Chickenpox?

[LadyFlumpalot]

Please give me some advise as my DR's surgery is being completely useless...

DS began running a high temperature and complaining that his head hurts on Saturday. He's 2.5 so he communicated this by saying "hurts" and pointing at his head.

He developed a bit of a cough and a runny nose on Sunday, then on Tuesday I noticed he had a crop of flat red marks on his side. I should also mention that two children are out of his childminders at the moment with it.

The marks were worse yesterday morning (more of them, but not blistered or in any way giving discomfort) so I called the doctors, my mum has compromised immunity and I'm pregnant so I needed a firm diagnosis.

Unfortunately I mentioned that I suspected chicken pox so they sent us off to a small room by ourselves and sent a nurse who clearly did not want to get too close to DS. She just gave him a cursory glance and said it looked like the start.

However, this morning DS has woken up full of beans and with barely a mark on him. Can mild chicken pox just fade rather than blister?

I've tried calling the doctors back but they aren't interested and are just fobbing me off with "you can't bring him in if he's contagious" and NHS direct are just telling me to go to see my GP as it sounds like a generic rash!

Does anyone have any experience of chicken pox just vanishing? At the moment our whole lives are on hold, I'm taking unpaid leave - but still have to pay his childminder and I have a midwife appt. tomorrow I really need to go to!

Sorry, can only give anecdotal advice but I know when I was small I had numerous "generic rashes" which came and went rapidly. They looked like a particular illness such as chicken pox but came and went too quickly to confirm a diagnosis. As I got older I got shingles so they realised one of those rashes must have been chicken pox after all. Also I have had "official" German measles at least twice where that shouldn't be possible due to immunity. DD had a terrible deep red raised rash on Saturday and had been exposed to chicken pox but it had gone by the following lunchtime! Basically I don't think it's always clear.

Sorry that doesn't help much, is there anything else that could have triggered the rash? Sun exposure, allergy etc? I would wait a day and see what happens. Isn't chicken pox only infectious in the early stages, prior to/during the rash phase anyway?

I agree, I don't think it is always clear either. It is possible it could be chicken pox, but also possible and probably more likely to have been a viral rash.

Chicken pox is most infectious 1 or 2 days before the rash comes out and until all the blisters have scabbed over. If the rash has gone, then technically he would not be infectious anymore.

Have you had chicken pox yourself? If so, then you will be immune from catching it again.

If DS is back to himself and the spots have gone then it would be safe to presume that whatever it was has passed and he is ok to go back to the childminder and also won't be infectious when you take him with you tomorrow to your appointment.

I know how frustrating and upsetting it is when you are worried and need help from the doctors which isn't forthcoming.

Hope that helps a little.

He has no marks on his arms or legs, they are all on his chest, back and in his nappy line (a darker red there) so I am also thinking heat rash.

He hasn't been exposed to the sun really, it's been very muggy but generally cloudy here for a week or two. Nothing new introduced to his skin that I can think of.

Have just phoned NHS direct (again) and been advised to take him to a pharmacy tomorrow, not mention chicken pox and just ask if they have a cream I can use for his rash. They'll ask to see it an should know if its chicken pox or not. A bit sneaky but I'm out of options!

Midwife appt. is in the afternoon, so I'll take him to the pharmacy in the morning and see what they say.

How did it go?