Best alternative to calamine for Chicken Pox - plus achy ankles..?

[Mij]

DD1, 5.5, appears to have finally got chicken pox. She's well in herself, had a cold anyway, full of beans, but complaining of achy knees and ankles all day, then lo at bathtime we found a back full of spots. Are aches and pains a normal symptom? And yes I've googled it, natch, but results inconclusive unless it comes under 'flu-like symptoms'. To confuse matters, she gets growing pains quite regularly anyway. Coincidence?

Also - I've had a scan through old CP threads and there's lots of votes for oats in a bag in the bath, but what's best to stick on the spots to de-itch in between baths? Calamine gets a bit of a kicking.

Thanks

Eurax or poxclin cream worked best on ds.

Dd was VERY itchy and bicarbanate of soda baths were the only thing that helped her. She was only 13m though.

Not sure on aches etc - ds and dd both had fevers and a hell of a lot of spots .

I have shingles with the itchy pox and have been chopping my aloe Vera
Plant and smearing the gel on the spots which has really helped, so you might be able to get some gel from the chemist, also piriton helped

Aqueous calamine is the thing to use, not calamine lotion.

Lavender and bicarbonate baths too - and piriton

Aloe vera as suggested by highr - you can buy it from a pharmacy if you don't have a plant . Keep it in the fridge though makes it feel lovely n soothing cool!

Apparently you should use anything moisturising as it's drying out that makes the spots itch. Hence no bicarb as it is drying and recommendation is oats, Aveeno, Oilatum or similar as all are moisturising.

My DD is now 21 and hade chickenpox when 1. She still insists she was in agony with sore knees and I did nothing (terrible mother as always ) I think she was so young she probably couldn't verbalise it properly but it's interesting that it was severe enough that she remembers it to this day.

OK, brilliant everyone, thanks. We have bicarb and oats in the cupboard - how much goes in a bath? I only have a baking-type pot of it so not sure how far it'll go!

I'll head out to the pharmacy tomorrow. I'm a little wary of using antihistamine unless absolutely necessary but it looks like an emergency stash of baby piriton is good investment, particularly as I'm assuming DD2 (2.5) will get it in a couple of weeks.

Try Aloe Vera gel, it has a nice cooling effect.

Aching in joint and limbs is a very common symptom of the chicken pox virus. I think it is something about the virus coming out of the system in the spots but also going into the body via the nervous system and the joints are particularly susceptible? In our case my DS only got a handful of actual spots in the end.
In fact for my DS the aching was the worst thing (along with the initial fever), his ankles, knees and wrists were really hot and painful. I rubbed them a lot and made him a hot water bottle (once fever was gone) which helped, also gave him some paracetamol and the homeopathic remedy Rhus Tox did seem to help.

My DS also suffers bad growing pains so it is hard to know what is what, but it does seem that LOs who suffer growing pains seem more likely to get the joint aches with the pox virus.

Good luck and hope it passes soon.

We just sprinkled in about 2 spoons into a baby bath. It REALLY helped dd especially at midnight.

That's interesting timidviper we're prone to dry skin in this family so have a motley collection of E45/oilatum/aveeno/other random moisturising stuff in the house anyway. Also - a 1yr old remembering sore knees? That's quite a memory.

If you have oats then crush a good handful (if you have a pestle and mortar, or the end of a rolling pin in a bowl if not), then put in the toe of an old pop-sock or tights and suspend in the flow from bath tap. Water should turn milky and feel 'smooth'. Will be very soothing.

Hope she feels better soon

seaside72 thanks for that, DD1 isn't the fevery type which is why this has come out of the blue - no symptoms to give us prior warning at all - but it's good to know it's well known.

Totally second aqueous calamine rather than calamine lotion was great. Do agree as well that you should consider the piriton. If she is very itchy it may be the best way to give her some rest. Especially worth having if you think your other dc will get it as he has had prolonged exposure so is likely to be worse. Piriton was the only way to give ds1 any relief when he got them off dd.
Dd when she got them at 4 got them almost to the day today so just to give you a heads up ds1 got his on new years eve so hope you're not planning a wild party

Yes to piriton!! Works to calm down the itchy blighters.

We used Virasoothe gel (and I would recommend it) and baby piriton. DS seemed to get through with minimal discomfort.

And then throw the oaty pop sock away as it will never be the same again!

We always use cream from the herbalists which has chickweed in which is moisturising and great for ichiness. I use it all the time for my DSs ezcema, and when he has chickenpox. Unfortunately i can't remember the name

Ineedacleaner thanks for the time-scale! Bit gutted as this will inevitably throw out plans for visitors (some of the DCs grandparents haven't had CP) plus we we're supposed to be celebrating one of the GPs big birthday on the 30th. And of course the kids will be massively disappointed not to see far away GPs when they're expecting them. Ho hum. Onwards and all that.

Soaccidentpront and there was I thinking if I wore them with the oats still in them it'd sort out the dry skin on my feet .