How do I know if this is chicken pox?

[MiaSparrow]

Poor DD (2.5) has about seven or eight red spots suddenly - mainly face, neck, arms and leg. There were maybe three this morning and I just put it down to using oily sun cream. I'd say she's got a slightly raised temperature but is otherwise OK in herself. The older spots seem to be crusting over with a little head but the newer ones are just red and round and angry looking. They don't look like those raised itchy bites.

Does chicken pox sound likely? No experience of this (other than having it as a child). Is this how it starts? I've no idea! She has a little party on Sunday where she'll be seeing her friends, some of whom haven't had it. Would I need to keep her away?

I'm confused too because I've read that you can get chicken pox that's less obvious with only a handful of spots, so how are you supposed to know if your child has had it?

So I guess I'm asking: how quickly did your DCs pox develop and was it really obvious? And if not, were you able to get a diagnosis?

Wah! First time mummy alert. Thanks. xx

Unfortunately I have first hand experience of chickenpox! DD1 got it in nursery & passed it on to me, aged 30 & DD2.

There's usually 1 bigger spot, the original one, somewhere on your abdomen or back & it's filled with pus, sorry TMI! Then they rapidly spread all over the body, again they're sort of yellow in colour as they're filled with pus.

I'm not sure what the spots could be but it doesn't sound like chickenpox.

x

My little one had it at about 10 months. He only had 5 or 6 spots on his arms & legs & no other real signs of illness apart fom being a little off colour. He obviously had a very mild dose of the illness & boy am I thankful!

Not conclusive but it sounds like cpox is a strong contender - that was exactly how ds started with it, by end of day 3 he had a fair few.

See how she is tonight and give her a proper check over in the morning. If it is cpox it'll probably become quite obvious.

Spots tend to start behind the ears, spreading to chest, neck then back and gradually limbs. If you suspect it is cp please avoid nursery or anywhere you might expect to see pregnant women.

Child may have a raised body temperature or not. They are likely to get very uncomfortable. Calamine lotion helps to ease the itch, as does a oatmeal bath (put oats in a sock - run the water through it then use sock to wipe child over). Some people say piriton (allergy medication) helps- I'm not convinced. Look it up on NHS website. It explains it all much more clearly than I am.

The main thing I think about chicken pox is that the child is off colour for a long period before the spots appear. Spots increase rapidly. If they don't, it could still be a mild case but best to go to doctor for diagnosis

Sounds like CPX to me. We've got one child who is now crusted over, and another just developing the spots.

With our 2, it seemed to start between the legs, then go onto back & trunk, then face. They come on very quickly, although some children may only get one or two spots, or even none at all.

Piriton syrup was a miracle drug for us. DS2 didn't scratch at all. Not once, while he was on it. We also used Poxclin mousse, which does a similar thing to calomile lotion, but also helps prevent the spots becoming infected. We also gave porridge baths a try, chopping the oats up in a blender, then putting them in a sock & into the bath.

We'll try a similar treatment regime with DS1, who's just starting with it. And I may have first-hand experience of all this shortly, as I don't think I've ever had CPX

If not CPX it could beGerman measles, my friend's child had them when they were young. It's rare now but it used to common in children.

Whether you think it's CPX or not I would take her to the Doctor, to have her checked out and I would avoid the party until you know so you don't risk spreading.