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Original poster

Anybody's child DEFINITELY had chicken pox twice?

29 replies

SleepyJess · 16/01/2006 11:04

DS, age 13, had got a rash, consisting of 17 significant spots on the left side of his body/back. They are very itchy. He feels fine altho has had a re-occurance of a slight cold in the last week (this can be a sign apparently.). He had chicken pox BADLY (as in, no doubt at all that this was what he had!) when he was 2. All the info I have Googled says that a re-occurance of actual chicken pox is very unlikely.. some places say it 'doesn't happen'. . But this doesn't look like shingles. There is no pain or any of the sensations I knoe to be associated with shingles.. just very itchy.. and I think the rash looks different with shingles judging by the pics I found online.

There is no fluid in the spots (yet) altho it would be too early.

He was VERY exposed to chicken pox last weekend so the incubation period would be right. (His 3 year old brother.. exH's child.. had it and DS spent the weekend there.) You can't catch shingles from chicken pox apparently.. all the info says this. Shingles occurs spontaneously .. IF it occurs..in any person who has had chicken pox ever.

He has gone to school as I couldn't get him a doctors appointment this morning so am taking him after school.. and because he is well.. and because I can't really believe that this can BE chicken pox can it?

Also, he has cystic fibrosis so is at an increased risk of chicken pox-related complications (eg pneumonia) so I am a little concerned. But am getting it checked after school as I said.

Can anyone tell me if they know of any cases where a person DEFINITELY had chicken pox (not shingles) more than once. Seem fishy that his little brother still had it last week when DS was with him. (I let him go as we obviously considered him to be immune!)

SJ x

OP posts:

SnowmAngeliz · 16/01/2006 11:06

My dd had chicken pox as a toddler quite mild though, diagnosed at A+E (i'd taken her for something else strangely enough).
She was exposed a few weeks before Christmas and has just had them again, very much worse this time, covered in them! (she's 4)

waterfalls · 16/01/2006 11:07

I have had them 3 times but each time only mildly, if he had a bad case of them when he was 2, I would say it is something else other than chicken pox.

milward · 16/01/2006 11:09

ds, 4 months, had chicken pox over xmas but only 2 spots. doc today at the check-up said he could get chicken pox again!

Original poster

SleepyJess · 16/01/2006 11:13

Hmm. Thanks. They looks VERY much like chicken pox spots to me.. pre fluid stage!

OP posts:

Icemum · 16/01/2006 11:54

DD3 had chicken pox as a baby and again at 3.5yrs

serenity · 16/01/2006 11:56

BF's Dd had it twice, once mildly and once really really badly.

Original poster

SleepyJess · 16/01/2006 11:59

Perhaps this is a mild version then. But most of you who have said that your kids have had it twice, they had the mild version first didn't they?

OP posts:

Icemum · 16/01/2006 12:08

DD3 first episode was very mild, only had about four spots but still managed to get an infection in one of those!

grumpyfrumpy · 16/01/2006 12:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

doormat · 16/01/2006 12:43

ds2 has had cpox twice

3kids · 16/01/2006 12:56

My ds 11 has had it twice 1st time was 2 had it bad second time he was 7 and mild. Let us know what doc says.

NeverSayNever · 16/01/2006 13:02

my dd had chicken pox twice by the age of 3 and developed shingles at 4.....doctor said this was quite rare for a child of her age. hope your ds will be ok.

Original poster

SleepyJess · 16/01/2006 17:28

Welllllll.. none the wiser really! He said he can see why I think it could be chicken pox.. but he said he would expect them to be more widespread rather than so many in one localised area (one side.) He said they CAN be got twice although usually the second infection would be shingles but not always. And said, as I guessed, that this rash was not shingles.

He said to keep him off school for a day to see what happens to them.. said it will become obvious by this time tomorrow if they are chicken pox. DS, who was lolling boredly in the seat (he spends much time in doctor's offices with me yapping animatedly and him wishing he was elsewhere!) suddenly sat poker straight when I said to him 'You're going to blemish your perfect 2 year attendance record!!' by punching the air and saying 'A day off?? Yes! YES!!!!!' much to the doctor's amusement.

Bit miffed about this blemish actually! (The attendance record not the spots!! ) I took some personal pride in it for some reason! (Sad cow that I am.. but he does have CF.. so 2 years plus, with no time off - except medical appointments which they don't count - was very good! Ah well!)

SJ x

OP posts:

BonyM · 16/01/2006 17:40

SJ - don't want to worry you but shingles can be very hard to diagnose in the early stages which is why is can get so bad - usually by the time it is diagnosed it is too late for treatment to be effective.

Zovirax is fairly innocuous and shouldn't do any harm if it's not shingles - but if it is then the sooner treatment is started, the better.

BonyM · 16/01/2006 17:41

Sorry - just read that back and it sounds a bit scaremongering. Hopefully it's not shingles - it is rare for children to get it, it's usually older people as the immune system is weaker.

Original poster

SleepyJess · 16/01/2006 17:51

S'ok Bony.. will keep a very close eye on it. I did discuss 'just in case' treatment with the GP in view of the CF.. and he said to ring the CF clinic tomorrow so I will.

SJ x

OP posts:

saadia · 16/01/2006 18:05

My nephew had chicken pox twice, mil was convinced both times and AFAIRecall GP also diagnosed the same.

Aloha · 16/01/2006 18:06

I am sure I did. But extremely mildly both times.

jambuttie · 16/01/2006 18:06

my ds1 now 4yrs old has had them twice.

1st outbreak when he was 8 months

2nd when he was 2.5

Aloha · 16/01/2006 18:07

And I loved the time off!

KTeepee · 02/11/2006 21:21

Sleepyjess, what was the outcome for your ds with this - was it chickenpox? Bumping because my dd (9) has an itchy rash tonight, concentrated in a line at the top of one leg and another line on her back. her little brother had chickenpox last week (was probably first contagious 2 weeks ago). Dd had chickenpox when she was 2 and had it "properly".

Apart from the itchy spots she is fine but says she is feeling tireder than usual -but this could be due to the clocks going back...

Anyone else have an opinion on whether it is likely to be chickenpox?

KTeepee · 02/11/2006 21:32

No-one?

framan · 02/11/2006 21:50

I believe someone told me that if there is a spot on a certain part of the vertebra then its likely to be chicken pox. Sorry to be vague but I don't want to be too certain.

However, I had chicken pox mildly when I was 9 then covered with them at 16. So yes you can get it twice and it's more liklely to be mild first then bad second time round.

Lilymaid · 02/11/2006 21:58

My DS had shingles (diagnosed by the GP and treated with antibiotics) on his 13th birthday. He had a collection of spots on his bottom and found it so painful that he spent one night lying in a cold bath to soothe the pain!

gunpowderjaamyandplot · 02/11/2006 22:16

Very interested to know here too. Both DDs had Cp earlier this year at 4 months and 2yrs. Now both have a collection of spots on chest /under arms. DOc treating as some form of eczema. I'm not so sure. Spots don't look like CP and not all over body. Is there some other sort of spotty virus going about?

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