Chickenpox.. We've been hit!

[Strawbs]

Poor baby strawbs has picked up chickenpox.. Whilst I'm glad in a way he has it now at 13 months rather than as an older boy, it's heartbreaking to watch! We go through moments of hysterical crying.. He has spots everywhere including his mouth, eyes and genital area including his anus.. I'm using vira soothe and Eurax cream which are good.. I'm doing bi carb soda baths which seem to really relieve his issues.. Tried calamine for the first day but it really didn't do much albeit he enjoys getting it applied..

Anything else I could be doing? I'm also using piriton to help with the itching and nurofen to control the temp..

First spots appeared Thursday, how many more days of hell is he set to face?

His nursery had an outbreak of cp and his gp and chemist said they've seem loads of cases over the past 5 weeks..

X

[Fuschia]

Sounds like you are using all the available meds. Been awhile since ds1 suffered with it (the twins,iraculotsly, only had one spot each!) but i think the worst bit only spanned a few days

Hope you are getting some sleep

[Pickle]

Oh Strawbs, your wee man is really having a tough time of it lately isn't he?!

Sounds like you're doing everything right, Piriton was the main thing that helped my little boy (he was 2.5 at the time). I seem to remember having two really bad nights, and then it started to improve. I think oats in a bath (wrapped in a muslin package) are also supposed to be really soothing.

On the plus side, at least it's over and done with! Neither of my girls have had it yet (4.5 and 10 months).

[Mrs_Glennie]

Oh Strawbs, it's horrid, poor little man.

Mini G had it over the summer at 10 months and antihistamine really helped her to not itch so much and helped her sleep. We also took her to SELDOC and had an anti-viral med which stops the stops the spots developing anymore, this meant she wasn't covered as much as she might have been. Not sure if it's too late for that but worth a try?

[greeners]

I've also heard that oats in a bath are good for chicken pox. I've been using them regularly to relieve pregnancy itching and dry skin and it works wonders. I just get a pair of little tights socks (as in, socks made of something like 15denier tights material), put half a cup of porridge oats in the toe and knot it up, then put in the bath. If you squash and squelch it around a lovely thick goo comes out that makes the bath all milky and can be rubbed into the skin. There is also a product called aveeno which is an oat-based soap substitute, but the porridge oats in a sock option is much cheaper! Hope your LO recovers soon!

[Strawbs]

Biant thank you for the oat suggestion everyone! We just had our first hysterical wake up sonwe stripped and lathered him, gave him some milk (he has them in his mouth so off his food so I'm getting milk in when I can).. He wants to only sleep on me which would be fine if he would let me sit or lie down, he goes ballistic if I'm not standing, finally got him to sleep and in his cot so I'm going to grab some sleep for a couple of hours.. Thursday / Friday he was perfectly fine but yesterday and today he is really suffering so by the sounds of it maybe by Tuesday he may be a little more comfortable..

Pickle - totally agree, poor baby has been through the mill lately..

We have a long awaited gastro follow up appt on Friday but I'm going to need to call them tomorrow to see if they want me to defer as I don't want to risk giving it to any of the kids in the waiting room with us..

When it rains it pours eh?!!

Thanks again everyone x

[Strawbs]

That meant to say brilliant not braint , bloody phone!!

[Saffron]

Strawbs Wrote:

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> Poor baby strawbs has picked up chickenpox..

> Whilst I'm glad in a way he has it now at 13

> months rather than as an older boy, it's

> heartbreaking to watch! We go through moments of

> hysterical crying.. He has spots everywhere

> including his mouth, eyes and genital area

> including his anus.. I'm using vira soothe and

> Eurax cream which are good.. I'm doing bi carb

> soda baths which seem to really relieve his

> issues.. Tried calamine for the first day but it

> really didn't do much albeit he enjoys getting it

> applied..

>

> Anything else I could be doing? I'm also using

> piriton to help with the itching and nurofen to

> control the temp..

>

> First spots appeared Thursday, how many more days

> of hell is he set to face?

>

> His nursery had an outbreak of cp and his gp and

> chemist said they've seem loads of cases over the

> past 5 weeks..

>

> X

Near his eyes, or on his eye itself? Chicken pox on the eyeball can lead to serious complications including blindness. If you haven't already, you need to speak to NHS direct and probably been seen by a specialist asap. xx

[Saffron]

Also, just to add, if anyone has a child that has been recently exposed, you can have them vaccinated within a few days of exposure to minimize the risk of them developing fullblown chicken pox. xx

[Saffron]

Two other things to be aware of with varicella virus:

1) The viral blisters can become infected with bacteria, which needs specific antibiotic treatment http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Chickenpox/Pages/Complications.aspx .

2) Varicella infection in previously healthy children can lead to pneumonia or encephalitis http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/969773-overview

Chickenpox is usually a benign disease in children, and almost all children recover uneventfully. However, varicella is not totally benign even today. A significant number of varicella cases are associated with complications, among the most serious of which are varicella pneumonia and encephalitis.

I wish the NHS would stop referring to varicella as a mild illness. It's really not on par with the common cold or conjunctivitis.

[buggie]

Saffron Wrote:

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> Two other things to be aware of with varicella

> virus:

>

> 1) The viral blisters can become infected with

> bacteria, which needs specific antibiotic

> treatment

> http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Chickenpox/Pages/Comp

> lications.aspx .

>

> 2) Varicella infection in previously healthy

> children can lead to pneumonia or encephalitis

> http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/969773-overv

> iew

> Chickenpox is usually a benign disease in

> children, and almost all children recover

> uneventfully. However, varicella is not totally

> benign even today. A significant number of

> varicella cases are associated with complications,

> among the most serious of which are varicella

> pneumonia and encephalitis.

>

> I wish the NHS would stop referring to varicella

> as a mild illness. It's really not on par with

> the common cold or conjunctivitis.

The majority of cases are fine though and not on par with measles/meningitis C/B.

In 13yrs working in acute paediatrics I can still count on one hand the number of cases of CP related pneumonia I've seen (all of which needed admission to ward not to intensive care & each made a full recovery), no cases of CP related encephalitis. From the same abstract you link to, rates of complications leading to death related to CP are 1 in 40,000

cases whilst for measles that is 1 in 15 notified cases (cases of measles have to be reported to the local public health department). (http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/immvax/measles.aspx - can't link on iPad!).

[Saffron]

I don't disagree about the statistics, but if yours is the 1 in 40,000 that's presenting with severe complications, then the stats don't matter! (Seriously, people play the lottery on a much bigger stats gap!!) And many people are not aware of what the complications can be.

It mis-informs parents to say that varicella is a mild illness, without letting people know that it can have serious complications. The fact that it's not on par --in some people's opinions-- with other childhood diseases, does not mean that it isn't a serious illness. Indeed many western countries now do put it on par with other serious diseases of childhood in so far as they routinely immunise children for chickenpox.

I think it's very wrong to downplay varicella infection.

I know someone who was treated for complications to the eye following varicella.

And I know someone whose baby died of varicella.

Wasn't a mild illness for them, was it? Hmmm.

Parents should be aware of what the complications are, so that they can recognise the symptoms in their own children on the slim but horrible chance that their child might present with complications. xx

[Gidget]

Saffron,

Is chickenpox worse than shingles? I have heard of people getting shingles near their eyes and all over their face and that it can be very painful and I presume dangerous.

And, I have a friend who had chickenpox twice, once as a child and then again as an adult. She had it everywhere as an adult and had to take 3 weeks off work.

[Strawbs]

It's not on his eyeball but it's in the very corner of his eye in the crease near his nose - does that make sense? X

[minder]

I wouldn't worry about a chickenpox spot near his eye/crease of the nose - give it another few weeks and you wouldn't know it had been there.

Shingles is the chickenpox virus that lies dormant in the body for life until or when somebody's immune system becomes depressed (medical people please correct me if I'm wrong).

My Mum has recently had chemotherapy and she had shingles (due to the immune system being removed) and it was quickly treated.

I remember an old boss of mine years ago in the Civil Service. Her left nostril had more or less disappeared due to the shingles virus. This was 30 years ago.

[Mathilda]

Hi Strawbs, just to say that I was told Calpol, rather than Nurofen for chickenpox (no idea why though) and also to get any spots on/near eyes checked.

[miss_indigo]

Our 20 month old also had chickenpox - got it 8 days ago. He has spots all over his face, chest, back, neck and scalp. We have been giving him oat baths twice a day - sock full of oats in the bath and squeezing the juice over his body. Then post bath, we have been covering his body with coconut oil to help the skin to heal and prevent scars. It has worked a treat, although he is over the worst there are plenty of scabbed over spots so we are still continuing the regime and he hasn't had any 'scratching like a dog with fleas' moments!

[Saffron]

Strawbs Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It's not on his eyeball but it's in the very

> corner of his eye in the crease near his nose -

> does that make sense? X

I would actually try to speak to NHS Direct if you cannot be seen by a GP. (All of the herpes-type viruses have the potential to be very damaging to the eye and its membranes including causing 2ndry infections, this includes both CP and its re-emergence as shingles as well as HSV.) It would be far, far better to be seen by someone sooner and told that it doesn't pose a threat, than to have to have additional treatment to the eye later, no?

Also, speaking personally as someone who has facial scars from chicken pox, the idea that you can just give it a few weeks and you'll never know the spots were there, is sadly not strictly true. Miss_indigo's suggestion of keeping spots moisturised is very good, IMO. When the spots dry out, they can develop tiny cracks which makes healing more difficult. Moist healing is better and will lead to less scarring. xx

[Saffron]

Gidget Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Saffron,

> Is chickenpox worse than shingles? I have heard

> of people getting shingles near their eyes and all

> over their face and that it can be very painful

> and I presume dangerous.

>

That isn't an easy statement to qualify because the progression of either can be affected by age, general health, or other issues, such as access to information about treatment and availability of medications. Suffice it to say that neither are pleasant!

My father had shingles about 10 years ago and was rapidly and successfully treated with antiviral drugs. I think these are more widely available now than was the case many years ago. After my father's bout of shingles, my mother was given the shingles vaccine.

> And, I have a friend who had chickenpox twice,

> once as a child and then again as an adult. She

> had it everywhere as an adult and had to take 3

> weeks off work.

There is thought to be a genetic link among some people who have repeated episodes of chicken pox. She could pass this trait to her children. If she wants to have her children vaccinated, she could perhaps ask her NHS GP to do it on the grounds that her children are at an increased risk of multiple infections. Just a thought. xx

[Gidget]

Saffron

Will tell my friend what you said about the genetic link possibility.

I didn't know that there was a shingles vaccine. Is it routinely given? Your mother was given it because your dad's bout could have set her off?

[Strawbs]

In Australia they routinely vaccinate against cp, why dont they do that her do people think? My sister's children have never had it as they wet vaccinated as babies x

[Jessie]

I've had chicken pox twice. My son got it v mildly, but he had scarlet fever a little while before the pox and man, was that just horrible.

[StraferJack]

some background here strawbs:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8557236.stm

Having just come through it, my main advice would be to not worry too much (despite alarming appearance) and focus on looking after the little one. Lots of attention and time

Various products may or may not help a little bit but like most colds, what will be will be and just takes time to go through the system

[Strawbs]

Straferjack that's really interesting thank you.. Baby strawbs has turned a corner now, we only had one wake up last night and he is nicely scabbing over! x

[Saffron]

Gidget Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Saffron

> Will tell my friend what you said about the

> genetic link possibility.

>

> I didn't know that there was a shingles vaccine.

> Is it routinely given? Your mother was given it

> because your dad's bout could have set her off?

My parents are retired and live in the States. It was suggested by her GP because she has post-menopausal asthma and a history of pneumonia. The GP didn't want shingles to bring up any lung complications for her. On his recommendation, their private medical insurance paid for the shingles vaccine. It is a common vaccine in the States, recommended by the CDC for anyone 60 and over. I understand it's covered by many private insurers as well as some Medicare (government subsidised) plans.