Mastoid swelling with chickenpox

[MoaningMinnieRisesAgain]

Rather specific query I know. 3yo DS has chickenpox, started at the weekend. I noticed yesterday he has a big lump directly behind his left ear. Not right behind the lobe but higher up on the bony part IYKWIM. It seems tender but is hard.

DH thinks it is in the area of his mastoid ( DH has had lots of mastoid problems and operations and suffered significant hearing loss as a result). Do I need to be concerned? I wasn't planning on taking him to the GP as he is fine in himself and I am sure it's CPox (recent exposure and I'm a nurse but know little about ears!)

Is it probably just a swollen gland due to the virus? TIA

hopeful bump

Go to the GP ASAP if it is a mastoid abscess the sooner they are treated the better. The majority of children with mastoid abscess are miserable and do run a temperature, but not all do - I speak as a mum of a child who smiled and giggled with her mastoid abscess. We saw one GP who dismissed us, saw the Gp registrar who was concerned saught advice from the first GP who suggested sending us home with antibiotics. Fortunatly that GP registrar just did not feel comfortable with this and sent us to paeds assessment who had us seen by ENT that night she started two different types of Intravenous antibtiotics that night and had surgery the next day. They later told us that another 24 hours delay could have cost her her life. She does have hearing loss that she copes very well with, but I would always see a GP if I was concerned about mastoid abscess. We were later told that if we had been given a broad spectrum antibiotic at the first appointment she would not have needed sugery.

Oh poo only just seen this. He is very well in himself, will ring GP first thing as OOH is at the hospital and got no car this evening. He is one of those children that stays pretty happy even when ill though

Hope it all went well today.

Could only get an appt for first thing tomorrow, so I will let you know. (My surgery is pretty good but same day would have been a sit and wait appt for emergencies that clashed with DDs school pickup time)

The lump looks a bit bigger today and is still very tender, am hoping it's just a swollen gland but none of his other glands seem at all inflamed.

I remember both my two older DC having a prominent lump in the neck during chicken pox, they turned out to be swollen glands. Hope yours will be the same and nothing more serious!

It was just a swollen gland so now the GP thinks I am a knob but he checked his ears and found more swollen glands in his neck that I hadn't noticed and didn't seem to think I was too daft. Just to give him ibuprofen and see how he goes.

He's well enough in himself to be getting a bit bored of being under house arrest now

Glad it's all okay I don't think you can be too careful with this.

I know plenty of people would have taken them just to get the chickenpox diagnosed for sure but I keep GP visits to a absolute minimum IYKWIM, both me and DH are nurses so you only get medical treatment if your leg is falling off here

The GP didn't mind at all, he was very nice. DS is better in himself today too, back to preschool tomorrow I think now he is all scabby.