chickenpox + eczema + more (me, not kids!!) - I'm a wreck!

[sezza]

I have just caught chickenpox from some little blighter and also suffer from eczema and allergic conjunctivitis. I have a wedding to go to in 4 weeks. Any magic tips on quickly healing the spots and clearing up the eczema and red itchy eyes. (Yes, I know I'm a wreck!!) Also on antidepressants (dothiepin 75 mg/day) but these are not helping me to get through this horrible phase in my life. Maybe I need a stronger dose? Am feeling really low. To top it all, I missed the girl's hen night and GET THIS! My husband went to the fella's stag night, they went to a lap dancing club + my husband took great delight this morning in telling me how he had 3 private dances (at £20 each), all the girls were gorgeous and one looked like Britney. Girls, I feel on top of the world!! Some words of wisdom + TLC desperately needed! By the way, look like an extra out of Alien!!

Rhus Tox pillules (homeopathic remedy) N not sure about any potential interferance with antidepressants though. Add a couple of table spoons of bicarb of soda to yorur bath together with lavendar oil and tea tree oil (not sure you can do this should you be pregnant). And a lot of TLC. Antihistimines should help with itching and maybe the conjunctivitis too. Add 1tsp of bicarb in a pint of boiled water and use this with an eye bath to bathe your eyes, it's very soothing.

Hope you feel better soon!

How long have you been on the antidepressants? It does take quite a while to get up to a 'working' dose in your system. With dothiepin it can take from 2-4 weeks before the beneficial effects 'kick in'. If you are not getting any effect after that sort of time it might be worthwhle having a chat with your GP who might think that a higher dose could be useful. 75 mg a day is a normal adult starting dose. For the eczema drop soap, bilogical wahing powder and fabric softener and slap of lots of a bland emolient like aquious cream. See you GP about an emolient to put in the bath.

Poor you, I do hope that things will get better soon.

rhus tox is fine with antidepressants-

Be careful withbicarb of soda if you have eczema as it dries the skin out really badly. We made that mistake with ds1.

If you want to get rid of the eczema quickly then it would prbably have to be hydrocortisone- 0.1% sparingly may be worth a try.....

Hope you're feeling better soon.

Don't use the Hydrocortisone cream if you still have active spots. It might make them worse as it damps down the immune system which you need to work at its best to fight off the virus.

I mixed calamine lotion with aqueaous cream and added vitamin E oil, lavender oil and tea tree oil to smooth on my boys. It seemed better than calamine lotion. May be more moisturising for your eczema than just using calamine to soothe the spots. I think you need to be extra careful with chicken pox & eczema to make sure you don't get any infection in it. This is just a niggling memory, I'm not sure where I heard it or if it is true.

good point hmb- should be OK once they've crusted over though.

Sezza, if you've only just developed the chickenpox there is a course of antivirals tablets you can get from your GP to help alleviate the symptoms and shorten the illness. It's called Zovirax. I think you need to begin the course within 5 days of getting symptoms, but am not 100% sure about that.

I do hope you feel better in all respects very soon.