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Children's health

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Original poster

Chicken pox. Your stories. Please?!

22 replies

Ewanthesheep · 10/04/2018 19:47

My 2 year old ds1 and 8 month old ds2 has chicken pox. I had an appointment at GP and they confirmed (I only phoned for advice and they told me to come in)

Ds1 started with 3 blistered spots. And now had lots of tiny ones. About 50 id say since 9am. So less than. 12 hours so far.

Ds2 has a few tiny tiny spots here and there that look blistered.

Both seem fine. Drinking more fluids and a bit more sleepy that's it. Fingers crossed this is all. As they've had no lead up to the rash symptoms!

They share the same nursery and same room half the time they are there.

I phoned nursery and they seem to be the first known case since the last bout 4 weeks ago which is confusing too!

My question is. We have a holiday planned only in the UK so no flights but at a week for toddlers and babies! Monday is when we are due there. But do you think the blisters will have crusted. Wait out till Sunday before canceling or just give up hope now and cancel now.

How were your little ones with it. How long did they have it.

Going out of my mind with researching the web!

OP posts:

mintbiscuit · 10/04/2018 19:50

My experience is you’ll be fine to travel by Monday. Dcs will be v crusty though! ( but non contagious)

CrispyCrackers · 10/04/2018 19:52

My kids had it when they were little and it cleared up really quickly. They were hardly ill at all. I don’t even think I’d have noticed the youngest had it unless her older sibling hadn’t had it.

Unfortunately my husband caught it and was sick as a dog for well over a week. There wasn’t any space left in his body for another spot. It’s the illest he has ever been.

Original poster

Ewanthesheep · 10/04/2018 20:07

Oh I do hope it's the same for my son's then. Fingers crossed. It's their first holiday. Hopefully I can help make them comfortable when all crusty too! And they don't feel to bad during the outbreak!

@CrispyCrackers gosh! Did he not have it when he was a child or a rare case of catching it twice?

OP posts:

HippyChickMama · 10/04/2018 21:12

Dd(4) recently had chickenpox. She first had the spots on the Tuesday and they were crusted over by the following Monday. Bicarbonate of soda in the bath or an oat bath helps with the itching.

Original poster

Ewanthesheep · 10/04/2018 21:45

Thanks! How much bi carb? For half a normal adult size bath?

OP posts:

HippyChickMama · 10/04/2018 22:06

A couple of tablespoons should be enough. Pat skin dry after bathing and exposing the spots to air will help dry them out to encourage crusting over. Over 1s can have piriton for itching too

AornisHades · 10/04/2018 22:13

Piriton for the itching.
For pain relief, Calpol (paracetamol) is fine but don't use any ibuprofen based medicine.

SoyDora · 10/04/2018 22:15

It was 7 day until they were scabbed for us (very luckily as we had a holiday booked 7 days after DD2’s spots appeared!)

SoyDora · 10/04/2018 22:15

Oh and we got through it with poxclin, piriton, calpol and oat baths.

GlitterBurps · 10/04/2018 22:34

Hi we are just coming to the end with DS1. Spots appeared Easter Sunday and all but 3 on his back have crusted over now. Calpol, piriton and poxclin really helped. He has been extremely tired though.

CrispyCrackers · 11/04/2018 00:10

My husband hadn't had it as a child that he was aware of. During the same outbreak one of my friends husbands also caught it and he ended up in a wheelchair for 6 months. Fortunately he went on to make a full recovery but it was a surprise to everyone quite how badly he was effected.

Initially he wasn't as sick as my husband but for some reason he ended up being worse off.

My husband had to lie in a dark room and not move a muscle for a good few days and I couldn't see any bit of him that wasn't covered in a spot. His whole dad puffed up. I thought he was going to be covered In scars but he wasn't.

I'm glad my kids caught it as kids.

Nogodsnomasters · 11/04/2018 10:34

In my sons case he didn't fully crust over for 9 days so I guess it's different for everyone, I'd probably wait until Sunday before cancelling as you might get lucky.

Original poster

Ewanthesheep · 11/04/2018 19:13

There are a few more spots on the eldest today. He has about 10 more today.

Little one has lots of tiny little red rash spots. Only tiny and can hardly see if they are blistered other than 2. So I'm hoping it's mild! But have a feeling it will be all a trick and blow up into full swing in a couple days.

No itching or fever at the moment so I'm glad for them.

Just holiday. And Changing plans will be a PAIN. but better than spreading it around at a week aimed for little ones.

OP posts:

Original poster

Ewanthesheep · 13/04/2018 15:11

My youngest turns out to not have chicken pox and was just a Usual rash that went. I was probably looking to hard for it!

So based on the fact my eldest got it Tuesday. Even though they share the same nursery the other place my oldest has been is soft play a couple weeks ago without my youngest. So when do you think it's likely he will get it.

It's frustrating as holiday is Monday and have no idea whether to risk it as if he's only catching it from his older brother it will be at least 10 days. Been Friday the day we return. Or obviously later. But if it's nursery he may already have it and only show signs when at holiday.

Any idea??

OP posts:

SoyDora · 13/04/2018 15:23

Problem is it’s impossible to tell. DD2 got it exactly 7 days after DD1, but as they go to the same pre school I have no idea if she caught it from there (at a different time) or from her sister.

Original poster

Ewanthesheep · 13/04/2018 15:44

The nursery was closed last week for Easter. No children in at all. And no other cases of chicken pox has been reported since 4 weeks ago. (when we thought we had escaped it) this is my reasoning for possible soft play as the boys hadn't been to nursery for 9 days before the Monday they returned. Then Tuesday I discovered the spots.

OP posts:

GlitterBurps · 13/04/2018 22:51

My DS2 10.5months has now got blistered spots. 13days after DS1’s appeared.

Hortonlovesahoo · 14/04/2018 13:09

DD is day 6 from the first spot appearance. She’s covered head to toe in them (including inside her nappy lines). In addition to that she’s covered in a rash and has an eye infection (including what I suspect to be one on her eye).

Things I was recommended:

fluid is the most important thing. Keep them drinking. We’ve found cold soup, smoothies, weak juice has been a godsend.
paracetamol, piriton for the itch/ potential fever
keep them as cool as possible. We’ve had DD in no clothes and just a nappy for a few days to help with her temperature.
cool baths. We’ve tried the oatmeal bath but it did nothing for us.

Original poster

Ewanthesheep · 15/04/2018 21:18

Thank you all for your help. My eldest is now fully scabbed! Just in time for the holiday. Lucky! We were waiting for today for a few to scab over and thankfully they have. Based on that of my other son getting it. I think we will be back in time for him to be contagious (if he gets it at all) and then to spot over. I don't want to sit in waiting if it was to never happen from his brother.

Things that helped:
Calpol , piriton, bicarbonate of soda baths and porridge oats baths. So much so he actually wanted a bath and stayed in for ages compared to the coaxing we usually have to do! And calamile aqueous cream. The lotion on its own made him itch when it dried! Also metanium (sp?) Is apparently the bee's knees to use to help dry them out. We used a little on the last few but time may have done it itself. It did not make them itcher though.

Thanks for the help! Sure I'll be back when my little boy has it which I'm dreading without being able to use piriton. :(

OP posts:

Sophisticatedsarcasm · 17/04/2018 07:22

My DS got it when he was 6 months old, only had one or 2 on his body and about 12 on his face, he hardly struggled and was a happy little lad the whole time. My DD, we are not sure about. Last year she had a few spots and a rash with a high temperature which went after 1 day the rash stayed and so did a few spots. I thought at first was just heat rash but she’s been exposed to it many times since through friends at nursery and even at the beginning of the year at reception and nothing, so either she’s already had it or she’s gonna be one of those kids that don’t get it 😋

myhousesmellsofIKEA · 17/04/2018 07:41

My DS1 got chicken pox when it went round nursery. He was fine. A few spots and some of them big but apart from that he was good, no itchiness, although I gave him porridge oat baths etc.
I thought I’d been careful but 3 weeks later, when we thought we’d got away with it, DS2, who was 6 months got it. He had spots everywhere and was eventually hospitalised for a night because he was dehydrated and I couldn’t get his fever down.
OP, I know it says you can’t, but you definitely CAN use piriton for your youngest. I did under doctors advice. Just a small amount and very sparingly, but it really helped with ds2’s itching.
I’m glad you’re now CP free for your hols. Fingers crossed for you that it doesn’t come back!

Original poster

Ewanthesheep · 18/04/2018 20:51

Thank you! MyhousesmellsofIKEA :) keeping my fingers crossed that my youngest doesn't get it but I would be straight on to the go for advice if he doesn't. But it's good to know I can use some piriton :) I think we were very lucky to be scabbed over for the holiday! Stressful week of waiting to cancel or not but thankfully he's got over the itching etc just in time!

Children and illnesses. Wish I could have it all for them :(

OP posts:

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