Is it normal to be so very ill with chicken pox?

[EweHaveGoatToBeKiddin]

I naively thought the extent of chickenpox was just an annoying, itchy, all over rash.

5yo dd started getting a few spots on Fri night. By Sat morning, her back, front bum, tummy, chest and armpits were covered.

Yesterday they came up on her scalp, face and a few across her arms.

Today, there are a few more on her arms, and some on her hands and feet. Several on her face look extremely red and angry. There is one that has burst beneath her eye, and the skin around the eye is now red.

There is a huge yellow one beneath her nose and another on her chin, which also has a thick circle of red around them.

She's been feeling rundown for several weeks. Last week she had a tummy bug.

Since Sun, she's been really bad. Hardly eating. Coughing. Runny nose. Keeps getting very sweaty despite the fact it's frosty outside and i leave a window open for her when she's hot. Then goes very cold. So her temp is constantly up and down.

She's constipated. She's saying that her tummy feels like it needs to be sick, but no sick is coming out. She's barely left bed/the couch.

Today has been the worst. Absolutely soaked in sweat earlier despite the freezing cold temp and a window being open. Hasn't eaten in over 24 hours. Burst in to tears when i tried to put Sudo Cream on the 2 huge, yellow spots on her face. Says she's scared to look at herself because the spots scare her. And now she's finally napping.

She just seems so weak and drowsy and fragile.

I can't even take her out to get her a medicine. My Gp requires you to go pick up your prescription paper in person then take it to a chemist for the medicine. I don't even think there is a medicine that could help.

Any tips? Or even some reassurance that this is perfectly normal effects of CP? No idea who she has picked them up from.

It sounds to me like she needs to see a doctor, sooner rather than later. I would ring them and ask for an urgent appointment with her, though maybe at the end of surgery as she shouldn't really be sitting with other patients. If the surgery are not able to accommodate that ask for a house call.

At the risk of scaring you, there are a few serious complications with chicken pox that can happen for a small minority of patients. Don't take no for an answer from the surgery at this stage. It isn't ideal to be at A&E either, but if the GP refuses to see her then take her to A&E. (Tell the surgery that is what you will do if they don't see her).

Not an expert but my DS wasn't this sick with chicken pox. Has the GP seen her? What's her temperature?

Crossed posted with beautiful. Agree with everything.

Some are fairly well with CP and some are more poorly.

But, she sounds quite a bit more poorly than usual to me ( I've had 2 DCs go through CP and I'm an HCP)

I would ask the GP now for a telephone consult and see if they want you to bring her in (they may want you to go at the beginning or end of surgery to miss everyone else, or wait in a different area) I would want mine to get seen if they were like this and I'm not a big user of the surgery.

Meds wise, regular paracetamol is good and lots of fluids - let her have the stuff she's not normally allowed if need be - pop, squash, milkshakes, ice lollies. Antiviral meds can be given but not sure they would be useful this long into the illness and they arent usually given to children with no risk factors.
Not hot/tepid baths with oats or bicarb good for itching plus calamine aqueous cream slathered on. No soap no bubbles.

Infected chickenpox needs to be seen ASAP. Hope she is OK.

My DSs were very ill with chickenpox, especially one of them. He lost an awful lot of weight and was listless for about two weeks. I ended up taking him to the GP because he got spots inside his eyelids.

I'm afraid it's a horrible disease - which is why it makes me so mad when people suggest chicken pox "parties".

I would call your GP for advice. My GP wouldn't do a housecall, but we sat in a separate waiting area. I was then referred to the hospital eye unit and I called ahead to ensure they knew he was contagious.

In the meantime I would make sure she is drinking enough. If she is very itchy, piriton can help (and may help her to sleep). But if she is really drowsy I probably wouldn't give it without speaking to a GP first.

I had to take my DS to the chemist to pick up prescription as well. Although the GP obviously thought it was ok for me to do so, I took the precaution of putting him in the buggy with the raincover sealed around him. I parked him away from people and ran to the pharmacy counter. I realise your DD is older, but might this be an option if you have no other options for collecting the medicine. [Realise I may get flamed for this]

Oh gosh. Really? What is normal with chicken pox? She's napping on my bed with no covers over her. A window open. In shorts and t-shirt and her head is so hot.

Whereas I'm sat at my desk with three fleeces on!

I'm just going to grab the ear thermometer just now and check her temp.

I posted last week when she was ill about her high temp and was told that a high temp is good as it means her body is fighting the infection, therefore i shouldn't medicate her just for the sole reason of bringing it down.

However, as she has been feeling so ill, i've given her 12.5ml of paracetamol this morning at 11.30am. Due another dose in an hour.

Just as a comparison. My 4 yr old DD started Sunday, spots coming up all over, miserable and itchy. Temperature up and down.

BUT she is still eating - what she fancies really...laying on the sofa asleep at present, which is unusual, but as we hardly slept last night not surprised.

She still has the energy to cry and scream about cream and medicine...

I would definitely call the Doctor, sounds like she has a bad case.

Good Luck.

If i post a picture of the face ones, can you tell me if they look infected? i have a feeling that i'll have a better chance of her being seen if i have a solid reason, such as a bacterial infection in her CP.

As she is young, I think I'd speak to a doctor. Are you giving her Calpol/Junior Nurofen for her temperature?

I had chicken pox when I was 25 and hurt all over. I would get up in the night and try lying on the floor as that seemed more comfortable. Also, I was off my food and my throat was incredibly sore. I had a couple of weeks off work as it took me a while to get over it.

Obviously you're mean to avoid others if you can, but I had to see my GP after about a week as I felt awful. I got to the doctors surgery, pointed out I had chicken pox and was told to take my seat in the waiting room with everyone else. If you have to take her to the doctors, it has to be done.

Dd1 was like this with CP.

She hardly moved for 3 days. She was literally covered from head to toe. She was too lethargic to even scratch herself.

She had tests for other things (German measles was one thing iirc) but she went back to normal within a week.

I would get her seen by someone asap.

My youngest dd was very poorly with chicken pox when she was 6m old.

The yellow spots you are talking about sound like they are infected. My dd also had a few of these and needed antibiotics to clear them.

Hope she feels better soon.

Is that a typo about the 12.5 ml dose of paracetamol???

I can't see your picture, but I'd say get her to the GP ASAP. I had one child v I'll with chicken pox and consequently had all my others vaccinated. It makes me so angry that it is taken so lightly in this country, especially by lots of parents.

I would get her seen by the GP today some children with CP do need more than painkillers ect.
If you can't see gp at home or want to take her in to a and e phone ahead so they can see you in a single room and not have you waiting in waiting room.
Good luck

I haven't seen the pic but sounds like dd's which were infected.
See your dr ASAP - sounds like she has an infection. Hopefully you should get some ABs which will help within 48h.

You have my sympathy. It was horrible and dd will always have the scars from it. I'm just thankful we caught it in time as she was very poorly.

Some children are really poorly, your poor DD, she sounds miserable. She sounds like she has a fever. Do you have a thermometer to check her temperature? Are you keeping her dosed up with calpol every six hours? I think ibuprofen is not a good idea with chicken pox for some reason I have always been advised to keep on top of it rather than let it peak. Might she try an ice lolly? That's the best tip I had from nhs direct once when I phoned. Food doesn't matter, but lots of sips of water. I find patient.co.uk to be the most reliable source of info, although to be honest I think I would be taking her to the doctors, even if just to check the spots on her face aren't infected.. At my GPs you have to wait in isolation in an empty consultation room.

Hope she's over the worst.

Not a HCP but a cough with chicken pox needs seeing by a GP. Pneumonia is a known complication of Cpox and my GP always said to come back urgently if a cough developed or child seemed very unwell. (My 3 have all had it, one quite badly but no pneumonia, buy GP said I was quite right to get her seen urgently).

Please phone your GP ASAP.

Lots of x posts! Too slow to type!

My DS was as you describe - and had a high fever for over 10 days. He didn't have any complications fortunately, but we did give regular calpol and lots of drinks as he didn't want to eat anything either. Hope your daughter feels better soon.

I would get her seen to - call the Gp possibly . Also i would be giving calpol just to ease some of the discomfort she is in.
Poor thing it sounds terrible.

Hope you've called a doctor.

I was unwell with CP, lost a couple of days to delirium but not cough and infection, which IMO would require medical assistance.

That's the amount she is prescribed because of her size, as advised in April when she was at hospital for something. And her recommended dose (which i even got them to put on a letter for me) is 12.5ml of this specific infant paracetamol. It's still marked on all the bottles, as they gave us about ten of them, which they insisted i keep as I'd likely use them in the future.

I've just checked her temp now and it is 38.4 but she's still murmuring and whimpering about being 'sweaty'. Managed to get her to walk to the loo for a wee but she wouldn't let me touch her really. She's back in my bed now complaining she's cold. Managed to chat a little bit.

I've put up a picture of the face ones if anyone could have a look and give me their opinion? I don't know whether i should wait and see what she's like after today. I don't want to have to drag her out, nor do i want to give her CP to other people when this might all just be nothing to worry to much about. We don't have a buggy, and i don't think a bus/taxi driver would be willing to take us. And she doesn't seem up for walking. Our GP don't do house calls either.

I think it's just because she's normally so chatty and full of life that her lack of energy seems worrying.

They look infected to me. I would definitely seek help as they will scar and fester.

It doesn't look much like chicken pox they are so angry looking. Poor thing looks thoroughly miserable.