Chicken Pox - 14 month old EXTREMELY unwell

[DungunGirl]

HI ladies

My 14 month old is on day 5 of chicken pox and I am concerned as he is very very unwell.

Has anyone's little one been this ill and not needed antibiotics? see list.

• Puffy red aggrivated skin around one eye
• Crying most of the day
• Not wanting to drink very much
• Waking every night from 1am and just crying for 2 hours.
• Grabbing ears and crying
• grabbing throat and crying
• coughing and almost throwing up
• Very high fever especially at night/morning for all 5 days so far
• Some spots seem red and very angry and seem to be big and wide rather than anymore raised.

I took him to see the GP yesterday and she only looked at his eye and said to keep an eye on it in case of a secondary infection.

I am just wondering whether he has a secondary infection elsewhere!

He had tonsillitis only a few weeks ago and had to go on antibiotics then!

What does everyone think?
Surely by day 5 he should be turning the corner but instead he seems to continuing down hill....

help!

Did the GP look at any of the spots? Ds1 got infected spots. They were black though.

Yes you'd expect him to be getting better not worse by now.

Hi Dun gun girl

I could have written your post except mine is 16 months. He was awake all last night despite calpol etc..

He has them on his eyelids, all over his bottom and anus and genitals, all in his hair and in his ears too. He is so unhappy. We are only on day 3 of spots. I'm also worried about the ones round his eyes/in his eyes I'm getting the GP to call back this afternoon.

If I find out anything useful I will post later. I hope both our boys get better soon.

Antibiotics won't help unless his spots are infected, but if they are in his eyes I understand they sometime prescribe anti-virals. I will post a bit later.

Oh I did buy some Jumior piriton syrup today whis is ok for over ones and may help stop the itching.

Hiya, Dungungirl

I didn't find out anything especially useful. Only that you should only worry if the eyes are very red and sore (not just spots on the lids and around the eyes).

Really hope your little one feels better soon.

Hi, did you manage to get him seen again today? I hope so, it sounds as though he may well have a secondary infection.

Poor thing and poor you x

I would suggest taking him back to see the GP or using the out of hours service if he is getting worse. He might have got an infection. Trust your instincts.

Things that made my dcs feel better were:
Alternating Calpol and Nurofen every 2/3 hours when very feverish.
Liquid Piriton to ease the itching.
Tepid baths twice a day (often with dh) with 5 tablespoons of baking soda put in the water to soothe the spots and bring down temperature.
And giving them anything at all that might tempt their appetite, healthy or not e.g icecream.

Hope he feels better soon

My DS1 had CP as a baby and he really suffered with it to (altho' not as badly as it sounds like your wee mite is...poor thing!). I distinctly remember that by day 5 I thought the exact same, was getting worried that he was still so bad and rang the Dr to ask was this normal. She said that it can kinda still get worse until about day 5 or 6 and then it starts to get better (I guess maybe that's only if they get it and are quite poorly with it). So hopefully you're at the peak of the infection and from thereon in it'll be in recovery phase. Baking soda baths were fantastic for us...several a day - although obviously won't help the eyes ones or ones inside her throat (ouch!) - which is I guess why she's holding the throat and touching her eyes. Alternating calpol and neurofen. Maybe ice pops for the ones in her throat. Piriton possibly....didn't seem to help with my DS, but you can but try?

Keep an eye though and ring the Dr if you're concerned...like pp said unless its a secondary bacterial infection antibiotics won't touch the CP.

not really heard of coughing and sore throat with Chickenpox, it does sound like some kind of other infection.

but some do get really poorly
Bless him
For the spots try a new gel called virasoothe,I got it in Boots, but pharmacist hadn't heard of it,its that new or calamine cream(not lotion)

The spots can affect internally as well as externally, so he may have spots in his throat and in his lungs.

My dd then aged 4 had very bad chicken pox, she saw a doctor on 3 occasions and was really unwell. She couldnt be touched, wouldnt eat, couldnt sleep and just screamed constantly. All the spots had joined up

I too would recommend tepid baths with baking soda as many times a day as needed. Calpol and nurofen for children alternated. Liquid Junior Piriton and calamine cream by the ton. I went through 15 tubes of the stuff but it was only only thing that helped, layered on thick.

Ice cubes, icelolly, cooled soup, lots and lots of fluid (some with dioralyte)

It lasted 10 days and she still had a couple of red patches about 6 months later.

It does get better, I didnt think dd would make it but she just woke up one afternoon and said that she was hungry.

Good luck