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.

Floops, I guess the nurseries have in mind any children on their books who are immune-compromised or who have other conditions which may mean chickenpox is more serious for them. If I had such a child I'd feel quite upset if it was me who had to take my child out while others sent in their children with open sores...
Agree that nursery staff sometimes seem a bit clueless about how long to exclude children with CP. Ours said until all visible spots had scabbed but I think this was more to do with hygiene than contagion (risk of spots getting infected).
Kathleen, do hope your SIL is starting to calm down. Maybe it was anxiety that her dh would cop a really nasty dose that made her go so unjustifiably loopy...and hope that all the little patients on here feel better soon. We did this last year and even mild CP is no fun for parents or children.

SIL situation is worsening. She rang me on Sunday but instead of offering the required olive branch, merely said that she may have gone a bit overboard but was entirely justified! Her two young sons now have chickenpox so I don't think that would have helped her to feel charitable. The whole thing has really got me down and is starting to divide the family on who's right etc. Don't see how we can ever get back to normal and wish none of it had ever happened.

Kathleen, whatever your SIL says/thinks it was hardly your fault. I assume your brother caught it from your children before you knew they had it. If so, then you can hardly be to blame for something you didn't know about. On the other hand, if he came and visited when he knew they had CP then it's his "fault". Or possibly your mother's for not ensuring he caught it as a child

Your SIL sounds completely loopy.

On another note, I'd be furious if I was expected to keep my healthy child away from nursery to avoid CP. Especially if they expect you to pay fees for those days too. Ridiculous!

Kathleen - I think your SIL sounds as though she has other problems and this has put the tin lid on them. Is she depressed by any chance. You could reassure her that it is so much better for her children that they have CP now and not as an adult. CP can be very dangerous as an adult resulting in life threatening pneumonia. You have doen nothing wrong. Tell you SIL that directly and firmly and leave her to get on with it. It is up to her to carry on some unnecessary feud - you should just rise above it. How is your brother anyway?

Kathleen, she is indeed a bit loopy by the sounds of it and it's not your fault. I'd try to let it blow over too while not apologising or anything and maybe she'll be a bit nicer when her children are recovered? You never know! Hope all of you with infected ones get over it quickly.

Thanks everyone for all of that. Although I subscribe to Mumsnet, I don't use the talk boards all that often. This issue has proven their value to me and I will be contributing more often in future. The infected adult and children are all on the mend now, thankfully. The damaged relationship will not be mended quite so quickly. I'm actively "rising above it" as suggested but God, it's hard!

Out of interest, what does your brother think of all this?

Hi, can anyone tell me if any of your kiddies have suffered from CHICKEN-POX ENCEPHALITIS,a rare condition caused by chicken-pox? My ds had this when he was 3, but i have never spoke to anyone else who has been through this.

Hi,is there anyone out there whose children have suffered the rare complication CHICKEN-POX ENCEPHALITIS? My ds had this when he was only 3, but i have yet to find anyone who has been through this.

Saphire5, my son was diagnosed with enchephalitis following chicken pox,later they called it cerabella ataxia, Aparrently he was quite a severe case. It was so frightning, He couldn't do a thing,and just looked completely brain damaged, he has made a great recovery although he is now under going checks because it appears to have left him with some learning difficulties

I am due to have no. 2 anytime now. My dd has been exposed to chickenpox at nursery (and elsewhere probably as it is doing the rounds). Does anyone know the implications to a new born? I plan to breastfeed so hopefully some of my immunity will pass onto the baby.

thank you dinasaur. I will take a look.

My 5 month DS has just acquired CP. I hope this isn't a really dumb question, but I presume (having had CP) that it's just the baby who's infectious and not me?

By a bad stroke of luck we had a pregnant friend round last night (I don't know if she's had it), the spots appeared this morning! The baby was in bed whilst she was here though. Should we in principle be safe?

Oh no Aelita sorry to hear he has the pox. Give him a big kiss from me xx

I would tell your preg friend just to be on the safe side.

Well, I've just skimmed most of this thread as my dd (previously known as she-who-couldn't-get-cp-no-matter-how-many-times-exposed-to-it) finally came down with it last Friday at the grand old age of 7 and a half. A moderate amount of spots, a little itching (gave Piriton at night) and a high temperature the day before spots appeared. The spots were crusted over by Monday so she went back to school yesterday (just in time for sports day). I think I'm glad she's had it as my father caught it at age of 33 and really suffered.

Think I'd better read this one after work as it might be useful...

Well, 11 days since contact for DD and no spots yet, but I have a bumper list for Boots tomorrow, especially piriton syrup, bicarb of soda, Eurax cream, calamine cream, witch hazel, Rhus tox, vitamin E capsules...

I am feeling rather fluey tonight and i'm not sure if I got chicken pox or measles as a child. Why do I remember a purple bath of 'potassium permanganate'? Anyone else remember this and do children still bathe in it?

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Cam, sorry to hear about dd. Hope she's feeling better soon. I had cp at 17 and was really very ill with it for three weeks, so I'm glad she's finally done the decent thing!

Thanks,Marina, yes dd is practically back to normal now and the spots are mostly healed up. She seems to have got through it fairly well compared to some cases, one boy in her class had it last year and was off school for 4 weeks and then took a long time to get back to working properly at school.

Thanks Batters, well she knows she can't miss too much school when we're paying

Sorry if I'm repeating something here but I haven't read the whole thread. Piriton can really help with the itching. The pharmacist told us as the doctors never seem to mention it.