Chicken pox

[Kmg]

I was rather surprised at today's "tip" encouraging you not to avoid people with chicken pox. I just want to point out that chicken pox is not always very mild. My boys had it last summer, ages 1 and 3, so relatively young - it's supposed to be easier. And they were both utterly miserable, and quite ill, with high fevers etc., for quite some time. We knew we had been exposed, so avoided contact with others before the spots even appeared, and then the illness lasted so long, it felt like it completely wiped out the summer. It was an 'ideal' time for us - we didn't miss any major events or any school or nursery time, but if I had deliberately exposed them at that time I would have felt dreadful at inflicting that upon them.

So you may want to think again before deliberately putting your child through this.

We thought we'd got away with it!
But it turns out that those couple of little spots a fortnight ago on ds weren't chickenpox - when dd had it. How do we know? Because today he is covered from head (got lots in his hair and behind his ears) to toe (soles of his feet) and he has loads on his body, in his nappy area and even has two or three on his willy! He's not eating well, but has wanted to feed fom me pretty much all day, has a temperature, poor wee thing.
Ah well, at least we know we have got it over with properly now. But it's his birthday on Monday (tomorrow!!) and he's going to be all spotty!

I am not 100% whether my 2.5 DD has chickenpox or not? she had a high fever over last week end of 102, really off her food and very tired. On Monday morning she woke up with about a dozen red flat spots on her tummy which during the day spread to her sides back and chest, yesterday they spread to her bottom,armpits, neck and a few on her legs, so she is quite well covered now !! however the spots have really lost there reddness and are now looking more like a rash, none of them have blistered. There have been four other cases at her nursery and she had all the classic symptoms at the beginning.

Do you think she may just be lucky and not have caught it to badly as they haven't blistered up or may I have the wrong diagnosis ?

Not all of DSs spots blistered but a lot did. It sounds like it should be chicken pox but I don't know. It could be a mild case - CP spots last for ages so I wouldn't have expected them to be disappearing already.

Um, I've not been much help - I guess a doctor is the only one who'll be able to tell you.

Thanks Soup Dragon, the spots are still there but they don't look as 'angry ' if that's the right word to use ? and no blisters at all.

I spoke to my Doctor on Monday who said it sounded like CP and gave me the advice over the phone but maybe i will take her in to the Doctors for his opinion, seems silly keeping her in isolation if it's not CP !!

My 3 children are in various stages of chickenpox at present. Its been a horrible time for them but hopefully we're almost through it now. My brother has caught it, probably through contact with us and has 2 young children himself. My problem is that his wife, who has until now appeared to be an intelligent and rational person, has contacted me in a rage blaming me for passing this to their family and "unilaterally deciding" that her children should have chickenpox. She really gives me too much credit! Help! She is saying that her children may take a severe dose, complete with side effects and her elderly mother will contract shingles, and I will be responsible for all of these. What a day I'm having - some sane responses please....

The nursery have told us at the end of each of the last two days that they think DS2 'might be coming down with CP' - based on the fact that some other babies in his room have had it, that he's been a bit off his food and also had a couple of runny nappies. Yesterday they even said 'you might want to get a doctor's appointment'. However when we've got him home each time he's been absolutely fine/ no sign of any spots/giggly & happy etc, so I'm of the opinion I'll believe it when I see some evidence... However he has been cutting his first couple of teeth, and I wonder if this is more likely to be causing the off his food/ nappies? Anyone know how long CP affects babies before breaking out into spots?

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Kathleen - can't help with the rest but you can't catch shingles from chickenpox (shingles is the dormant chickenpox virus - not sure why it does reappear but often thought to be due to stress or when you're very run down). In fact, there's reasons to believe being exposed to chickenpox after you've had it helps strengthen your own immunity and makes you less likely to get shingles later on.

You can however catch chickenpox from someone who has shingles if you haven't had chickenpox before.

Oh and young children generally don't suffer too much with chickenpox - is very nasty for adults though (one of the reasons I fought to get the chickenpox vaccine for myself when I found out I wasn't immune).

Consider myself a bit of CP expert now, having been in the throes of it for what seems like months but is only weeks! Of my 3 children, the oldest (7) had the most severe dose - a rash I could hardly bear to look at, blinding headaches and hot/cold at the same time. My 5 year old seemed to come through it quite swiftly although it wasnt pleasant for him but my 12 month old thankfully didnt seem to suffer nearly as badly as the others. Fewer spots and generally not as unhappy as I would have expected. In the days before she was off her food and I had taken her to the doctor just the day before the spots came out as she was 'chesty'. She's also cutting teeth so its just impossible to say which symptoms belong where. Any help with bridge-building suggestions for my mad-as-hell sister in law?

Um.... large brick?

(obviously not the bridge building type )

Sobernow, many thanks for the Rhus tox tip. It's really speeded up her dd2's CP. It peaked Fri night(!!) and now they've all popped and scabbed so she should be "safe" for nursery tomorrow.Sigh of relief from Mummy!

Will be in touch re Easter Hols soon.

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I agree with Robinw about the bridge building. Your child is most contagious before you know they've even got CP so what are you meant to do??

Kathleen my reposnse to your SIL is unprintable. As others have mentioned you can't catch shingles from chickenpox. Suggest that in future she keeps her children in a sterile bubble and that she ensures that all visitors wear gloves and gowns and surgical masks. For god's sake is the woman mad? Not your fault if your db wasn't immune.

Jimjams

Kathleen - what a silly woman your SIL is. OK, I understand that she is p*ssed off that she may have to deal with CP, but come on! It is so much better to catch things like this as a child. My ex-BIL caught it as an adult, and was much worse than my two nieces who had it at the same time. How can she blame YOU? You didn't deliberately get your children to catch it just to annoy her!

On the bridge building question, well, that's a hard one. I would assume that someone with an attitude like that might be hard to please. I would wait for her to calm down. When you see her next, don't even mention the illness. If she raises it, I would be quite dismissive about it, and just not talk about it. If she is offensive again, I would spell it out to her in no uncertain terms how you feel. However, I would leave that as a last resort. Personally I would be tempted to just let it all blow over.

We've got it too! Spots came out on Saturday, DD is 4 seems OK, we're keeping her dosed up with Piriton syrup and Calpol.

DH has just gone out for oatmeal, apparently you put it in the bath and it soothes the itch.

Thanks to you all for the sane responses and not one who thought I should be beating myself up over this. Have just had a "let's talk" text message from SIL but I'm going to let her wait for a while .....!

I can't beleive all your nurseries stop your children going when they have chickenpox. Ours let the children go and they all in turn got it. They posted a note up to warn parents so they could keep their children at home if they did not support the system. All the children were exposed by that time anyway so it seems ridiculous restricting kids from attending. I know talking to the other parents that they were all glad too that their children were getting it at an early age and together if they had more than one.I'm glad the experience has come and gone.

I've got all the lotions and potions lined up here, have used very little of it. She's had a couple of afternoon sleeps (unusual for her at 4). Apart from that she's bounced around all day.

I actually think she's had it longer than Saturday when I first noticed the spots as they all seem to have scabbed over now?!

Our nursery is pretty ignorant about chickenpox. The gal said that children with CP were contagious for 10 days before and after spots first appear. Which is rubbish... and if it were true, why bother keeping child away after spots appear given the child has (supposedly) already been contagious for nearly 2 weeks?