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.

Lemon, was that the baby who didn't even have any spots (apart from a couple on his foot) but had been sleeping for 20 hours?

You still there OP? How is she looking?

It does sound like a bad case. DD1 had CP 2 years ago, at almost 6. She had a 40degree temperature for around 3 days -delirious with hallucinations and constantly in bed, very little itching, spots everywhere. She whimpered when she was awake and thrashed around when asleep.

DD3 got it after her. Terribly itchy but far less spots. Completely well in herself.

DD2 didn't seem to get it at all

Chicken pox spots when they are coming to a head do look as you describe without necessarily being infected, but I would call your surgery tomorrow for a phone consult and take it from there, unless you are seriously worried tonight. Please not A&E unless she is seriously ill. There are vulnerable children and babies and pregnant women there. Ooh dr is better but phone ahead.

I would suggest also giving your child ibuprofen as well as the paracetamol as she is so hot and miserable. There are products from the chemist for putting on the spots which ease they pain and itching, and frequent warm baths clean of the exudate which is horribly itchy. Calamine can dry the skin so go more for the expensive newer products. Try to give her fluids, even ice cream, fizzy drinks.....any kind of fluid she will tolerate. Dehydration will rapidly cause her condition to worsen.

And please don't listen to the bullshit about leaving a feverish, unhappy, distressed child to have an uncontrolled fever thinking it's doing her immunity good. That's ok if they are feverish but otherwise happy and well. For a little one who looks and feels dreadful, and that is adding to her reluctance to drink and eat, for heavens sake medicate. They are NICE approved, not poisons.

This thread has had me worried too, DS had CP back in March and whilst he suffered with it he was nowhere near as poorly.

Be prepared that the OOH may send you and DD straight to A&E

All the best - you are doing the right thing x

I was very ill with chicken pox when I was a child. Didn't really eat for three weeks and my mum still talks about it years later. Best to see a doc to be on the safe side.

Hope all goes well OP, doing the right thing.

lemon and duchesse i thought of that thread too.

sneezecakesmum: "She's been writhing about with tummy pain, screaming that she needs to be sick but no sick was coming out. Her face now looks like there are huge red bruises, as though she's been punched. " - Is that not seriously ill then? I've certainly been sent to A&E with my dc for less.

Hello, yes just trying to pack us a little 'just in case' bag. But i expect we'll be home again by 11.30.

She's sleeping, but keeps waking up every five minutes, whimpering, then dozing back off. I'm really dreading having to wake her up for the taxi.

Lougle, with your DD1, did you take her to the docs or anything? That's what I'm worried about. A few people on here have said their child was like my dd is now when they had CP, but that it passed. DD's probably just got a bad case but nothing serious/out of the ordinary. Will feel loads better getting her seen though.

Is OOH like A+E? I've never been to OOH before. I know that A+E you wait for hours. But i've been given an appointment this time round so not sure what to expect.

I'm sorry to hear it :( I'd def ring the gp. She could be dehydrated - hence the constipation. Keep up fluids and pain meds but ring gp and get them to do house call. Sounds much worse than cp in our house. Hugs to you. Xxx

Yes that is the thread I am thinking about.

ewe sorry your little one is so poorly. my experience of ooh is that the doctors will answer phone calls etc so you might not be seen when expected. But worth making a fuss to make sure you're seen quickly.

OOH for us has half-hour slots, so everyone turns up at the start of the half hour and you're usually seen before the next half hour starts. Well done on packing a bag, best way to make sure you don't need it.

She really does sound very ill indeed. Our OOH is at our nearest large A&E, you go through a separate entrance and it's basically like a normal doctors surgery because it's appointment based. Our true A&E has a separate paediatric children's area and is rather pleasant all things considered. She may be given acyclovir anti virals - ds2 had this when he got a very bad case of cpox at just five months old. He was very vulnerable being so tiny and he was given them immediately by our normal doctor. Hope all goes well.

OP, your DD sounds really ill to me. The fact that she has red bruise like marks on her face and weeping spots, combined with a spiking fever and other symptoms make me rather concerned. Please don't worry about taking her to A&E. Personally, I'd have been there by now.

Sorry to hear your dd is so poorly, you have done the right thing calling the doctors.

I'd be tempted to go now and sit and wait. When DD was ill we went early and she was seen straight away.

DD was ill with chicken pox as a baby but nothing like your DD . I hope you are seen properly and she is soon on the mend.

There really needs to be more information as the OP didn't realise what her DD was going through wasn't just regular Chicken Pox.

Poor little thing, hope they sort her out and she's feeling much better soon.

Ok. She is unusually sleepy, she has bruises coming and has mostly likely infected spots and is feeling sick. Go to A&E NOW, please do not wait until 10.15 pm to sit in OOH waiting and then be sent on to the hospital. Consider that these bruises are a non fading rash here and could indicate a very severe infection. Better safe than sorry, sorry but if this is similar to my daughter she could be in very serious trouble by the time you get to a hospital if you go via A&E.

Just to repeat GO TO A&E NOW.

sorry that last bit should be "via OOH"

Please don't use Nurofen, I think it is paracetamol only for chicken pox. Google ibruprofen and chicken pox.

I second that last post - just go to A&E now, please.

thirded.