[babynatasha]

Hi all. I was wondering if those of you whose children had chicken pox could give me a little info on a few things:
-What they looked like/how many at early onset?
-How many they had at any given time?
-Did having CP disrupt their overnight sleeping patterns?
-How did they act throughout the day/night for the duration?
-What you found worked best to stop itchiness?
-How old your child was at time they caught it? (I have heard the younger, the less severe the case)
-For those who would feel comfortable sharing them with me, do you have pictures of what they looked like?

It seems there are varying degrees of severity and I would like to know what I am in for best/worse case scenerios

 

[Belle]

I had CP when I was 11. So I can remember it quite clearly. This was in 1987 so way before the vaccine came out. It wasn't that big a deal then. My kids haven't had it yet.

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-What they looked like/how many at early onset?

A couple on my torso and stomach, later spreading everywhere. They looked like pimples.

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-How many they had at any given time?

Several Hundred. I had a pretty good case.

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-Did having CP disrupt their overnight sleeping patterns?

Yes, I didn't sleep well and had a fever the first few days.

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-How did they act throughout the day/night for the duration?

I don't know about this. I guess I was pretty restless. I was missing out on softball.

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-What you found worked best to stop itchiness?

Baking soda baths and calomine lotion.

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-How old your child was at time they caught it? (I have heard the younger, the less severe the case)

I was 11, my 5 year old brother had a worse case than me. I was encouraged to play with all the other kids on the block. One of the neighbor girls was 3 she had a very light case.

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-For those who would feel comfortable sharing them with me, do you have pictures of what they looked like?

Sorry, don't have one.

 

[maxwill129]

-What they looked like/how many at early onset?
Like little pimples and they had maybe 6 when I first noticed them (both my boys). They got more very quickly.

-How many they had at any given time?
My youngest (2 years) had over 100, my oldest (6 years) had mabye 50.

-Did having CP disrupt their overnight sleeping patterns?
Nope. They didn't even scratch them! I bought a ton of stuff in preparation for them to be miserable and they weren't!

-How did they act throughout the day/night for the duration?
A bit whiney because they had stuffy noses, too, but other than that they were fine. They didn't even lay around. They just played as normal.

-What you found worked best to stop itchiness?
Sorry. Can't help you there, but I've heard that oatmeal baths work wonders!

-How old your child was at time they caught it? (I have heard the younger, the less severe the case)
Myoldest who is 6 had a mild case and my 2 year old had a moderate case.

-For those who would feel comfortable sharing them with me, do you have pictures of what they looked like?
Never thought to take any, sorry!

 

[spero]

My oldest had CP when he was 8 months old. The rest of my kids had the

: vaccine. Oldest DD broke out with a few pox after receiving the vax, but not what I would consider a real case.

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-What they looked like/how many at early onset?

DS had a few red spots on his torso and arms, to start with. He'd recently been exposed when his babysitter's 3 kids had CP, and had been running a slight fever prior to the spots - so I knew what it was. I called the ped and described his symptoms; they agreed w/the dx and implored me NOT to bring him in!

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-How many they had at any given time?

DS had a pretty mild case, he had less than 100 spots total - probably closer to 50. Just a couple on his face, most on his torso & back, a few on arms & legs.

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-Did having CP disrupt their overnight sleeping patterns?

Not at all.

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-How did they act throughout the day/night for the duration?

I don't remember him being especially fussy (but it WAS 18 years ago!).

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-What you found worked best to stop itchiness?

I think we used Aveeno lotion w/oatmeal and put oatmeal in DS's bath as well. He wasn't all that bothered, but he did scratch the pox on his face.

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-How old your child was at time they caught it?

8 months

 

[Peony]

http://picasaweb.google.com/PeonyMam...85714148398450
They were just starting to appear in this pic, I never bothered to take other pics so I don't have one of either child when they were covered in pox. DD2 was 18m then, DD1 was 5.

My girls had a few hundred pox each, it really isn't as much as it sound like! DD2 ran around playing the whole time, she was a little cranky and tired but we've had colds that were more miserable then CP. The 5y was much more itchy and grumpy, she really liked taking baths and putting lotion on the pox. Night time was fine, DD2 woke up a bit more to nurse but that was really it.

 

[MissRubyandKen]

I agree they look like pimples. Ds was around 18 months old , dd around 3 1/2 years old. Both had pretty mild cases, maybe 50 spots at the most at a time. I believe ds contracted the case from a recent varicella vaccination (given even though I said no) and dd (not vaccinated for varicella) caught it from him, so if I'm correct I'm not sure how that would have affected the cases vs had they contracted wild varicella virus. Thought I would chime in though because it is probably just as likely a child will contract a vaccine associated case as it would be to contract the wild virus these days. Neither were miserable, they weren't affected by the spots at all. I remember a slight fever, but don't remember it affecting either child's sleep. Dd has a couple of scars on her back, ds has none.

 

[Mosaic]

-What they looked like/how many at early onset?
About half a dozen tiny pimples on the stomach when we first caught it.
-How many they had at any given time?
Oh good gosh, way too many to count. Pretty much her entire body, scalp, etc.
-Did having CP disrupt their overnight sleeping patterns?
Yes, mostly due to itching, but she also never sleeps well when she's ill.
-How did they act throughout the day/night for the duration?
In between miserable and perfectly fine. Engaged in playing she was fine, but she didn't eat much and was pretty uncomfortable and generally cranky. She had pox on her eyelids, in her ears, throat, etc.
-What you found worked best to stop itchiness?
Lots of babying, mostly. Nudity was helpful, too.

-How old your child was at time they caught it? (I have heard the younger, the less severe the case)
She was 2.
-For those who would feel comfortable sharing them with me, do you have pictures of what they looked like?
Nope, sorry, but it was nasty to look at. Almost solid pink from head to toe. That said, I think she only has one scar that's possibly pox-related.

 

[kiwiva]

DD had them a couple weeks ago, she's 2.5

-What they looked like/how many at early onset?
Like little pimples in most areas. Under her diaper they looked more like big blisters from a sunburn. Around her mouth they started out as red spots and I thought she was having an allergic reaction as they took a bit longer to get poxy. They really were all different sizes, some tiny, some larger.

-How many they had at any given time?
She had 100-150, I think. I lost count once I had come to a reasonable number that made it what I thought was a real case.

-Did having CP disrupt their overnight sleeping patterns?
No. The second night she did a lot of tossing and turning for the first 2-3 hours but then she went back to sleep and that was that. She did nurse a few times during the night (which we had recently cut out completely) but went right back to sleep.

-How did they act throughout the day/night for the duration?
She was a little cranky and wanted to nurse all the time but that was pretty much it. She had a little fever a couple times, but it didn't last and she didn't seem to notice. We did as normal except for not being around people. The crankiness seems to last longer than anything else.

-What you found worked best to stop itchiness?
She had one oatmeal bath, but mostly that is because I wanted her washed. She really didn't seem bothered by them. She rubbed on and off a few times and I asked her to stop, which made her very angry, but she did stop and that was that. So she really wasn't itchy. I had benadryl and calamine ready but didn't use them.

It really went so blissfully well I couldn't have asked for a better experience. She has a goopy cold now (unrelated) and is much more sick from this. I was taking a lot of immune support and supplements specificially for chicken pox and she was nursing a lot so not sure if that is what made it so easy (I was trying to avoid contracting it from her).

 

[babynatasha]

Thank you for sharing your experiances! I have found that there is lots of info about what the bad cases of chicken pox look like, but not much info on what the mild cases are like, or what the child acts like. I wondered if it would drastically change her sleeping patterns, but it seems that this is not necessarily the case

Any more input would also be greatly appreciated!

 

[k9sarchik]

-Did having CP disrupt their overnight sleeping patterns? YES for 3 nights. Very restless. Homeopathics helped and so did massage. You can't give any kind of aspirin or motrin because it can cause something called Reye's Syndrome. I guess Tylenol is safe with CP, but I never give it.

-How did they act throughout the day/night for the duration?
Cranky. After fever broke back to almost normal. Had a minimal appetite and preferred lots of fruit and some yogurt, veggies and cheese.

-What you found worked best to stop itchiness? DS didn't itch much, but I gave him Cider Vinegar and sea salt baths since he's allergic to oatmeal.
Rubbed him all over with pure 100% vitamin E oil and Thera Neem, (neem and aloe vera gel).

It went very smoothly and I'm glad I got this out of the way now. Although I am learning that everyone needs regular CP exposure throughout their lives to keep Shingles at bay.

Here are some photos.

 

[Turquesa]

My case occurred when I was thirteen, and today I'm, um, older.

So bear with me and my memory.

-What they looked like/how many at early onset?

They looked like not just pimples, but those big, cyst-like pimples that sort of hurt. You know the type that you can never pop? (TMI! TMI!) I had just a smattering on my face in the beginning, and then an explosion of them all over my body.

-How many they had at any given time?

I had more than I could count.

-Did having CP disrupt their overnight sleeping patterns?

Yes, but it wasn't the CP itself. It was the awful fever that came with it.

-How did they act throughout the day/night for the duration?

Misery doesn't begin to describe it. I had them on my insides, too.

-What you found worked best to stop itchiness?

My memory fails me here. The answer could be "nothing," because I still have scars!

-How old your child was at time they caught it? (I have heard the younger, the less severe the case)

Again, I was 13, and my case was severe. It's true, so far as I know, that it's best to get them younger. Infancy may be too young for the CP to have any effect immunity-wise, but I've only "learned" that through hearsay.

-For those who would feel comfortable sharing them with me, do you have pictures of what they looked like?

I don't think any awkward adolescent female would allow such a photo to be taken! My pesky younger brother tried, but I always got the covers over my face in time.

To sum it up, I mostly consider the CP shot, as administered to all children, to be a "quack vax."

I would consider the vax in cases of severe immunocompromise (e.g. certain forms of cancer or HIV/AIDS) or if DD starts getting older and still hasn't had CP. The latter scenario is MUCH more likely, given that it's getting harder to catch CP with the vax in widespread use. Those smart Pharma companies knew what they were doing by creating a need for their product.

:

 

[mandcc96]

Hi Natasha. Victoria is almost over her pox now. She had a mild case, less than 100 spots. Her night sleep was only disturbed on Day 3, which was also her worst day. That day she was very clingy, not really whiny but just tired and wanting to be held. That night she went to bed fine but woke up during the night and climbed into my bed where she tossed all night. I didn't get much sleep but she just seemed a little tired the next day. For the most part her behavior was pretty usual with just some thrown in crankiness. She really just wanted to watch a lot of TV several of the days. The only change she had that was the most noticeable was that several of her spots hurt once they blistered. She didn't have much problem with itching, just the painful blisters. She didn't eat much either (although she only had one in her mouth). She ate a lot of popsicles and other cold things. Most of her blisters have scabbed over with the exception of a few small ones but she's been outside playing all afternoon so she's in pretty good spirits. Best of luck. Lots of oatmeal baths and aveeno anti-itch cream plus a little bacitracin (once they rupture the aveeno burned). Keep me posted. I'll send some pics to your email.

 

[amnesiac]

Since this is about the illness rather than the vaccine I'm moving to H&H.

 

[jessjgh1]

Argh, since the post moved while I had started writing it earlier and stupid me didn't copy paste it just in case, I lost it all....

I don't have much to add that hasn't been said....
DD was very restless the night before she came down with them and for several nights and days. She napped ON me and I could rarely move to get her to a different position.

Since she got the pox 'wild' we were NOT expecting it and didn't really realize. She had a bad diaper 'rash' I thought and had one pimple on her face, which I thought was odd. The next day we realized it was pox. If I hadn't used a differnet wipe-type on her we would have 'gotten' it earlier, but she has sensitive skin and I thought it was that.

I did rhus tox..., sulphur for her, oatmeal baths and some calamine.
For ds I did rhus tox, sulphu, some temp-assure for the fever once (didn't seem to work), did tylenol once, and we did benadryl for 3 nights, 2 days basically. He didn't want the lotions or oatmeal baths. He had a pretty bad case and just wanted to be read too all day long.

What would have been really comforting for ds's more intense case was to know that it really was just going to be 2-3 days that were BAD. In the midst of it, it seemed like it was going to be horrible for a LONG time, but it was intense and then suddenly fine. Phew. And we had a good day and a half+ while things were developing where it was clear it was going to be more intense that Rebeccas.

Josh is older and we could talk more about it, plus he was prepared, since he saw what R had been through. It was a good experience for both of us to 'learn' how we can manage an illness together.. how Josh needs to ask for help, etc. I learned I need to treat him for his emotional needs as much as the physical. He was very grumpy/emotional for the whole week, where R was just clingy. I used a lot of Rescue Remedy on him (and me!).... sometimes I think just the fact that he was given some medicince helped.... pure placebo effect, lol, but I'll take it.

Oh, adding.... we really didn't do anything 'after' the pox. My 2 really didn't scratch them. And considering Josh was COVERED, quite surprising. Sometimes I think the lotions draw attention a bit.

Finally, hey, we made it!
I had written more... oh well.

Jessica

 

[jessjgh1]

So since we kinda started a little 'run' of cp here I had a lot of time where I was reading how other people were doing, etc. And other parents that had dealt with it with their older children also checked in with me, etc.

Other info I came across.....

Sibling exposures intensify.... to the point that it may be helpful to limit contact.

Pox in eyes... something the books I had say to contact a doctor for
THis stuck with me in memory because Josh had a redness I was watching, turns out a long hair was sticking him there-- problem solved by trimming it

Pox in the mouth... parents friends mentioned that their sons got it like that, ouch.
Apparently there is now a mouthwash out now that may help. Didn't need to look into it

There are antibiotics out there that you can take w/in a short period after getting the pox. Some parents that are exposing their children and have nto had the pox themselves may want to look at this as an option. Or for those who have siblings and are concerned about extended exposure, etc.

There's another anti-viral you can take, the info is on my other computer. Again, most likely relevant for an adult who hasn't had the pox yet.

I may add more later

Jessica

 

[Caly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by k9sarchik -Did having CP disrupt their overnight sleeping patterns? YES for 3 nights. Very restless. Homeopathics helped and so did massage. You can't give any kind of aspirin or motrin because it can cause something called Reye's Syndrome. I guess Tylenol is safe with CP, but I never give it. -How did they act throughout the day/night for the duration? Cranky. After fever broke back to almost normal. Had a minimal appetite and preferred lots of fruit and some yogurt, veggies and cheese. -What you found worked best to stop itchiness? DS didn't itch much, but I gave him Cider Vinegar and sea salt baths since he's allergic to oatmeal. Rubbed him all over with pure 100% vitamin E oil and Thera Neem, (neem and aloe vera gel). It went very smoothly and I'm glad I got this out of the way now. Although I am learning that everyone needs regular CP exposure throughout their lives to keep Shingles at bay. Here are some photos.

i thought it was ok to use motrin or tylenol. it's only aspirin that can cause Reye's syndrome. Is DR. Sears wrong? In the link below it says Tylenol and Motrin are ok.

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/t083400.asp

TIA!!!!

 

[luvmytwo]

I remember some of when my two had CP. DD was 4 and DS was 2 years 3 months. I was a little concerned about DS catching it; I intentionally exposed them, but DD was going to start school in the fall (they had CP in March) and I knew he would be fine.

1) They both had regular "pox" marks on them. I made sure not to have them pick at them (my 2 yo did really well), and gave them lots of oatmeal baths, put calamine lotion on too.

2)DS and DD were exposed at the same time, but DD came down with the fever first and subsequent pox. I waited for DS to have the fever each day but it never came until DD was a week into the pox and they started to heal up and go away. That is when he came down with it and his was actually much worse. He had WAY more pox than DD. My theory was that he was exposed once (when they both were) and then being around DD during the week she was sick made his worse; or, it could have just been his age. They had what I would call a "normal" amount of pox all over; I didn't count them.

3)It disrupted their sleep only because they itched all over. Especially DS because he was still in diapers and of course, he had more pox than DD.

4)They were normal kids playing, itching, taking baths and watching cartoons

5)Calamine lotion worked the best. Oatmeal baths with chamomile tea helped too.

6)In my case, younger was worse. But it could have been that way because he was constantly around the virus; who he got it from, and his sister.

7)I don't have any pics. I can send online.....it was before we had a digital camera!!! It was back in 2004 though.

Good luck, it was really just a time consuming illness because you are quarantined and have itchy kids. I do have a 3rd child now and I want to expose him sometime in the next year if I can.

 

[Caly]

so how exactly am i to handle the siblings situation? middle child has a bad case of them but is easy to care for. I'm worried about our 5 YO and the 18 month old. what are the chances of they getting it from the middle child? do i make them share drinks? pops?

 

[k9sarchik]

Quote:

i thought it was ok to use motrin or tylenol. it's only aspirin that can cause Reye's syndrome. Is DR. Sears wrong? In the link below it says Tylenol and Motrin are ok.

My DS's FP said Tylenol only.

One of my natural healing books says no Tylenol for Shingles due to making the Shingles worse. So I would also apply that to CP since its the same virus.

CALY~ I would imagine that the kids would naturally catch it from each other since there is such a good chance of daily exposure for multiple days.

 

[veganf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by babynatasha Hi all. I was wondering if those of you whose children had chicken pox could give me a little info on a few things: -What they looked like/how many at early onset? -How many they had at any given time? -Did having CP disrupt their overnight sleeping patterns? -How did they act throughout the day/night for the duration? -What you found worked best to stop itchiness? -How old your child was at time they caught it? (I have heard the younger, the less severe the case) -For those who would feel comfortable sharing them with me, do you have pictures of what they looked like? It seems there are varying degrees of severity and I would like to know what I am in for best/worse case scenerios

First me. I had them at age 15:
- Started as small red spots on my back. Caught them in college during my first term. Out of school for 5 days. Did not disrupt my sleep much. Mild fever, took some Tylenol, scratched a few spots on my stomach during the night without knowing it. I was covered, hundreds & hundreds of spots, but it really wasn't bad.

My 4 kids had them within 3 weeks of each other:
- Oldest was 6 1/2. 16 days from known exposure. Started as small red spots on stomach & back, plus one between his eyes. He had hundreds of spots, bubbly and blistery. Had a few in his mouth too, but he said they didn't bother him. Morning & evening was worst, gave Benadryl & Tylenol. No disruption in sleep, but very itchy as they blistered and scabbed. Started scabbing Day 5-6.

- Baby was next do get it, age 9 months. 16-17 days from known exposure. Started as 2 red spots on face, then the usual progression on torso, etc. Maybe 50-100 spots. One day of mild fever. One evening of minor discomfort, one small dose of Benadryl, otherwise no disruption of sleep or normal behavior.

- 2 1/2 year old was next. 10 days from second known exposure. Started as 2 big blisters, one on his palm near the thumb, other under chin. Then the usual progression. No real fever, but itchy and asked for Benadryl. 100-200 spots. Tossed and turned a bit at night.

- Lastly, 5 year old. Exposs siblings. 14-16 days post exposure I guess. Started on torso, usual progression, except they never got really blistery, just red. Scabbed on day 5-6. No disruption in sleep, no complaints whatsoever. Offered Benadryl and he accepted once, but otherwise was just less energetic. Hundreds of spots.

All in all, no bad experiences.