Can you tell me all I need to know about chicken pox - in words of no more than one sylable please...

[ArmadilloDaMan]

cos I've had hardly any sleep for 2 nights and my brain isn't functioning v. well. I had it very young so can't remember what happens at all.

Guess what ds (3.4) has got?

He is covered.

Worst ones are in his bum crack and on his balls. The ones all over his nappy area are quite bad.

He is in a lot of pain - have got piriton, calpol like stuff and calomine (sp?) lotion. Each of these provokes hysterics (because taking medicine means admitting you are ill - something ds doesn't believe in ). SO it is a nightmare getting anything in or on him.

How long is this really painful stage likely to last?

What happens next?

When is he going to sleep/stop screaming all day etc etc?

cool baths
loose clothing and leave nappy off as much as possible
calpol/piriton mixed in yoghurt or something else he likes. out and out bribery with chocolate if you have to in these circumstances
Get him to put his own calomine lotion on
Pain should start to go once they start to scab over
hth and he starts to feel better soon

cheers for that Will def try medicine in yoghurt. Anything to get it down him.

Might let him loose with paintbrush and lotion see if that encourages him.

Hopefully this stage shouldn't last too long then.

Try Calamine/aqueous cream (from your chemist). It soothes and moisturises without being grainy

Meant you can get a calamine and aqueous cream mix from your chemist

Thanks

Feel like a total novice at this.

But neither me nor dp can remember what chicken pox was like.

Porridge oats in a sock in the bath, or bicarb. I made up a paste using bicarb and water and put that on the sore bits.
Lots of nurofen for pain.
Calamine lotion is pants - try aqueous calamine cream - stays on much better.
Good luck!

Eurax is meant to be way better than calamine, lots of people say calamine isn't great as it dries them out but doesn't stop itching.
Don't know if you can put eurax on balls though they might be a bit delicate.

Mine is the same re admitting illness. He is NEVER ill

would that be thicker and therefore easier get on/stay on? I'm hoping so.

Calamine great, but just soaks into cotton wool so can't get much on him.

1. Do not let him dig in the garden until his spots are healed over.

2. If he starts to get better and then gets worse and gets a really high temperature that won't go down, some of his spots are infected and he needs antibiotics.

These two events may be connected.

[bad mummy smiley]

yes according to ds he is never ill.

Therefore he can still do xyz and doesn't have to take medicine

He def gets it from dp (who is exactly the same) and not me (who wallows in being ill and just thinks of all the time I can spend in bed).

Carbon copy of dp, ds is.

So with you on this one - my DD had it big time. Not pleasant for everyone.

All great advice so far - the one thing that also helped for us was having good DVD's on back to back when the pain/itching was really bad as it was distracting for her (Blockbusters made a fortune from our misery!). At bedtime - turning down the volume little by little sent her off to sleep as she was mesmorised by the images on screen. However, when she did a wee in her nappy she would still scream and pull it off as it stung her spots so much, poor little lamb.

She suffered for about 5 days and then started to get better.

Hang in there.

painkillers and something soothing to rub on. Avent do a liquid talc which ds used to find soothed his nappy rash quite well, comes in a pump dispenser and you can get it in Boots. Might be an alternative to Calamine which can be sort of gritty and itchy when you put it on and it can also feel quite icky.
Hope he feels better soon x

fruit - that sounds like a barrel of laughs.

No gardening for ds then.

ds's pox lasted about 3 days for the worst bit, then a couple of days when he did "man poorly" - flopped about a bit but was much perkier, got his appetite back and stopped being so sore, then a few days where he was unning about but getting tired easily and still a bit itchy and prickly.

is he still in nappies? because DD2 was when she got it, we found out that you can use metanium on the spots to stop the wee stinging.

right.....for the ones on his balls and nappy area.....either savlon liquid in the bath or baking soda.

My DS1 got them under his foreskin and they got VERY infected. the cool baths many times a day with either of the above in helped enormously...and was recommended by my doctor.

worked on my DS, as with many others I have advised!

and many many glasses of wine for you, altho maybe wait until DC is asleep, or his daddy can take over!

yes we had hysterics everytime he weed.

However ds won't leave nappy of for a split second.

Gah.

He really doesn't help himself.

Will look out for these other creams.

Thanks for these. Are very helpful

I'm not sure if it stays on better,ADM but it is a steroid (hydrocortisone) and stops itching effectively. Be careful about it as you shouldn't use too proliferately. (that is not a word is it. Sorry)
I have had success hiding adult soluble paracetamol in a bottle of milk, when calpol substitute is always detected.

For weeing - run cool baths with bicarb in - my DD screamed in agony to wee, so running a dozen cool baths a day was worth it, to alleviate her pain.

She was only really bad for two or three days. Before and after the middle bit were absolutely fine, even though she looked appalling. She was 3.5 yo and I'm glad she had it early - it can be a lot worse when they are older.

Good luck - I think you must be nearing the end of the 'bad stage'. End is in sight!

THanks for these.

Dp has been at work all day, but is home now and will (attempt) to take over AND let me have a lie in tomorrow (he is lovely).

I say attempt because being without me for 15 seconds tends to drive ds to hysterics.

Well here's hoping.