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Original poster

DS with chickenpox - sobbing for the last 2 hours - please help...

17 replies

Jackaroo · 25/04/2007 21:15

My DH is convinced it's because I stayed up with him last night during this same stuff and let him watch dvds etc.. every time he's not focussed on something else he's sobbing.. this started at about 11.30pm last night, and has started before he's even gone to sleep tonight. In fact it was brewing when I got home (had to go to work today).

I'm waiting for NHS direct, but is it possible that the CP is causing something that neurofen and piriton isn't covering?

I'm trying so hard to hold it together but I'm shattered and ready to scream or throw one or other of them out (who am I kidding, DH)...

Any advice taken on the chin..........

OP posts:
Beauregard · 25/04/2007 21:17

How old is he?
I'm sorry to say but my dd2 had chickenpox very badly and her's got infected and she screamed for 3 days and 2 nights non stop.
She was on the brink of being admitted to the hospital for ob's.

CorrieDale · 25/04/2007 21:17

Have you tried giving him a cool bath? With some bicarb in it? Does the CP look hot & itchy? Does he have a temp?

colditz · 25/04/2007 21:18

calpol?

pooka · 25/04/2007 21:24

Oh crikey. No advice really, but huge sympathy.
Both mine have recently had CP. DD was fine (she's 3). DS on the other hand had a temp of 104 for about 36 hoursand was realy miserable.
Have you tried any painkillers like calpol or nurofen. Does your ds have a temp?
How old is he? Have to admit that I found phenergen to be much more effective than piriton - really sedative and broken sleep just seems to make the suffering worse for all concerned. Alas ds was too young as it's for 2plus.
What else worked? Hmm - found lanocaine (sp) medicated talcum powder to have a really cooling effect with ds. Also used Eurax cream on dd. I also bathed them (apart from when ds had raging temp) with porridge oats wrapped in a muslin, which really helped as well. Not too hot a bath though.
Really hope he's better soon. It's rotten isn't it.
Just a word of warning though - watch out for whether he sounds rattly or has a persistent fever because it might be worth taking him to be checked over (though ring first if it's your surgery so they can get you to wait in a side room). Complications referred to on NHS direct website include pneumonia which can be caused if the spots extend into the throat or beyond, I think. DS had spots in his mouth which meant he was miserable and hungry/thirsty, and if his fever had continued I would have taken him to be checked out. Ice lollies also helped.

pickledpear · 25/04/2007 21:33

piriton, medicine bicarb of soda in bath water and calomine lotion poor love i am waiting for my ds to catch it

daftasabrush · 25/04/2007 22:01

Could DH sleep in DS bedroom and DS sleep in with you? It might give him a bit of comfort which in turn might get you both some sleep. I really sympathise as both of my DD's had it really bad and we went through a couple of days where they were so miserable it broke my heart. Good luck and I hope you get some sleep.

Sugarmagnolia · 26/04/2007 07:21

He might just be really uncomfortable - in which case, no advice just sympathy! But if he has a fever that's not going down with calpol or ibuprofen or if you notice any areas that are hot or swollen you should get him seen immediately. My friend's LO had to be admitted for IV antibiotics when her chicken pox got infected and led to cellulitis. She's fine now but if she hadn't gotten treatment there could have been some permanent damage. Hope he's ok.

melpomene · 26/04/2007 11:01

How is he this morning?

heymammy · 26/04/2007 11:08

Poor ds, how is he feeling today? If you haven't tried it already get Eurax cream from the chemist.

DD1 was leaping around in agony when she had Chicken Pox, they were particularly sore around her genitals, but this cream stopped the discomfort immediately...really...I was flabbergasted!

A dose of Medised (much better than calpol and has anti-histamine in too) helped her off to sleep and really she was OK from then on. I put the cream on twice a day (morning and bedtime) until all the spots had dried out.

Hope this helps...hope you got some sleep last night.

Original poster
Jackaroo · 26/04/2007 14:36

thank you so much, and sorry Ihavne't been back sooner......... I pretty much haven't had my arms to myself since I last posted :-(

DH finally gave in, with annoyance and frustration, but i think he was also unnerved that just being firm didn't do the trick!

Anyway, another night of watching back to back wiggles and barney (why not thomas and bagpuss, mm??)... and I'm living on coffee and chocolate at the mo......DH persuaded to stay home this morning, we went to GP who gave him anti'b's and all the stuff we have alreayd, but on prescription, and agreed it was "just" cp.. but that we were doing the right thing. I'm so cross, I had eurax in my hands this morning, and put it down again because I wasn't sure about putting it on such broken skin........ will go out and stand at the chemist door and get them to pass me some! Also, I am not sure if you can get phenergan over the counter, but I remember that really making me sleep as a child.....

thanks so much, all great advice, and frankly lovely to have hte sympathy when no one else sounds that bothered (don't think it really means anything to them unless they've seen it iyswim??)......I'm not stupid, I realise I need the TLC as much as DS.

I just dumped him in the cot just now, having literally forced his jaw open for antibs and medised...medised hasn't helped before, he's gone past it, but now is finally asleep.

I'm going to do the same.

cheers

OP posts:
CorrieDale · 26/04/2007 19:17

Can I just add that if DS is absolutely covered in spots, then Eurax lotion is a lot faster to apply than the cream. Does the same job though.

pooka · 26/04/2007 22:16

Phenergen can definitely be bought over the counter. Not for under 2s though unless on prescription.
My mother used to call it Father Christmas medicine. Want to know why????

pooka · 26/04/2007 22:18

Hope you have a restful night. I found it really stressful with ds (less so with dd) because he was too young to understand what was going on and was covered in spots and noticeably more ill.
We were lucky in that it all happened and they weren't contagious by the time we went to Cornwall for a week, so had time for us all to recover in the fresh air (with DH not at work thank goodness).

Original poster
Jackaroo · 26/04/2007 22:19

Well seeing as I'm still up again tonight with DS about to wake up properly (I'm pretty sure) please let me know!!

Ah, I think I just worked it out - shows how frazzled my brain is! How do we ever cope with new borns, when 4 bad nights leave me a wreck these days?!

OP posts:
Original poster
Jackaroo · 26/04/2007 22:20

Ah, he's asleep again, so I'll go, but yes, a holiday would be good right now........

OP posts:
PrettyCandles · 26/04/2007 22:22

Something that I found helped with my two was that I let them have as many baths as they wanted and stay in them for as long as they wanted (I brought the phone/newspaper/novel into the bathroom with us), and I put oats, bicarb and cornflour in the water - all of which soothe wonderfully. HTH and that things get a bit easier for you all soon.

pooka · 26/04/2007 22:30

Well we took the "Father Christmas medicine" in order to make father christmas come. In other words we were drugged on Christmas Eve
Have to say I understand where she was coming from, since she had 3 extremely excited and not remotely sleepy children.

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