Question about Chicken Pox treatments in the US?

[TracyK]

My DS has been recently exposed to Chicken Pox and it is highly possible that he is incubating it. We are arriving in WDW at the weekend and I'm worried sick that he might be really ill for much of our stay. I don't know whether to bring some treatments from the UK as a precautionary measure or to get treatment in Orlando if necessary. What treatments are available either over the counter or from the doctor? Thanks for any advice.
Tracy

 

[KimRaye]

Yikes, TracyK, I hear ya! Home remedies vary ~ Calamine lotion and 'Don't Scratch' orders come to mind! 14yo DS NEVER has had them so, I gave him a vaccination, along with then-baby DD, to prevent this, 4 years ago. (It's now REQUIRED for kids entering school to get Chicken Pox Vaccination, here in Illinois, anyway)

I sure hope your DS has NO problems at WDW! I think the incubation period is longer than you think, though.

Not sure about the 'ill' part though ~ When I had them, at 8yo, I wasn't ill but, uncomfortable and itchy! I spent a week off of school. (Way back then, it didn't matter as much.) I ALSO know how much times have changed!!

I'm hoping you have a Great Time, regardless!

 

[shortbun]

Chicken Pox is a dangerous viirus. Consult your
physician before you travel. People with chickenpox
are seriously subject to all kinds of complications and
should stay away from the general population while
contagious and while their immune system is
compromised. Overseas travel is exhausting and
could complicate your ds's health-dehydration, other
virus exposure. Gosh, do you hate me yet? The incubation
period is usually 14 days but can be longer or shorter.
Good luck. Sorry to be such a downer but IMHO, chickenpox
is not to be taken lightly besides, the heat of Florida would be
a horrible place with chickenpox!

 

[epcotfan]

I sure hope your son doesn't catch it. I unfortunately got it from a trip to WDW in 1999. I was 27. I got it two weeks to the day I left WDW. 10-14 days is the standard incubation period. I think I picked it up from the plane. I was out of commission for three weeks. Couldn't work and it was very painful. I have MS and it wasn't good for my immunity.

I was very lucky I got it at home and not in Orlando. Some airlines will not allow boarding if you are very sick. I remember one airline clerk that denied boarding to a child with chicken pox since there was a pregnant lady on the plane.

PD that your little guy stays well.

PS just wanted to add that chicken pox in children is not as severe as what I experienced. It is usually worse in adults.

 

[epcotfan]

Chicken Pox FAQ

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Both my kids got the shot. I knew 2 people who had severe(life threatening)complications from chicken pox. The shot is now required to enter Kindergarten here.
What forms of treatment do you all use in England for this? There may be something to take to make it less severe, but I am not sure of this.
BTW, my kids were exposed countless times and never got them ! Hope your son is ok for the trip!

 

[pat fan]

My kids never got chicken pox so I had to get them the shot when they went to school last year.Of course,then you have to worry and wait because the shot can sometimes cause chicken pox!

Anyway,to answer your question about remedies,I know when my sisters kids had it she soaked them in an oatmeal bath(not cooking oatmeal but a special bath packet ) and I think she gave them Benadryl to help with the itching.

Every case is different,some mild some awful.Some kids even die from it which is why they do the vaccine now.Keep your son away from pregnantr women too as the virus can affect the baby.

I hope he doesn't get it because any kind of sick on vacation is no fun

 

[Leota]

Please don't think that chicken pox is just an uncomfortable illness - It can, as shortbun said, have quite dangerous complications - For people with impaired immunity - chicken pox can kill - Max was in intensive care for a week & on IV drip of acyclovir for another week after leaving the hospital. It is also quite dangerous for pregnant women - WDW is a place where lots of women may be preggers & alot of kids go on Make-A-Wish trips etc....
CP can also have fatal complications in kids/adults who are not immuno-compromised - rarer, true, but it is a dangerous illness.

Please, have a chat with your son's pediatrician re. these issues before you go - Yes, we have treatments here in the US, usually only used if CP is taking a dangerous turn (as far as I know)- acyclovir, gancyclovir & famcyclovir - If you can get a script for them in the UK as a course of regular treatment, then I would do that- I would think it'll be harder for you to obtain the meds here, with insurance issues, etc... - Ask your pediatrcian if your son could take preventative treatment
I know that you & your family are very excited about your trip - & I'm sure you want to do what's best for your child & would feel terrible if he did have CP & it spread to folks who's bodies might not handle it so well...I think your pediatrician might be able to best answer your questions, perhaps even provide some in case meds....
Good luck to you guys - I will be sending you healthy spirit!

 

[Joanne M]

I just want to add a point that may have been overlooked. Chicken pox is a highly contagious virus, spread through droplets. Because it may start out as cold-like symptoms, the virus will be spread readily through sneezing, coughing, blowing nose, saliva, breathing, etc. You are contagious before you develop the rash, and remain contagious until every pox has scabbed over. This may take a week, depending upon the severity of the illness and the number of lesions.

I would consult your doctor immediately and find out what restictions you may have regarding international travel. This is not something to be taken lightly, either for your child's safety or the safety of others who will be exposed.

I realize I am one of those who are putting a damper on your travel plans, but this is something not to be ignored.

 

[TracyK]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I have read up extensively on this and also consulted my doctor. He has advised me that I should go ahead and travel unless my son develops the spots before then. He was not in a postion to do a blood test as the results would not be back in time. He has also advised me that Chicken Pox is dangerous to a small minority of the population.
My son has been exposed several times in the past and has not caught it.
The travel insurance won't pay out unless my son has actually developed the virus and the airline refuse to carry us. I am concerned for other peoples wellbeing and obviously won't be travelling if he breaks out in spots before the weekend. I am however not in a position to cancel just incase. I would lose thousands of £'s and I'm not in a position to be able to do that just on the off chance that he is infectious.
I certainly have not taken this lightly and I am grateful for the advice given but I was really posting to find out what treatment was available in the US. My doctor mentioned that you have different treatments available over there. He would not provide me with a prescription as we don't actually know if he has it yet. He advised me to see a doctor in the US should it be necessary.
Tracy

 

[Leota]

Tracy - I feel for you, really I do - I can imagine that this decision is not an easy one for you....
As the mother of an immuno-compromised child, tho & one whose child was exposed by a Mom knowingly sending her sick child to school, becuase "cp is no big deal" - after a week of Intensive Care & fears of losing my child - I must urge you to really carefully consider the fact that CP is highly contagious, airbourne contagion & there are lots of kids at WDW every day who have compromised Immune Systems due to cancer, luekemia, AIDS etc... These kids are already facing terminal illness & topping off a trip to WDW with a stay in Intensive Care is no fun.....even less fun if what should be a happy memory for the family turns tragic from fatal CP complications....

No matter how "small" the population is - it is a population in which CP can kill...not a risk I'd care to take - I can't believe your Doc was so callous about these other kids & the risk that exposure to CP puts them at.....

Good luck - I really, really pray that your child does not have CP.....................

 

[Mermaid02]

The day or so before my dd broke out in chicken pox she was nauseous and had a fever..... the next morning she felt fine... I sent her to school... that next night we found her first spot.

I had to keep my ds home from my inlaws Christmas party because my dh's stupid cousin PURPOSELY exposed her kids and they broke out over Christmas and my son had just had surgery for a ruptured appendix the week before.... meaning he couldn't take the chance.....

 

[Wonderlandmom]

When and How was he exposed?

 

[Mermaid02]

I believe that cp are contagious BEFORE you actually break out too. Is Deb around??

 

[Deb in IA]

Oh, hi. Someone call my name?

Yes, a child with chicken pox is actually contagious one day BEFORE the rash erupts. That's why it is spread so easily.

 

[Mermaid02]

That was THE QUICKEST call back from a pediatrician I have EVER gotten in MY LIFE! ROTFL!

 

[Joanne M]

I realize how difficult it must be to make a decision like this, based on what may only possibly happen. I also think the doctor in this case is not being as cautious as he should be. It is not a good idea to travel on a plane if you have an illness that is spread through airborne particles, the way chicken pox is spread. The ventillation on planes is a closed system, so the old air is recirculated throughout the plane. They do have the ability to add in some fresh air from the outside, but on many or most flights, this is not done in sufficient amounts. So the same old air, containing all those germs keeps going around and around.

Also, keep in mind that the chicken pox virus is responsible for shingles, which is an adult disease. This can be VERY serious in many adults, and is also extremely painful. A friend of mine came very close to being blinded by shingles while in his 30s, and in very good health. Many older people contract debilitating cases of shingles, which can linger or recur. This virus is not one to mess around with....

I would try calling WDW and asking them if they would transfer the reservations to different days, possibly. This just sounds too risky to chance. Not only for the child who might become ill while on vacation, but for all those who may also be affected.

 

[Tiggeroo]

lots of times and don't get them. Just being around somebody with them doesn't mean you are going to break out. Maybe if you call a blood lab, and pay cash you can get a titer level done quicker.

 

[Michelle]

I believe there are some anti-viral meds which given at the first sign of chicken pox can shortent the duration of the illness and/or make it less severe.

Honestly, you have no way at all of knowing if he will actually get the disease, my daughter was exposed MANY MANY times when she was young and never got it, and we then got her the vaccine when it became readily available. Hopefully your son will be one of the lucky ones and will be just fine.

And if he is unfortunate enough to come down with them after all there are several health care facilities near WDW and I'm sure you can get help from a doctor here.

Good luck!

 

[TracyK]

It appears that several of you are suggesting I think about cancelling my trip even though my son may not actually have Chicken Pox. I presume that those of you who feel this way would be prepared to lose several thousand dollars if you were in my position.
I feel also that some of you are under the impression that I am taking the risk lightly. This is not the case. The very nature of this illness means that people are usually exposed to this unknowingly. I would never knowingly expose other people to it but the truth is that I don't know. If my son did have it then I would make sure that he was kept in until the infectious time was over. The little boy who my son was in contact with had recently been in school with several children who had Chicken Pox. Are you suggesting that because he'd been exposed to it that his mum should have kept him in for the next 21 days just incase he was carrying it. Well she obviously didn't and that's how my son became exposed to it.
The insurance company WILL NOT compensate us if we just decide not to go incase he may develop Chicken Pox. In order for the insurance company to compensate us we would have to have a medical note to say he was not fit to travel. A doctor will only provide this note if a person is obviously infectious. It was suggested that my doctor could have been more cautious but I don't really see what he could have done.
I don't particularly want to go any more as I'll be dreading each day just in case he falls ill and then if he does he'll have to be confined to the hotel bedroom for the best part of the trip.
I would like to thank those who gave me advice. Michelle the anti-viral medications that you mentioned were what I wanted to know about. Hopefully if he does fall ill while we are away then I can get something like this to help him.
Tracy