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Original poster

GAH! DD (2.5) has chickenpox... i have a busy work week ahead, naturellement. Come, MNers, give me your combined folkspun wisdoms as to how to make the next few days not Absolutely Hellish...

57 replies

ExterminAitch · 27/07/2008 12:26

pretty please?

she seems fine in herself... blah blah blah LIKE I CARE.

how bad is it going to get? (can't believe we're stuck in the house when the upstairs neighbours are knocking down walls with a pneumatic drill. i had hoped to get dd into nursery next week and escape to a pal's house to work).

OP posts:
berolina · 27/07/2008 14:34

Oh poor LittleAitch and poor you. Not had this yet chez Bero so no tips, but if a spot did definitely appear on Fri it would be 5 days from then - or is it from the first blister ?

Original poster
ExterminAitch · 27/07/2008 14:37

lol, thanks. if it's from the first blister i'm screwed.

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FrannyandZooey · 27/07/2008 14:43

sympathy aitch
good age to get it - she shouldn't fuss and suffer so much as an older one will
xx

feelingbadtoday · 27/07/2008 15:15

We ignored the Eurax under three thing on DS (2.2) - if it had been an oral medicine then that would have been different - and he was fine. We found oatmeal baths helped. We went out for walks just avoided places where children/loads of people were likley to be.

Original poster
ExterminAitch · 27/07/2008 15:32

cheers, unfortunately i do live in Children Central. she's on the couch watching toy story at the mo.

and FRANNY! how are YOU? bummer about the hospital, i left a message on the veggers thread. your boy is a beauty.

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CantSleepWontSleep · 27/07/2008 16:39

Contrary to lots of comments on this thread, mixing with pregnant people not a problem at all as long as they have had CP themselves.

You do want some bicarb of soda for in her bath though. Much simpler, better and less messy than oats!

expatinscotland · 27/07/2008 17:09

DD2 is your DD's age. She was actually only down and crabbit for a couple of days when she had it in January and never got a fever.

Blitzing porridge in the food processor and mixing it with a tablespoon or two of bicard and then holding it under the tap whilst drawing the bath (in an old sock) is a lifesaver.

Calamine cream worked just as well as Eurax for us and is much cheaper, but the Piriton is a must!

DD1 had it first and was covered in big, fluid-filled blisters, so we actually had it in the house for an entire month.

moodlumthehoodlum · 27/07/2008 17:35

Don't give her medised and piriton. (Even if advised to by a medical professional) Medised has an anti histamine in it already (sorry, yes I know, most people know that) but I didn't, did piriton and medised, and dd started hallucinating. Cue complete panic and a dash to a&e at three in the morning.

FrannyandZooey · 27/07/2008 17:46

oh thanks Aitch
we are back home
bit shell shocked! this was NOT how the first week was meant to be after my lovely homebirth

Original poster
ExterminAitch · 27/07/2008 20:38

cheers moodlum, yes, i'd already gathered that however am now regretting giving piriton so close to bed anyway when medised was probably the better (ie sleepier) option... dd now yelling her head off.

och frank, but he is GORGEOUS so you're way ahead on points.

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expatinscotland · 27/07/2008 20:41

the antihistamine in the Piriton might help her sleep, Aitch.

hopefully!

do you have a fan? that might help, too.

the forecast is for the mugginess to continue.

poor wean!

expatinscotland · 27/07/2008 20:48

whatever you do, keep her OUT of the sun!

dd1's blisters were very fluid-filled, and because she is so pale believe it or not, they are just now starting to fade and she had CP in early January.

dd2's got a couple of light pitt marks on her face from them, which are also fading (i put Napier's Infant Starflower Creme on them after they scabbed over).

Original poster
ExterminAitch · 27/07/2008 20:57

oh pissflaps. she's been out in the sun for a bit this afternoon. although covered in dr hauschka suncream...

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Original poster
ExterminAitch · 27/07/2008 21:18

she's only just gone off now, poor thing. completely hysterical, tossing and turning, i had to lie in bed behind her and sing 55 verses of 'golden slumbers' to subdue her. i think we might be in for a tough night.

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expatinscotland · 27/07/2008 21:29

don't be alarmed if she has these pink spots even after the scabs are off.

i think that happens to pale-skinned people.

they will fade, but they can take a while to do so. just be careful about the sun with a pale-skinned child w/CP.

write down the times you dosed her with Piriton in case she wakes up you can see quickly when you last gave it to her.

we used to put some cornstarch down their tops and bottoms, too, and it gave them a little relief.

hope they go away quickly like dd2's.

Original poster
ExterminAitch · 27/07/2008 21:31

we're not even at the scab stage yet, expat... i've got so much on this week, lol, this is the shittest timing ever. poor wee girl.

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silverfrog · 27/07/2008 21:33

oh yes, the red marks can stay for ages. dd2's have just started fading - she was covered, especially in the nappy area, where the marks are worst.

dd1 only had one pock mark - she tripped up and banged her forehead against a chair and burst one of her spots/blisters, and now has a scar in the middle of her forehead. Hopefull it will fade with time.

dd2 hasn't scarred at all, but her marks are takin gmuch longer to fade.

hope the rest of the night is peaceful

expatinscotland · 27/07/2008 21:34

take advantage of her being asleep, aitch - get to work!!

has she had her porridge oats bath?

dd1 didn't want to get out of there! i'd do 2-3/day.

Original poster
ExterminAitch · 27/07/2008 21:37

she had one earlier and hated it, unfortunately. begged to go straight to bed tonight and then bugged out for the next couple of hours anyway.

and yes... i should get to work. know anything about the hungarian grand prix? cos i don't.

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TheMadHouse · 27/07/2008 22:30

OK Baths - need to be cool, give her the oats and bicabare in a muslin (tied with a hair bobble) and let her play with it. Or new bath toy perhaps. We moved the tea set to the bath. No washing hair just getting all wet.

Piriton only when really needed. Mine were hyper too.

Outside with nothing on in the shade. Large Gazeboo or umbrella's. Paddling pool with the oats and Bicarb.

Ice lollys

Magazines

DVDs - lots of them, as they can be quite cuddly.

Calomine cream (as expat says) is great for the bum area

Poxciln is just great, we dont have the red marks and the boys are fair skinned

I was really tired though, as they just wanted mummy cuddles.

Just remember She will get better and you will feel fine, it can just feel like a long time.

I was told 5 days from scabbing from the hospital though

expatinscotland · 27/07/2008 22:32

yeah, we went back to co-sleeping for a bit.

DH sleeps like the dead, anyhow, and i got sick of getting up to go in and out of their room.

so DH slept in the girl's beds whilst each went through the worst of it.

TheMadHouse · 27/07/2008 22:39

Aitch - Golden sulmbers, really brings back lovley memorys. Grandad used to sing me to sleep with it

Habbibu · 27/07/2008 22:41

Oh, poor dd! No advice, but sympathy. What do you need to know about the Hungarian GP? Don't you know any tame sports journos?

Original poster
ExterminAitch · 27/07/2008 22:43

aw... i think it's a fairly elderly song.
thanks expat and habs (and all), i just need to write a teensy preview of the F1 and don't know much. i'll make it up!

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TheMadHouse · 28/07/2008 10:10

Aitch - how was yours and DD's night?