chicken pox

[TCapp]

First noticed it today, my eldest child has the chicken pox. Her younger brothers aren't showing any outbreaks yet, but it is only a matter of time. They are 5 (almost) 2, and 9 months.

How have some of you other parents handle it?

 

[BeanMak]

Benadryl helps- it makes them sleepy and helps keeps the itching under control. Tylenol for temps. Ovena oatmeal baths were helpful too. Get the puzzles, and books ready for some cuddle time. Throw a sheet over the couch and let her camp out there so that she doesn't feel banished to the bedroom.

Your 2 year old might sail through with only a couple of spots, and the baby might not get them at all.

 

[Busybee]

BeanMak has excellent advice. I had to take care of a first cousin when she was a toddler and had it. She refused to let anyone else but me put her medicine on her, so my uncle and his now exwife, brought her EVERY day to me to care for .

Now to be optimistic here, your other kids very well may not get it. My brother and I have been exposed NUMEROUS times to chicken pox and never got it. With my cousin, my mom is the one who even discovered her first blister and we still held her and hoped to get it lol, but nothing.

So I'm assuming we may have an immunity to it, although we've never been vaccinated against it.

 

[LegacyOfLove]

When my oldest son got chicken pox, I made the mistake of touching it (not knowing what it was until it was too late...as I had never gotten them myself!). Needless to say, 2 weeks to the day later, my daughter and myself came down with it too! For my younger two children, neither of them have ever gotten it. I had them vaccinated against it at around age 2. From what I understand (or the doctor told me), the vaccination prevents them from getting the chicken pox virus and it is supposed to give them an immunity against it for 20 years or longer. Can you check with your physician to see about having your other children vaccinated against it?

Also, in the meantime, try to keep the child who has it away from the others (you don't have to totally isolate the one with it, but maintain some space....no touching or sharing toys/books/etc.). The incubation period on it will be 14 days (from when your child first displayed signs of having it).

Calamine lotion works good on soothing it. I would also recommend oatmeal baths (to help neutralize it and cut down on some of the itchiness). Keep those infected areas as dry and covered as possible to cut down on the possibility of spreading it or making the condition any worse.

Sure hope this will help some. God Bless you and your little ones!

 

[selune]

Remember NO aspirin because of Reye's syndrome!!! http://www.thearc.org/faqs/reyes.html

As for dealing with it, haven't had the kids have it, but I remember having it. oatmeal bath and caladryll was good, also, lots of water and good old TLC. You know, pull out the sofa sleeper and watch toons and generally be taken care of.

 

[BeanMak]

ugh, to THIS day, 35 years later, I can't stand the smell of Calamine/Caladryl lotion! I hated having the chicken pox at 14!

 

[TCapp]

The children are recovering. The eldest is the only one that got a lot of spots, and the younger ones got hardly anything, just as BeanMak suggested.

Her owies are crusted over and starting to heal. Unfortunately, she has scratched at the ones one her scalp... but if there are scars, at least they won't be visible under all that hair. The oatmeal baths were helpful, as was the anti-hystamine to keep the itches down.

 

[BeanMak]

I'm glad to hear that everyone is on the mend and you aren't any worse for wear. I'm glad that we could be helpful
God's blessings on your family

 

[Torah]

My wife would draw a regular bathtub of water put about 1cup of baking soda in. This would help dry the sore out and take the itching away. Do this 3 times a day.

 

[TCapp]

Oops, I was wrong. The baby broke out with many spots last night, sadly dozens of them under his diaper... nooks and crannies and whatnot. We'll monitor his temperature and make sure we quash any fevers.

 

[okiemommy26]

Oh no poor baby! I pray that he gets over it as quickly as he can and that he doesn't itch too much also that he doesn't get any fevers.

 

[alaskamolly]

My three oldest had it (we did that on purpose--we ran over and played at a little boy's house who had it, simply because the vaccine is so new, we have no way of knowing how long the resistance will last, and I do NOT want them getting chicken pox as an adult!!!...plus, I'm a bit iffy on vaccines in general)...

It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Plan on a tough week for the worst stage of it, and even there, only 2-3 days is tough.

Lots of soothing oatmeal or bakingsoda baths, plenty of good healthy lotion to help the itching (and calamine lotion, for when it gets really itchy), some immune system supplements (chewable vit c, astragalus, etc...safe stuff for children) to boost the immune system, and some healthy (all fruit) popsickles for the flu stage of it (which hits a day or two or three before the bumps come out).

I missed Thanksgiving that year (I think this was 2 years ago...?) but other than that, it was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be! And my three had some pretty good cases of it--my poor youngest had 80 in his diaper area alone!!!! All in all, I'm glad they got a natural immunity, and I plan on doing that with all the rest of them.


(PS--they make the vaccine seem like it's saving lives, but statistically, more people die per year from Coke machines falling on their heads than die of the chicken pox. The most dangerous thing about chicken pox is getting it as an adult, particularly the older you get. And since this vaccine is so new, and partially formulated from human fetuses [sick, isn't it?], and has no long term track record, we opted out).


My opinionated self is now leaving the building!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mol

 

[TCapp]

Your opinionated self is welcome in my threads. I think we're like-minded for the most part (as far as I can tell), except you have the boldness to actually share your opinions.

Yeah, the baby does have a lot of 'em in that delicate area..... stupid pox, don't they know that's off limits?

 

[TCapp]

He's gotten pretty bad today. At least a hundred have shown up since this morning.

His sister didn't have that many. And his older brother has a few, but hopefully it won't get that bad. I can't show you the worst looking pox.. but that stuff there is pretty bad.

 

[alaskamolly]

Yup, my youngest was the same way. He had the WORST case of all three. But, on the flip side, it seemed like he healed up faster from it. It just surprised me, because usually the younger ones don't get it nearly as bad. Guess you and I have the exception babies!


Well, here's hoping it goes away FAST!!!!!!!!!


Oh--one tip, if you're up for one, you poor mother, you! (Ignore this, if you've already got an answer for keeping infection at bay, btw).



Use lots of natural antibiotic/antiviral/antifungal "something" on his worst-looking skin, as long as it doesn't bother him, of course.

I used a good lotion and dumped a lot of tea tree (melaleuca) oil in it. That kept infection away, and I know if I'd not done that, he would have had one for sure. Tea trea is totally antibacterial/antiviral/antifungal while STILL being totally friendly to the human body. So it will really keep skin infection at bay--I used it every diaper change at first, until the area started looking a bit more mellow.

One caveat: 1% of the population has a skin reaction to tea tree oil, though, so test it on a little spot first (mix with a little olive oil, perhaps, or a good quality lotion). It should just feel cold and soothing--not burning. If he seems fine with that little spot (and you'll know within 1-10 minutes!), then great: start applying it all over the diaper zone and anywhere else that is heavily poxed.


A good quality tea tree oil is great, but there are other options too---anything gentle yet healing. Most essential oils will work as they're all antibacterial/viral/fungal by nature--lavendar is a great one, very gentle and soothing, but powerful--but you have to get the really high quality kinds of essential oils, not the cheapo's (because the cheapo's aren't medicinal due to how they were processed--they are mostly just good for their smell, so you want the really high quality stuff, if you can get it).



Keep your chin up, Mom--this will soon pass!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,
Molly

 

[TCapp]

And where could I get some of this stuff? Perhaps at the natural foods (and other stuff) store?