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.

Hi

Just been reading this thread with interest. All 3 of my children got chicken pox at the same time, they were 4, 2 and 5 months at the time, it was a complete nightmare.

My son, aged 2, has got quite a few scars on his stomach and back, not really deep just loads of white spots. It has been about 9 months since they had it and I just wondered if the Vitamin E oil would still help to reduce his scars even at this stage or do you need to use it straight away. Does anyone know?

Hi GeorginaA, I have to admit I was quite surprised when the Doc gave me the 'bad cold' story even though DS1 had had this cold for ages. It still felt like abit of a 'fob off'. I can't remember if I was given any antibiotics for him but I remember the rash taking a few days to fade. The Scarletina theory sounds right though, admittedly in hindsight.
I've used NHS direct a few times and have always found them brilliant. On a few occasions I've asked how long I'll have to wait for the callback and have been told the wait is uo to a hour but each time they have called back within about 15 minutes. I assume children take priority over patients.

Hi
My daughter has had scarlatina twice recently. It started with a sore throat that is caused by the strep bug. She then ended up with a bright red face and a rash all over her body that was concentrated in the creases of her arms and legs etc. The doctor gave us penicillin for it it both cases. HTH.

He's started itching and I did find a blistery one before he went to bed last night so yes, it has to be CP.

As a cruel and evil mummy, I'm over the moon. I wanted to get this one out of the way and he's avoided it so often. DS2 is sharing DS1s medicine spoon and giving him lots of kisses...

AngieL, I'm not sure when you have to put the Vit E oil on scars. It certainly wouldn't do any harm. I'd imagine that these scars fade very well over time anyway. I only have 1 that I know of.

Incidentally advice I got from the Holland & Barratt in Croydon - buy the vitamin E capsules (the ones you would eat) and pierce them with a safety pin to drip onto the spots - the capsules are a purer form of the vitamin E oil than the bottles of vitamin E oil for external use.

SoupDragon, no I don't blame you for wanting it out of the way. I feel the same now even though I know when I get it I'm going to be very ill. Chickenpox scares almost interrupted our summer holiday last year and our Christmas, so I'd like it over and done with so I don't have to worry anymore!

Still no sign of spots here although I feel slightly under the weather and ds was a bit grumpy in the night... fingers crossed (I can't believe I'm hoping we are ill!!)

I could send DS1 round to give you a hug, a huge kiss and to cough on you if you like?

Have already had a kiss, cough and hug from a friend's ds on tuesday who'd just gone down with chickenpox! Thanks for the offer though!

I've just got this feeling now that we're going to sail through without catching it at all... sigh

I 've got chickenpox in my house at the moment. The sister of the baby I look after has it and as the mum teaches at my daughters school and didn't want to let her 'A' level classes down, I said I'll have her. The baby probably won't get it, if she still has enough antibodies from mum, but if she does it could be with us a while as the other child I look after hasn't had it.

Fortunately the sister is not too ill with it, so is happy to come to me and what DVD's all day long!

This thread interests me because dd, about to become 6, has still not had chickenpox despite every single one of her classmates and friends having had it over the years. Can some people be naturally immune to it?

I'm not sure about natural immunity but I believe it's possible to have had an unnoticed mild dose which bestows some immunity. Mild doses may, unfortunately, mean it can be caught again later.

Yes that happened to dd1 many years ago, SD. she had a handful of cpox blisters and was not at all ill then got it "properly" a couple of years later. Nothing at all on 6 year old so far though.

Ds is v badly scarred by his cp last year.He had it v bad everyone commented.He was literally covevered in it and was quite poorly.Anyone elses child been scarred like this.There's no sign of them going.

Thanks Batters,will try it.

We've got it! Ds (11 months, still bf) has about 3 spots but they are just the same as the ones that dd (almost 3) is covered in! Poor dd, she is SOOOOOOOO itchy and sore. I have had to dress her in a polo neck and dungarees to stop the constant scratching. The tips here are really useful, I've been reading through the thread, adn dh is going to get some bicarb today so we can bathe her in it this evening. I'll keep you posted!

CAM lots of kids round our way - including my younger sister - had chickenpox when I was little and I never got it...until I was 20, at college and felt v sorry for myself and quite poorly

Now you've reminded me Bundle that my father caught chicken pox from us, as kids, in his 30's and the itching nearly drove him mad. I have told my dd that she can only get cpox in the school holidays as I don't want her to take time off school as we're fee-paying so maybe she's holding back?!!

Chicken pox can be very serious in adult patients. They are sometimes prescibed anti-virals to help fight the infection.

DS2 has CP now, having caught it from sharing DS1s medicine spoon (I am a cruel and evil mother!)

DS1 was free of it in 7 days - truly remarkable!

We used
Piriton syrup,
Calpol and Nurofen syrups
the 6c Rhus Tox pillules,
something similar by "New Era Junior" for skin ailments,
bicarb baths (about a tablespoon) with Tea Tree oil and Lavender oil I put about 20 drops of each)
and a home made concoction of aqueous cream, calamine lotion, Vit E oil & tea tree and lavender oils.

I don't know which worked the most magic but DS1 seems to have escaped unscathed. Hopefully DS2 will be the same.

I hope everyone's spotty children are better soon

GeorginaA, the offer of a coughing contagious child still stands...

ROFL, CAM! The worst bit about adult CP is you get the symptoms x10...a terribly sore neck/throat (could hardly turn round), 3 sleepless nights with the sheer heat radiating from my back (icy shower felt lukewarm on it!) and then people in Sainsbury's thinking you have terrible acne once you've scabbed over & you're no longer infectious.

I have a nasty scar on my face(had 26 stitches), after falling off a ladder (DIY related as opposed to alcohol), I've been rubbing vitamin E oil in it every night and it's come along nicely.
Still early days though, but it has deffinately improved.