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.

This is a really long thread so I have only scanned through it. Has anyone suggested Piriton? It takes the itching away (being an anti-hystamine) and also sends them to sleep. It was a great help to DS2 who caught it when he was only 5 months old. You're not supposed to use Piriton for under 1's but the dr prescribed a half dose (1.25ml). I was desperate, I hadn't slept for 48 hours.

Its best to catch chickenpox as young as possible and get it over with, it can be horrific for older children/adults. But if you even suspect that your child has been in contact with chickenpox stay away from anyone undergoing chemotherapy. My friend's DS is being treated for leukaemia and is at constant risk because it can be life threatening if he catches it.

Batters, so sorry to hear that. I do hope she feels better soon. Ds had it at Easter and had spots on his spots, including lovely ones inside his nostrils and back passage, all over his poor little tackle, and masses on his scalp. We found calamine useless but bicarb in the bathwater and some doses of piriton very helpful.
I had it at 17 and my face and scalp bore the brunt of it, and boy do I remember how much it itched. Here's to a speedy recovery for her.

Batters, sorry about dd, it is normal to get spots on head and very itchy they are too. Is it going around your nursery, are you aware of where dd caught it from? My dd now 5 and a half has been exposed numerous times and still hasn't come down with it (as far as I know - no spots anyway)and I wish she would get it over with.

haven't had chance to read message but the homeopathic remedy rhus tox is for itching and should calm it down - I found bicarb of soda baths helped and towards the end lavender to help soothe and heal.

Hope all is well soon. PS I found prition for dd fantastic too.

To be honest I would visit new baby without ds at the moment. SIL will not thank you if baby ends up with CP

Ds has hacking cough and have just noticed a couple of flat red spots on his leg - look like flea bites (but cats are flea free). Should I stockpile calamine in preparation???

My dd's nursery have just told me that there is an outbreak of CP. What should i do? She's 11 months and hasn't had it yet. I can't keep her out because it could be indefinite while i wait for all the others to catch it. Im not worried about her getting it more about DH catching it he has never had it and it can be very dangerous in later life can't it ? He's 32 - any suggestions?

Tillysmummy - My ds caught chicken pox at 10 months - and dh had never had it (mid-thirties), so we were very worried.. I did as much of the looking after ds as I could and dh didn't catch it. We think dh may have a natural immunity to c.p. as he didn't catch it in childhood when his brothers did. Good luck. BB

Tillysmum - I'm not sure if it is dangerous in later life (although I could well be horribly wrong) just that it is particularly unpleasant.

Thanks ladies. We thought that I must to them majority of the looking after and I think that you can get a blood test at the doc to see if you are immune so will get DH down there.

Apparently something like 5 people a year still die of CP (adults) and I know someone who couldn't get out of bed for a month when he had it. Yikes ! No help for a month from DH !

I bet that's only blokes who don't get out of bed for a month

Tillysmummy,

CP was going round at ds's nursery when I was pg with dd. My Mum couldn't remember if I'd had it or not, so my GP did a blood test to find out if I was immune (which I was). It would be a good idea to get your dh tested, although quite what you do if he isn't immune I don't know - you want Tilly to catch it while she's young. My friend caught it when her kids had it and she was very ill for a while - far more than the kids.

Azzie, yes that's what i'd heard so I want her to get it now but not dh. Think I'll get him tested.

Tinker. Too right ! It's always the men that never get out of bed, stay out late drinking (very occasionally of course ) and NEVER have to cancel their plans when the child has a cold etc but I always do !! Moan, moan ....

On the topic of CP, a friend's 3 children (all under 4) all have it really badly at the moment. My friend developed an eye infection, and her GP told her that it was due to stress and exhaustion and that she should put her feet up and get some rest. Sometimes you wonder if the medics are on the same planet as us mums...

Just remembered - GP did mention that if dh did catch it he should go to see GP imediately (at first spot) and they would give him immunoglobulin (?), which would lessen the symptoms of the c.p. They don't give it to children as they don't suffer so much (said the GP)

Tillymummy, my SIL had CP as an adult. She was very poorly (only in bed for two weeks, though!) and took a year to recover fully.

However, there is a drug your DH can have if he thinks he is developing CP. It's called Zovirax (an oral form of the Zovirax cream for cold sores) and if taken in time can head off the worst effects. But it has to be taken within five days of the onset of symptoms, which for CP can be cold-type symptoms, grumpiness (nothing new there, then!) etc, so he must get down to the Dr ASAP. Sometimes they are reluctant to prescribe it as it is relatively expensive but it does a good job, so demand it, if necessary.

It is also useful against shingles so if anyone thibks they are getting that, hotfoot it to your GP!! HTH

Just to let you know that I caught chicken pox from my son last year, even though I'd had it as a child...bit of a shock, that was. Apparently that can happen if you've had a particularly mild case as a child. It was awful. Felt shocking, fever, loads of spots, hallucinations - the lot and at a time when my husband was away and I was looking after my 2 kids who were two and 20 months. My daughter, of course, then caught it from me, so all in all it was about 3 months before we got rid of it in our house-hold.

My friend's dd has possibly got chickenpox. We had lunch with them on Monday and my dd (6 mo) was holding hands with hers. I've printed this thread off for her and have just read about babies ending up in intensive care because of chickenpox and am now totally terrified. Can anyone explain how likely this is, what to look for and if there is any way to prevent it?

I've never heard of any children I know being hospitalised with chickenpox, though I do know that it can happen in rare cases. Young babies have quite high immunity, especially if they are still breastfed and often don't get it too badly anyway. DS2 had it at 5 months, had lots of spots and didn't sleep. He was prescribed a half dose of piriton which stopped the itching and knocked him out a bit so that I could get some sleep. I think the major concerns with chickenpox are when spots get too close to the eyes and if it causes encephylitis (sp?) which is rare. Watch out for runny nose, sore throat and general grumpiness in about a week's time followed by red spots which turn into blisters.

my son had a bad dose of the chickenpox before the summer, just kept him in very loose clothing and used camomile lotion on his skin as well as piriton to stop the itching.

The doc said to watch out for his eyes too as he would need drops if they developed within his eyelashes, he did have spots on his eyes but they were not close, they spread like wildfire dont they!? as I was looking at him more and more were appearing..

And watch out sometimes for high temperatures.. his went up quite high, used Calpol to stabalise it!

That was back in the beginning of July and he still has the spots now on his belly and back, I think they may have scarred.

Also, as its just me and my little boy (sometimes I wish I had someone else to get up to him! ) I slept by the side of his cot for over a week just gently rubbing his back as he whimpered in his sleep as they itched so terribly. He had what seemed like a cold, and was also very grumpy.

The whole process from seeing the first spot to them all blistering took him 2.5 weeks.

A story my dad told me, he is one of ten children (8 girls and 2 boys - argh!) was that when they were younger people used to have chickenpox parties, once one kid got it they were all put in the same room and mums n dads dealt with all of them over the next few weeks! then it was over and done with!

Theres nothing you can do to prevent it, especially if like mine, they go to nursery - they catch everything.. makes you wonder if its worth sending them at all sometimes as Ive been through stages with him that hes only been there for a couple of days a month due to a bug he's caught! and then theres the money, its hard paying for them even though there not there isnt it!

sorry to ramble, hope this helps someone..

sorry.. me again! ionesmum.. if you ever get a question like the one about the odds of kids being hospitalised due to chickenpox that you dont seem to be able to get an answer try calling the NHS Helpline No I have found it helpful in the past when Ive had difficult questions.

The worst thing about chickenpox is that the child is infectious days before the first spot appears so you really cant prevent it or anyone else catching it. The day before my son came out in his first spot I was with my pregnant friend, who luckily didnt catch it, however she had a go at me saying I shouldnt have had him near her.. durr... had I known.. i wouldnt have gone anywhere!

Ionesmum, Chicken pox is transmitted through the respiratory system so your dd is unlikely to have caught it by holding hands. Once the spots are there and not crusted over, it can be transmitted through them.

As an example, I looked after a friend's children 5 weeks ago. The next day, one of them went spotty with CP. The day after that, keen to get it over with, we went to the park with them. My 2 played with them on and off and last played with them 3 weeks ago, a few days before the other child went spotty. The incubation period is up to 21 days (runs out on Sunday) and we still have no spots. So, it looks like my 2 have escaped it again. Clearly it's not as easily caught as we imagine - at the respiratory phase there probably needs to be coughing, sneezing or kissing involved! As we're off to Florida in under 2 weeks I'm praying it doesn't materialise this weekend!!

I believe that the risk in pregnancy is in the first trimester and if the mother is infectious at delivery.