Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Flip

Original poster

Chickenpox - a couple of questions

16 replies

cardy · 26/03/2007 11:34

DD started with spots on Friday and has woken up each day with more and more, today she is virtually covered with them.

How long after the appearance of the first spots do they start to clear up? When do they stop itching?

When is she not infectious anymore?

Calamine cream or camamine lotion - which do you think is best?

OP posts:

Tommy · 26/03/2007 11:48

IIRC they start to clear up after about 5 days when she will no longer be infectious.

I found calamine anything a bit of a faff to be honest and DS2 had Piriton which helped the itching.

Good luck - don't envy you - my two had them just before Christmas a couple of years ago and we were stuck indoors for about a week

Original poster

cardy · 26/03/2007 11:52

It's the itching that seems to be bother her so much...she keeps asking for 'more cream' but I'm not sure it's doing anything.

She OK in herself and already fed-up being inside...it's such a lovely day! She does have quite a high temp about 39.2 is this normal? I'm just giving regular doses of calpol.

When dd1 had it she only has few spots and a runny nore - it's much worse for dd2.

So we'll be able to go out on Weds?

OP posts:

fortyplus · 26/03/2007 23:30

I had it when I was 30 and had over 300 spots!

The best relief came from soaking in a warm bath that had a good hanful of Bicarbonate of Soda mixed in with it

Original poster

cardy · 27/03/2007 10:59

Thanks for the tip. She (we) had an horrendeous night - she just could get to sleep because of the itching and was pretty distressed - through both itching and tiredness I think. In the end DH went to the 24hour chemist for some Phenagan at 01.30, that seemed to help a bit.

This morning she has woken up with one or two the size of 10p, I think they are infected, DH is taking her to the doctor later.

Can anybody advise when we might see an improvement. I truely didn't know chickenpox could be so bad.

OP posts:

Nbg · 27/03/2007 11:02

Bicarb is amazing in the bath. Deffo give it a go. My ds who was 6 months when he got it off dd, was covered. He got it so bad but the bath was very soothing for him.

Just to warn you though, a few people on here warned me that Piriton actually stops the spots coming out so therefore prolongs the chicken pox.

When they start to blister, they will then go. But until then its very uncomfortable for them.

PrettyCandles · 27/03/2007 11:06

I bathed mine several times a day as often as they wanted and for as long as they wanted. No soap, just oats, bicarb and cornflour in the bath. ('Just' ) You want to be quite heavy-handed with the bicarb and cornflour (oats are optional, I used that because dd was getting eczema from our vilely hard water) but warn the LOs not to drink the bathwater!

BTW they love playing with the cornflour in the bath. I would put a couple of tablespoonsful of cornflour each in their hands and let them disperse it.

Original poster

cardy · 27/03/2007 12:44

"oats, bicarb and cornflour" - I've never heard of this but I am prepared to give anything a go if it helps her.

How much of each? What sort of 'glup' does it make?

OP posts:

PrettyCandles · 27/03/2007 14:15

IIRC I went through about one of the Supercook pots of bicarb per day. Cornflour, really as much as the child wants. It's a lot of fun to play with in the water. I get a huge tub at Tesco, keep it in the bathroom with a spoon in it and just use it freely. I even put it in my baths as it gives you really silky smooth skin, just as if you've used talc. For the oats, keep a pair of tights in the bathroom, cut off about 8", tie a knot in one end, put it in a cup witht he open end stretched over the top of the cup to hold it open, and pour in about 1/2 - 1 cup of porridge oats. Knot tightly and chuck into the water to be squished and played with. The gunk that oozes out is very good for the skin. The water will be milky and cloudy. Don't rinse it off the child, but you may want to rinse the bath afterwards. When the chickenpox is over you'll want to wash all the bathtoys and maybe give them a little soak in Miltons if they're hollow, as the mixture encourages stuff to grow inside them if they stay wet.

PrettyCandles · 27/03/2007 14:16

Son't reuse the oats, make up a fresh bag for each bath.

dejags · 27/03/2007 14:22

I would tell the GP that she has CPox in advance. Very often they dont like seeing patients in-surgery because of cross infection. He/she may be able to do a home visit?

Notquitegrownup · 27/03/2007 14:33

Hi Cardy

The spots will come in three waves, three days apart, so she will be on the second wave now, and I think the last wave tends to be weaker as the body is building more antibodies by then.

I had it as an adult and found piriton fantastic to relieve the itching and to help me sleep a bit too. Check orifices too. Chicken pox can go into any orifice of the body, which is horrid. If they go into the mouth and throat, jelly made with some halves of grapes in is wonderfully soothing.

If she has lots of spots, she will feel very weak for a couple of weeks after the infection has gone. Be prepared for her to feel very sleepy for a while yet. It takes a long time to clear the system.

Bless. Hope she feels better soon.

PrettyCandles · 27/03/2007 14:38

BTW calamine cream is very good if she has spots on or in her privates.

crumpet · 27/03/2007 14:43

Definitely recommend the oats

trillium · 27/03/2007 14:47

Not anything to add to the excellent advice really.

My brother and I got chicken pox when he was 7, I was 9.
He had about a dozen small spots/blisters on his stomach.
I was absolutely covered - in my nose, mouth ears/hair. I really was very poorly and had a fever for a few days and had to have the doctor come out a couple of times.
Mum covered me in calamine lotion which didn't really help.
The only relief I got was when I was in a coolish bath. Even then though the blisters on my bum would pop and act like a suction mat sticking me to the bottom of the bath

Iirc I was off school for about a month.

Hope she feels better soon.

Original poster

cardy · 28/03/2007 16:52

WOW thanks for the advice prettycandles. She had a bicarb and cornflower bath last night (didn't have any oats) and seem to enjoy herself. She also has priton before she went to bed and although she did wake a few times she had a much better night.

I am so surprised at how bad chickenpox can be, she is literally covered with spots including all the orifices! Poor thing. To top it all she now has impetigo so is on antibiotics.

OP posts:

PrettyCandles · 28/03/2007 17:28

Oh poor thing! I'm glad it helped a bit. I don't think chickenpox drags on too long, so hopefully she'll stop having new spots soon and it will all start to ease. At least she won't ever have it again.

My LOs were very cheered by drawing pictures of themselves covered in spots and sending them to all our relatives. My mum sent them an incredibly silly letter back (she's good at that sort of thing) about what it might be like if other things got chickenpox: cue drawings of fruit with chickenpox, beds with chickenpox etc. Much entertainment value when they couldn't go out.

Flip