Also for the posters discussing the vaccine - my eldest had the vaccine and still got chickenpox just as badly as their peers... but maybe it would have been worse if not, who knows.

I'm just glad this long chickenpox ordeal will be over soon!

Stop for a second and answer yourself this; what exactly are you expecting the doctor to do? Specifically? Physically what action are you expecting them to take?

Ah yes, the rock that keeps away bears. Still get the disease but "would have been worse without the special rock"

@sacklunch

Maybe you should read the full thread before being a dick to a worried mother? Did it make you feel all warm and smug to post that?

Baby needed treatment for a secondary infection and likely would have gotten more ill without being checked again.

@tiredmammma Hope your LO is okay. My nephew has chickenpox pox currently and the best thing for his itching has been Eurax anti itch cream. Not sure if it's suitable for babies but might be worth checking out?

There are plans to introduce it into the childhood schedule but have been delayed due to the focus on Covid.
The last I heard they were still researching where best to add it alongside the others.

The last I heard they were still researching where best to add it alongside the others

I am in Australia and the first dose is at 18months, I think the second is at 4 but would have to check.

4 DC, all vaccinated, none have had chicken pox. I’m sure there are some breakthrough infections here and there but none of their friends/classmates have had either, as far as I’m aware.

I am another one who’s baby ended up in hospital. It actually took 3 GP visits to get her into hospital and then they still left us waiting until my husband phoned the ward and I screamed ‘get here now I don’t think she’s going to make it’ that the doctors suddenly took notice. She had Staph and Strep secondary infections. We had to sign for some special antibiotic (?) treatment they were getting from France before they could grow the cultures to identify them. Treatment for 7 weeks. Like you, I had an older daughter that had had (a bad) case of chickenpox but this was beyond that.

Look for redness and swelling around the spots. If there’s one that seems to be spreading draw round the edges of the redness with a biro and put a time on it. Photograph the spot with your phone so you’ve got the time on there too. The doctor lifted one particular nasty scab and the pus shot across the room - he quickly grabbed a plastic cup and held it horizontally and it filled it. This picked one has left a 1cm deep scar on her but that much stuff obviously had to come out.

It sounds like you have caught it earlier with the antibiotic cream. Two different GPs and the hospital fobbed me off whilst I was deemed an overcautious mum. It took ear-piercing scream/wail from me (after 6 hours of rocking her half delirious, from days of lack of sleep, through the night on a plastic chair) and a nurse to finally come over and see this limp baby to actually get some action. I actually then forcefully handed her over to the doctor (Dd just had a nappy on) and he was pretty shocked as she didn’t even register or move and it was all action stations.

I still think I let her down but everyone kept saying ‘It’s just chickenpox’.

@legalseagull at £80 per child for 2 jabs I wouldn't say it's inaccessible, if you weigh up loss of earnings, time off work/school, inconvenience, pain, cost of meds, lost sleep, cancelled events/holidays.

I have two kids. It’s inaccessible to me for £160, although I’m yet to see it that cheap either.

Squirt some breast milk on the spots.

£90 per child is really not that much. Get it for them instead of Christmas and birthday presents or new clothes or some other luxury that they don't need. Some people have odd priorities

Mine ended up in hospital with it, so yes call.

Bit tone deaf. £90 is a food shop for some people, or other essential bills. I don't think my friends of family have ever spent that much on one child's birthday or Christmas.

It's £140 in boots

My Dr saw my ds I had to take him into the Dr's as his brother was having a diabetes test run and I had zero childcare they let him sit in a side room supervised by staff (who is also a part time ta) the Dr offered to look at him as I asked when SHOULD I be worried about his spots turns out some were going nasty and he had antibiotics for them

Isnt there a reason AGAINST the vaccine? Something to do with shingles? Or is that dismissed now?

What a ridiculous thing to say! Most people have no idea what a doctor will do if they go in with a complaint, because surprise surprise, they’re not doctors themselves and haven’t a clue what treatments may be available.

Definitely get the doctor to see her but often it is a case of fluids and pain or fever relief and ride it out. My dd had chicken pox. She was very poorly with it. I took her in to be checked but it ultimately came down to paracetamol, water and comforting until it was over.

Siblings seem to get it worse, guessing as continually exposed to the virus

my dd had it April and mild compared to many in her class

calamine lotion is now not advised

poxclin is amazing but due to so many cp cases hard to get hold of now

luckily dd had a few weeks before it went really mental locally so got the above easily

bathing in head and shoulders bubbly bath daily really helped

as a baby under 1 always worth seeing gp or calling 111 if concerned

yes there isn’t much doctors can do fir cp but may reassure you she’s ok