Maybe chickenpox. What do I need to know?

[Ceepa]

DC has about six small red bumps, look like whiteheads, that appeared within the last day on the upper torso and arms. No itching but low-grade fever. I think this is how it starts, right? Blech.

Fortunately DH and I have already had chicken pox and we have no plans so DC and I can hole up in the house for the next week.

If there is a full blown rash by tomorrow or the next day what should I do to prepare? I remember oatmeal baths and calamine lotion, but I had a bad case because I was older. I also remember laying on the couch a lot.

Do we need to go to the pediatrician for anything?

[o_mom]

They told us that if there were any spots on the whites of the eyes, they needed to be seen. Other than that, as long as they are otherwise OK (no sign of secondary infections) they don't need to be seen.

I will tell you what I wish I had known.... The first spots will look the worst - they will go through the full cycle, where they look like a water blister and then pop and crust. They keep coming up for a few days, but the ones later may not even blister. I saw what the first ones did and kept picturing that the 100+ that showed up on days 3-4 were going to do that and how awful that would be. Most of those did not even blister, especially the ones on day 4 - they never looked worse than a mosquito bite and never crusted at all, just faded.

Baths every day - sometimes twice a day. Keep them clean and dry. I don't remember how old he is. DS2 was 11 mos, so we didn't have to deal with scratching, but did have to deal with diaper area.

[megs4413]

I don't know if this will apply for you, but we had to be seen by the pediatrician so that she could confirm them and mark his chart so he wouldn't have to have the vaccine to go to school.

And I would tell you not to worry! I know each kid is different, but DS barely even itched and he wasn't even very unhappy. He had them in his throat and he was still fine!

[o_mom]

I don't know if this will apply for you, but we had to be seen by the pediatrician so that she could confirm them and mark his chart so he wouldn't have to have the vaccine to go to school.



Forgot about that! Our ped was willing to take our word for it. They didn't want them in the office potentially spreading it. I did take pictures to document, just in case. In our case, it was a known exposure (DH had shingles) and exactly two weeks later, so there was no question what it was.

[essnce629]

DS1 had them when he was 5 and I was pregnant with DS2. I did take him to the ped to have them confirmed. Oddly, in DS1's case, even though he was covered with them from head to toe (common in eczema kids) they did not itch at all! It must have been because he was constantly itchy from the eczema that it didn't even register with him, so no baking soda/oatmeal baths or calamine lotion was needed (which is what I had planned to use). After they all scab over they are no longer contagious. DS1 missed 3 days of school (a Fri, Mon, and Tues) and by then they had all scabbed over and he was fine to go back.

[lizzywednesday]

...After they all scab over they are no longer contagious. ...

:yeahthat:

But you may get kids, teachers and/or parents giving you a hard time about the scabs - my mom sent my brothers, my sister and I back after our CP had scabbed over (we all got them in 1990, part of it was over our Easter break so we didn't miss a lot of school) and my classmates treated me as if I had the plague. :shake:

It's been 22 years and I'm still annoyed at the way I was treated!

[Ceepa]

No additional lesions so far. Advice nurse at the ped's said just keep an eye on it but no reason to bring DC in. So we'll monitor even if it's not pox. Thanks for the feedback.