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Original poster

Chicken Pox Club - Any Takers

34 replies

Nonyummymummy · 31/03/2006 10:44

DD (18 months) has got the dreaded pox, she is now sporting a fine crop including on her face and neck. They started to appear on Tuesday.
I have Calamine and I am having mixed success with getting it on her. She cannot scratch her body directly although I have caught her using the coffee table to scratch her back
I have Piriton syrup which I will probably give her before her nap. Anybody tried Rhus tux? Last night she had a bad night, was very feverish but this morning has eaten breakfast and tried to corner the cat and give it a kicking - so appears to be on the mend bar the itching. Is this the usual pattern - she did some exorcist style vomiting last night before bed so I am hoping that was a one off!

OP posts:

starlover · 31/03/2006 10:46

we found boots calamine and glycerin cream much better than calamine lotion... goes on thicker, and it isn;t as cold"

Original poster

Nonyummymummy · 31/03/2006 10:53

Thanks Starlover - will try and pick that up later. Is it ok to take her out in the buggy do you think or will I infect the entire town centre!

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jellyjelly · 31/03/2006 13:12

I wouldnt go out, what if pregnant lady gets it and passes it on to the baby? It can cause awful things and i would rather stay in. It wont be long till it is all gone.

Can you get someone else to get it?

picnikel · 31/03/2006 13:24

It'll be fine to go out as long as she's safely in her buggy and nobody decides to exchange spittle with her. I took my dd out all last week with her pox or I'd have gone stark staring mad at home. I pulled her hat well down, mind you .

brimfull · 31/03/2006 13:26

I found rhus tux to be quite useful,calmed ds's itching down alot.

spidermama · 31/03/2006 13:38

My ds 14 month old has it. He's sleeping less than usual and seems even sunnier than usual so far. I know this could change though. I'm hoping my 4 year old will catch it then all four will have had it.

You can fill a sock with porridge oats, tie a knot in the top and put it in the bath. The oaty bath water helps draw moisture out of the pustules and you can rub the sock directly onto the worst bits. It acts like calomine lotion.

Handy hint: to rinse the sock afterwards, turn it inside out and hold in in lavatory while you flush away the oats.

LIZS · 31/03/2006 13:46

but it is an airborne virus , although agree chances of passing exposure in open air may be small....

Original poster

Nonyummymummy · 31/03/2006 15:43

Thanks for the tips - I have to confess I did go out, I kept the hood up on DD's buggie as much as possible and gave all pregnant ladies a clear berth. Picnikel - I agree with you, I needed the break from being indoors too. I just popped into Boots & Waitrose and gave a longing look at Costa as I bypassed it! Starlover - I got the cream from Boots so will try that later. I gave her some Piriton this morning - it seemed to make her hyper but she doesn't seem to be scratching which is good. She has just gone down for another nap (which is abnormal but she only had 30 minutes this morning. I have also now got the Rhus Tux so will stick to that and see how we go. She has quite a few on her face and neck and scalp today - tomorrow will probably be the worst in terms of scratching.
Spidermama - hope your DS carries on like that!

OP posts:

Hausfrau · 31/03/2006 15:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Nonyummymummy · 31/03/2006 15:57

Hausfrau - what a lovely idea! But that means another excursion with afflicted child - maybe if I go really early in the morning there won't be so many people to infect.

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Mumbojumbo · 31/03/2006 16:06

Other thing to do to relieve the boredom - paint the calamine lotion (or whatever lotion you are using) on with a small paint brush, and then play join the dots. Kept my two amused for ages last Easter when they both had it!

jellyjelly · 31/03/2006 16:20

Doesnt that make them itch more because you are doing tickles?

Mumbojumbo · 31/03/2006 16:27

Didn't seem to - they thought it was hilarious.

Original poster

Nonyummymummy · 31/03/2006 21:15

Tried the Rhus tux this afternoon - not sure if it was this or not but DD went down for a second nap and when I went up to get her up she had been sick! Still seemed ok after a little while and ate all her tea and kept it down so far. Did the bicard bath tonight and the Boots cream - thanks Starlover - that was so easy. Her back is covered in spots but she is used to me putting Oilatum on every night (slight tendancy to ecxema) so didn't bat an eyelid. Here's hoping for a better night's sleep tonight.

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redstarfalling · 01/04/2006 21:31

Sorry to be a real thicko here but dd had 5 large spots in the middle of her back on thursday evening, 7 last night and 11 tonight and one one her tummy. Does chicken pox develop in hours or days ? She's nearly three and goes to nursery but no cases there yet. I thought they developed in front of your eyes almost. if it's not CP I'm even more confused as to what they are. they cover a patch abottwo inches square.

MrsBigD · 01/04/2006 21:47

redstarfalling, dd (4yo) started on her front with one blister, then a few more spots during the day and some along her waist, the next day she started to bloom :)

ds (19m) started with a few in the nape of his neck and his legs, hardly got any on his body.

Guess it depends on the virility of the virus.

Today he's way too active and happy, except for the odd 'fit' when he's obviously itching. Don't think he's got a severe case. Trying to get calamine on him is a feat! Not to mention giving him a bath in oats (which worked wonders for dd)... he's in a 'I HATE baths' phase.

Have to admit on taking him outside, but only out to the pharmacy yesterday, making sure there were no pg ladiesaround and today behind the house. Couldn't keep him indoors with this nice weather he was hammering the door down!

Original poster

Nonyummymummy · 01/04/2006 21:53

Hi Redstarfalling - I'no expert as DD (18mo)is my first (any only so far). Hers were quite small spots. I first noticed them properly on her back on Wednesday night. If you Google "chicken pox pictures" you get 3 pictures at the top of the search - the one on the right was DD at the beginning - small red spots. By Thursday morning she had a few of the little blisters so I was pretty sure but I took her to the Doctor's anyway as she had been running a pretty high temperature and he confirmed it.

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Original poster

Nonyummymummy · 01/04/2006 21:57

MrsBigD - can definitely recommend the Boots Calamine & Glycerin cream (as recommended by Starlover) as DD actually keeps wanting me to apply it! She wasn't too keen on the lotion. Boots have got it on a 3 for 2 now as well. I havn't tried the oatmeal baths but she has had a bicarb bath the last 2 nights.

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redstarfalling · 02/04/2006 20:08

Thanks MrsBigD and Nonyummymummy. She's been miserable up untill about 5 days ago really whingy and crying a lot so think she's got it. Thank goodness she's happier now though. Just waiting to see if ds (7 months) has got it now. She would have been infectious about sun/mon so expect him to go spotty next weekish. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ......... can't wait, whats the betting he goes to the other end of the dpectrum ?!

MrsBigD · 03/04/2006 08:46

redstarfalling :) ds started 2.5 weeks after dd broke out. When ds got it all my friends told me just wait 1 week and ds will break out... so after 1 week nothing I though 'great'... then a week later nanny and ds down with it :) though ds's strain seems to be much milder. After initial spots only a couple more and now he's right as, though nights are still VERY long.
Good luck!

wilbur · 03/04/2006 09:06

Joining in here with dd who woke up spotty on Saturday morning and now looks like she has bubonic plague. I will be painting a red cross on the front door later on. My two boys don't seem to have anything - ds1 has not had CP yet despite being exposed to infected children repeatedly, I'm hoping he will just get it now and then it's done. Does anyone know whether ds2 might get it - he is nearly 8 months old and still partially breastfed, just morning and night. Will he still have any immunity, or should I expect a spotty baby too?

Original poster

Nonyummymummy · 03/04/2006 20:30

DD is now over the worst spot wise but has a dreadful cough when she lies down to the extent that the last 2 nights after a couple of hours she wakes up crying and coughs so much that she is sick. I tried Tixylix last night, normally works. Tonight I have tried Medised. I have a bowl of water on the radiator with eucalyptus oil in it to see if that helps. I feel so sorry for the poor little mite as she coughs and splutters her way through the night. Anybody else had that as a side effect?

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MrsBigD · 04/04/2006 13:52

dd had the cough before the cp appeared, here's was tonsilitis, so if your lo isn't shaking it have her throat checked :) Poor little mite!

wilbur · 04/04/2006 13:57

Dd's had a bit of a cough, although not too bad and it's going now (day 4 of spots). Poor lamb is covered and looks awful, had to take her to the doc yesterday as one eye had gone all red and I thought she had a spot in it. Thankfully it's just conjunctivitis from where she's been rubbing (she's got spots right by the corners of her eye ). She was spark out on the sofa this morning by 11.30.

Original poster

Nonyummymummy · 04/04/2006 19:07

Tried the Tixylix for irritating coughs last night - a bit better! The spots on her back look nasty and crusty but don't seem to be bothering her and are probably over the worst. She is pretty much back to normal now. MrsBigD - hope she doesn't develop throat problems - the constant ear infections are bad enough . Every time she is snotty (which is pretty much permanently since September) we await the raise in temperature which indicates an ear infection with trepidation.

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