Chicken Pox high temp

[MortifiedinAsda]

Just looking for some advice really. DS1 aged 8 has just come down with chicken pox ( DS2 aged 4 had it a couple of weeks ago and has passed it on). I am fairly laid back with these sorts of things and give the appropriate meds however his temperature does seem quite high when he is due paracetamol - 40.6 and he is complaining of feeling stiff and sore.

Is this normal with chicken pox? I know some children can be quite poorly with it and it might be par for the course. DS2 had a temp of 38.2 (ish) consistently for 3/4 days but DS1 seems poorlier somehow and says he feels weak.

I am giving Calpol six plus as have read that ibuprofen is dangerous to give with chicken pox, piriton and eurax cream to help with the itching. Other than this i can't really think of anything else i can do?

You could put some oats in the foot of a pair of tights, then hang under the tap and run a bath. If you make it cooler than usual it might give him a bit of relief ( not cold though, that might make him heat up more)

My ds1 had it much worse than dd - he caught it from her and I think I read somewhere that the virus can be worse in second child because of increased exposure. That might be nonsense though.

With regards to the temperature, is it coming down with the calpol or is the calpol not helping. It's very hot to be honest and if it persisted at that temp with calpol not bringing the temp down I would be tempted to call 111 for advice about other things to look out for - ear infection/other secondary infection. Worth googling UK sites for info too - including NHS site which is quite reliable.

We used porridge oats in bath (tied up in old pair of clean tights) which helped a lot. Hope he feels better soon

X post with the tights!

Used the tights thing with ds2 and he was quite happy however I don't think that ds2 is keen - just wants to cuddle up in bed. I'm going to give it half an hour and see if his temp comes down given that I can't rely on Ibruprofen as back up.

I have just also noticed a small rash on each shoulder. Which could be a viral thing as that's what chicken pox is I suppose but I'm keeping a close eye and will call 111 if his temp
doesn't go down much. Does anyone know given how high his temp was how much it should be after calpol?

It's difficult to say really - all three of mine have different 'normal' temperatures which meant, for example, a temp of 40 not exceptional in dd would have been terribly high for ds2 who runs a little cooler.

I think the main thing really is to keep a watchful eye on overall symptoms and seek reassurance if you need it and are worried.