Getting through a Chicken Pox infection - Scott's account of events

Pyper got a couple of spots last weekend and then by Monday they were already fully out and ready for action. She looked terrible but seemed ok, we took her to the doctor and they confirmed yes it was chicken pox – well what do you know!!!

So ... lovely red spots all over your child's body, but what do they mean and why do they come along? Chicken Pox is a highly contagious illness caused by primary infection. It generally begins with a skin rash appearing in two or three waves, mainly on the body and head (rather than the hands or legs). The rash generally becomes itchy quickly with raw pockmarks and small open sores developing which heal mostly without scarring.

We were prescribed the following: Lorapaed as a syrup to help with irritation, Calamine lotion to put on the spots and then Pinetarsol to help with itchiness and to put in the bath.

Well I thought this is going to be easy ... we will follow all the steps as prescribed by the doctor and 7 days later she will be fine. OMG the line from the movie "As good as it gets" comes to mind: "Go sell crazy somewhere else we are all stock up here" seems to be the best description. By Tuesday she got a little worse and we kept her at home to keep an eye on her at all times. That night Renee took her to bed with her and I had to sleep in the other room (because there was no room left in our bed – I never realized how much room on a queen size bed 19 month old little ladies take up?).

Renee woke me up at 12.30am and said can we swap places as Pyper just wasn't sleeping at all. So I went in there ... Pyper saw that it wasn't Renee, went ballistic and we didn't get back to sleep until around 4.30am when we all fell asleep with sheer exhaustion.

Next day she looked as though she had been shot at with a shotgun ... the sores were everywhere all over her body! She was just irritable and would only sleep for 1/2 hour during the day. She didn't want to eat at all and looked very lethargic. We gave her 3 baths with Pinetarsol to help with the skin irritation and it seemed to work (for a little while anyway). Later Wednesday night one of my wife's clients came in who was also some sort of witch doctor/vet/magician and she suggested Phenergan and also Swedish Bitters. Well I thought this is going to be great something I didn't have any idea about for Pyper and some alcohol for me so that I would pass out. Thing was Phenergan helps little ones sleep (along with Chloroform ... or so I have heard) and the Swedish Bitters turned out to be a natural remedy (it's a cream that needed to be applied all over “the pox”). So I gave Pyper the Phenergan around 7pm and she was pretty dozy and was ready to sleep by 7.30pm. She went down like a dream, never even stirred and then got up at 6ish after a good night's sleep. What a relief!

Thursday she was looking as though she got even more sores, just when we thought there was no space for spots left on her body – yep she got some more. Today she seems a bit better though ... I have repeated the baths, Phenergan and Swedish Bitters. Who knows what tomorrow will bring but for the moment our little lady seems to be getting better.

Here's a few things I picked up during my research into Chicken Pox:

1) Remember, the younger they are the better when they contract the Pox. It's mostly about the scarring ... Pyper at this stage isn't scratching her face but I have heard of 2 year olds that did and they are still applying scaring lotion. Helping them to not scratch is very important.

2) If you have problems stopping your child from scratching – let them rub the spots gently with their knuckles. I got Pyper to put cream on her finger and she would apply it onto her spots. So she felt like she didn't need to scratch them.

3) While they are going through the illness there's lots of TLC required. Don't be too worried if they don't eat a lot ... they can get sores in their mouths so eating can be difficult.

Treatment
Children (and anyone in general) with chicken pox should remain at home until they are no longer infectious. Supportive treatment includes:

* Plenty of rest

* Pain relief such as paracetamol to relieve fever. Aspirin should not be given, as this has been associated with Reye’s disease (a rare disorder affecting the liver and brain) in children with chicken pox.

* Itching can be treated with lotions available from a pharmacy.

* Tepid baths with 1/2 cup of sodium bicarbonate or solutions such as Pinetarsol added can also be helpful in relieving itching.

* Because the mouth and throat can be affected, offer soft food and cool drinks. Avoid salty foods and citrus fruits.

* To prevent infection of the sores, trim children's fingernails short and wash hands frequently with antibacterial soap. Discourage scratching as much as possible.

* Dress children in light, loose fitting clothing or pyjamas. Overheating and friction from clothing can worsen itching.

* Antiviral medications such as Zovirax may be prescribed for some.

Other things to remember
Consult a doctor immediately if your child seems very sick, confused or difficult to waken, or if they have trouble walking or have a stiff neck. Also consult a doctor if the blisters become infected or if there are spots in the eyes, ears or mouth.

Chicken pox can cause foetal abnormalities if a non immune woman contracts the disease between the 8th and 20th week of pregnancy. Additionally, there is a risk of serious disease in the newborn baby if the mother contracts chicken pox between the 5th day before delivery and the 2nd day after the baby is born.

Children with chicken pox should therefore be kept away from pregnant women and newborn babies until they are no longer infectious. Pregnant women who have not had chicken pox should see their doctor for control measures if they are exposed to the disease.

Immune-compromised people, e.g. for example those who are HIV positive, organ transplant recipients and children with leukaemia - are also susceptible to serious illness as a result of the chicken pox virus.

-Scott