Spending New Years with Chicken Pox!

[Lezah]

Well so much for our New Years plans. My DS9 came down with chicken pox yesterday. He had a fever the night before, just low grade, but enough for me to give him some Tylenol and then yesterday morning as we sat down for breakfast, I noticed one spot. Lifted up his T-shirt and there were about 8 more on his chest and the same on his back. Apparently, one of the girls in his classroom had come down with them the week before school was over for the holidays. He had neglected to tell Mom about that of course! Well at least if he had to get them, he got them while he was already off school and when I was off work for the holidays so I can be with him. The poor boy is covered today from head to toe with them, in his hair, his ears, his groin, his hands and feet, everywhere. Of course the itchiest one is right in the corner of one of his eyes and we can't put calamine lotion on it! He is being very clingy and only wants Mom - Dad had to sit with him while I took a shower this morning and then he jumped right into my lap again after it was over! It's nice to be loved and needed that much! We are going to borrow some DVD's from a friend tonight and watch those together him and I to make up for not being able to go to a friends farm tonight for New Years - big bonfire, ice skating, musical skits, food, drink friends!, we've done it for 2 years now. Well enough of my whining. Hope everyone has a wonderful New Years Eve and that 2004 is the best that we've all ever had.

 

[DisneyObsessed]

Awww the poor kid. And poor you for having to miss out on what sounds like a ton of fun. But you will always be able to look back to bringing in 2004 holding and cuddling your son, which you probably won't be able to do much longer Enjoy!

 

[cruisnfamily]

Just curious....has you son had the vacine for chicken pox? It's mandatory here to start school unless you've already had the chicken pox. I just wondered if he had the vacine and got them anyway or has he never had the vacine?

Thanks!

 

[WeirdEyes]

Poor baby! My DS had them when he was 2 1/2 and Benadryl saved him. It really helps with the itching and it is what his Pediatrician recommended.

 

[always quiet]

Oatmeal baths were life savers for my kids!!

 

[Pam]

I'm so sorry - when my DS was in kindergarten he had the chicken pox over Easter. He was such a sad little guy and soo sick - like your DS he was covered with them everywhere!

I will second what always quiet suggested - Aveeno Oatmeal Bath and also the creme was a lifeline in relieving some of the itch and pain.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Oh, the poor little guy. Prayers and pixie dust that he gets over them soon. I had my three guys get them one after the other. I was in the house for weeks and the little one was only 3 months old. The pediatrician told me some concoction I could make that involved turning malox into a paste if it got into their mouths, very painful. I also heard that the adults can pass it on to other adults. (Being a carrier?) I know I went to a party and sat by another mom and the next thing you know her daughter got it too. She was not even around my guys.

 

[Arabella Figg 2003]

I was 3 when I had chicken pox and I still remember how it felt. poor kid!

they haven't made chicken pox vaccine mandatory in NY yet. but my girls were vaccinated. I didn't want to have to deal with the disease.

when younger dd was 3 she was the only one in her preschool class who didn't come down with chicken pox. so I guess the vaccine worked.

 

[Lezah]

Thanks to everyone for the good thoughts and advice. We gave him a bath last night in the Aveeno Anti-Itch Oatmeal bath and it really helped. Of course he didn't like the tepid bathwater instead of nice and hot like he's used too ! To cruisinfamily - here in Canada the shot is only just available in the last 2 years - very expensive and not covered under the government plan. I had decided to give it to him if he hadn't had them yet when he was 12 or so. The shot doesn't give as good a protection from them as getting them naturally does. I didn't have them as a child and got them the first year I was working for the doctor and it was awful! They had just brought out the antibiotics that year and at least the course I had was less than I probably would have ($500 for a 7 day course though - thank goodness for insurance). My Mom wanted me to take my DS in to emerg to make sure it was chicken pox! Can you imagine that - visiting ER with a highly contagious child at New Years!? There is no doubt in my mind that it is chicken pox. I've seen it enough times now to diagnose it in my sleep! He gets the fever pretty bad each evening though (controlled well with Tylenol) that I haven't been sleeping really well, checking on him a few times. I only had to wake him up once last night to take Tylenol. Thank God for the ear thermometer! Again thanks for everything everyone!

 

[trip]

They had just brought out the antibiotics that year and at least the course I had was less than I probably would have ($500 for a 7 day course though - thank goodness for insurance).

Not sure what this means? I have never heard of antibiotics used for chicken pox. When my girls were little it was just calamine lotion and baths.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

I've heard of anti-virals for bad chicken pox, but never antibiotics-unless a bacterial infection develops in a pox.
My kids got the shot many years ago and it seems to be working. It is mandatory for Kindergarten registration here.

 

[Lezah]

The antibiotic at the time was an anti-viral given to adults so that they didn't have such a severe case as is apt to happen in adults. Now for kids they use it for kids who are immuno-comprimsed or very ill with other things. Some parents insist on them anyway just so the kids don't have such a severe case. Unfortunately sometimes the kids then are susceptible to getting a second case of pox when the first isn't a normal case. I don't think my boy will have any chance of his coming back again. He just took his temp and it is back again (100.8F) so some more Tylenol coming his way again.We're in for such a fun day.

 

[Arabella Figg 2003]

My sister caught chicken pox as an adult. they gave her an antiviral medication, one that's usually used to control herpes outbreaks -- the herpes virus is similar to the one that causes chicken pox. they generally don't give that medication to kids.

 

[trip]

thanks for the clarification so fast -- this board has almost passed "google" as my favorite search engine!!!

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

The antibiotic at the time was an anti-viral

Clarification-Antibiotics are for bacterial infections and antivirals are against viruses-they are 2 seperate classes of drugs and not interchangeable. I did understand what Lezah meant, just wanted to make sure "trip" stays ahead of google and is accurately informed! .

 

[Jenn Lynn]

I hope your DS feels better soon!

 

[Lezah]

Just an update to our Poxy New Years Eve. We tried to go to bed at around 11:30pm, but DS was very uncomfortable. At around 1am I decided to give him both Tylenol and Benadryl an hour early because he was so sore and itchy. By 2:45pm, he was inconsolable and we were both at our wits end. I had tried everything to settle him down and he was just at the end of his rope. I decided to wake my hubby up and have him drive us to ER to see if there was some kind of pain killer that they could give him to take the edge off and give him a little relief. He described to us as a million bumblebees after they stung him! I felt soooo sorry for him. They of course took him straight into an isolation room because of the contagious nature of the disease. The nurse never even came in to see him first (I think they were all afraid of him! ). When the doc came in and examined him, I explained the immuno suppressed state that he was in because of the 2 courses of steroids that he had already been on in the last 3 months for his asthma and wondered about an anti-viral for him. The doctor didn't feel it was necessary (which I was fine with just wanted a professional opinion about it), but when I showed him some of the pox on his back and side, he agreed with me that they were getting a bit of cellulitis(infection) in them and he put him on a weeks course of an antibiotic (Keflex). He said we were doing all the right things already and I could tell that he wasn't planning on giving him anything further for the pain my DS was in. Then my DS gave him the bumblebee analogy and the doc understood the kind of pain he was suffering from and he gave him a Codeine pill to take the edge off and hopefully get him some sleep. He took the pill and we took our prescription and went back home to bed at 5:45 am. The pill only helped him for about 2 and a bit hours and that is all the sleep we got. We got up had some breakfast and dosed him with some more meds, watched another movie and then he begged me to lie down with him this afternoon for about an hour and a bit cause we were both exhausted. He was able to sleep and he's looking forward to having a bit of dinner with my folks downstairs (we're finishing the ham right now) and I'm hoping we have a better night tonight, but I'm not holding my breath cause he's still suffering. Sorry to be long, but he asked me to post and let everyone know how he did last night! We had sat last night and read some trip reports and the replys to our post before we went to bed. He loves the DIS too! Thanks again for your good wishes and PD for his recovery! Have a wonderful New Year everyone!

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

You poor things. Do keep an eye on the infectious looking ones and make sure they don't get worse. What a way to start the new year. PD for you all.

 

[Virgo10]

ACK! Chicken Pox. My son got them when he was 6 or so. It was a VERY mild case so several weeks later when my daughter got them, I figured it would be a piece of cake. No way! She not only had the CP but got tonsilitis at the same time. Wow, was she sick.

Guess she took after me. I had them when I was 7 and the doctor said it was the worst case he ever saw. They were so bad on the bottom of my feet, I couldn't walk.

I hope he'll be feeling better soon. It can really be a nightmare!

Roberta

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

I hope your son is feeling better real soon. I also have a DS9. Enjoy all of the cuddling while you can. You know what I mean.

Lori