Question for the nurses

[GriffsMommy]

Okay, I mentioned Griffin was sick yesterday. Fever, tired, cranky, stuffy. Well he got up this morning and had maybe half a dozen little red spots on his face. I asked my hubby what he thought, he has three kids from his first marriage. He said it looked like chicken pox to him. At first I thought that he couldn't have chicken pox because he got the vaccine for it.

Then I go to webmd and it says that some people still get it even though they've had the vaccine but usually it's a lighter case. They also said one study showed that if a child got the vaccine before 15 months then their immunity could wear off after a year, he got the vaccine at 12 months.

So my question to the nurses is have you seen this happen? Is it usually a mild case?? Hubby says that he doesn't think that he had it as a child or had such a mild case that he could get it again, so now I might have to worry about him getting it. As of right now they are only on his face, I couldn't find them anywhere else on his body right now but I have hubby on red spot checking duty for the day.
:help:

[leelee88]

Christine,
I am not a nurse but know quiet a bit about kids and diseases. I worked in a daycare for 10 years..Does the bumps look like blisters? Chicken pox are small blisters..If not it could also be fifth disease but if its that then it would be like a rash and can appear on the face and back..And with both they will run fever..

[GriffsMommy]

He's running a fever, or he was last night, it was 99.6 when I took it this morning but it tends to get higher as the day goes on. They honestly almost look like little pimples. They don't look like blisters but I thought that the blisters took some time to form. I thought that the pimple looking rash was what showed up first. I can't imagine how it would be fifth's because I think that only young children get that and he hasn't been around any young chilrden lately just his much older brothers and sister.

[kjd]

Hi there

I have just spoken to my mum as she is a nurse and she said it does sound VERY much like chicken pox and even though he has had the vaccine you can still get it.
Children tend to get milder cases of chicken pox anyway and should only last up to ten days. He will be contagious until the spots dry up and scab over.

Do they look like little blisters? It may also be german measles which is common amongst children but slightly different spots.

good luck

[leelee88]

Christine,
Being that its questionable about what he has.. I would take him to the dr esp if hes runnibg fever, thats a sure sign something is wrong.. Keep my informed please.. I hope he starts feeling better soon...(((((((hugs))))))))) to both of you..

[ICNDonna]

I agree that you need to call your doctor. If he has chicken pox, they can prescribe something so he won't itch with them.

I'm not a nurse --- just a "seasoned" mother & grandmother.

Donna

[jen74]

Hi Christine,
Sorry Griffin is not feeling so well. It does sound like the chicken pox, but I think you should have his doctor see him just to make sure. My son also had the shot when he was little, but I believe he did get a very mild case anyhow. I remember his doctor at the time telling me that the shot will make it less likely for him to get them, but that he could still get them, just a mild case likely. I hope he starts feeling better soon.
Jen

[ICNDonna]

Your post was duplicated so I deleted one; apparently at the same time someone else was deleting the other --- so here is a copy: :bow:

Today, 06:40 AM
mum43
IC Friend




Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: united kingdom
Posts: 107 Ahh Poor baby!!
Bless him he must be so itchy.
Over here in the UK , we use Calamine lotion for the itchy spots.
We use it for Chicken pox, Measle's and burn's etc.
You dab it on with cotton wool balls and leave it to dry.It's pink and dry's white.
It does' help.If he scratche's too much it will leave scar's.
Not sure if you can buy it over in the states, but over here it is very cheap to buy.
You
I hope Griffin is better soon.
Give him a hug for me xxx

[GriffsMommy]

Thanks everybody for the advice and the comfort. Hubby just called and the spots on his face have multipled and they are turning into blisters and he is getting lots of bumps on his chest that aren't red yet but they are everywhere. Seems it is chicken pox. He said he isn't running much of a fever right now and seems okay. I called the dr's office and got him in with the NP at 11:30am. We want to get him in and be seen just to verify that it's chicken pox. I'll be leaving work at 11:00 to have time to get home and grab hubby and Griff and get to the dr's office. I think this may be the longest hour of my life. I know he doesn't feel bad yet but I still want to go home NOW! lol, I'll be sure to post pictures late of my chicken pox covered baby.

[leelee88]

Poor Baby...
I had chicken poxs at the age of 15 the doctor said it was the worse case he had ever seen and he had been a doctor for 20 year.. I was even put in the hospital because I couldnt eat.. They were all in my throat...What the doctor said when your younger you do not get them as bad..So I guess its a good thing in a way that he is getting them now and not later in life. But they still are annoying no matter what age they are.. I do know this Do not give him
aspirin.. Not for sur why but I have always heard not to.. Im sure a nurse on here can tell you why.. But anyways please let us know how hes doing..

Ronda

[mary124]

I hope he doesn't but it sounds like he does! Hope he and Mom gets better!! (hey, Mom worries-we know this from experiences). My eldest had Chicken pox 3 (yes 3 times--the first 2 times were light cases and the 3rd time was a big case); my youngest had it the same time (or about a month before my eldest had it the last time) and Mom who never ever had them got them at age 32!! Believe me, you don't want them as an adult!! I was in bed for 7 days - my poor husband had to take off work and take care of me and watch the kids - make sure they were up and ready for school, etc.) It was what you would call a "family affair".

[Cardholic]

My son got it at 15 months, then my 3 yr old got them 2 weeks later, so almost a month with staying inside YUCK! They didn't have immunizations then, so I wouldn't know about that. I took my son to the Doctor, I didn't even think of chicken pox at 15 months old. I thought it was a fever rash. It started on his stomache, and then spread all over... poor kid. At least they got it over with at young ages. I hope Griffin feels better soon.

[GriffsMommy]

Alright, well I took him to the NP and as usually hubby overstated how bad Griffin was. The red spots on his face are a little bit bigger but on his chest is what the NP called a sandpaper rash. She doesn't think that he has chicken pox just thinks it's a virus but she said to keep an eye on it, it could still be chicken pox, if it is he'll get more and more of the bumps. She said that the red bumps that he has now look more pimple like and chicken pox are more blister like. Guess we'll just watch him and see. I'm sitting home feeling guilty because I really should go back to work but my bladder started bothering me probably from the stress and I feel completely exhausted all of the sudden.

[dancemomof2]

Hugs, glad you found out what it was.

[Berkshire Road]

I think that we moms suffer just as much as our kids do, when they're sick, then we have additional stress because we feel that we should be able to do something to make it better, but we can't do anything. I'm not surprised at all that you're flaring! I hope that Griffin and you both feel better soon.

[GriffsMommy]

Oh thanks Carolyn. I'm just feeling really tired and down at the moment. I barely have any paid time off left for the rest of the year. I really should have gone back to work after his appt. I didn't want to because I just felt wiped out but I should have. Hubby told me to just take it as unpaid time off but my boss has never given that to me as an option before. I think that if you have paid time off to use you have to use it. I guess I can ask tomorrow, ugh! The funny thing is now he thinks he has chicken pox because he heard us talking about it and is now walking around saying that he has chicken pox.

[leelee88]

Well hopefully he will start getting better soon.. And mom to, sorry you are flaring but thats the way I do when dealing with something with my kids it seems to affect me more...Hope you both feel better soon..(((((((hugs))))))))

[GriffsMommy]

Thanks Ronda, he seems to be fine, still snotty, still low grade fever but he's playing like nothing is wrong. He's actually shoving his Mr. Potatoe Head in my face right now to show me what he made.

I'm sure he'll get cranky later since he only took a 15 minute nap in the car all day. :bonk:

I on the other hand am having some burning and pain and I'm cranky already, haha :loco: I guess I just have to come to terms with the fact that this darn IC along with some other illness has caused me to use up ALL of my paid time off less than half way through the year. blah:shake:

[Moonheart]

I he ever does get chicken pox, if you get him in to the doctor in the first 12-24 hours after the bumps appear (the very first ones, don't wait for them to multiply), then they can give him the chicken pox vaccine (can't remember the name) and it will make it a much milder case. My son got them (and so did I) when he was six months old! Yuck! He got the shot and wasn't too bad off at all. Just one or two spots.
I on the other hand, had them covering my scalp and everywhere else! I was ichy and miserable (they couldn't give me the shot, I was on Medicaid) and had pus-filled sores all in my hair. :(
It's definitely worth the shot!

[GriffsMommy]

Actually Griffin had the chicken pox vaccine when he was 12 months old. That's why I was so shocked to see red bumps all over his face. I didn't know that you could still get them after getting the vaccine but apparently it's possible.

The NP at the dr's office said that she didn't think that he has chicken pox. She said that they are usually blisters and his bumps looked more like pimples. WELL this morning he woke up and the # of bumps had multipled by about 4x. They are still all on his face and the underside of his chin but one of them looked like it had scabbed over. When I researched the different chicken pox it said there are a couple of different stages, the red bump, then it blisters, then it pops and scabs over. Well it sure as heck looks like chicken pox to me and the NP did say that if it was chicken pox then he would get more of them. Guess we'll just have to wait and see, he doesn't really have a fever anymore and he's in pretty good spirits.

[GriffsMommy]

Okay, so MIL stayed home today because her car is acting funny. She was afraid she would get caught half way between home and work so she called off.

I call hubby earlier to see how Griffin is doing since his red dots have multipled. He tells me that he is having his mom watch Griffin today but that she said he had some bumps forming in his diaper area, they looked similar to what is on his face already.

Now check this out, the whole reason he is having his mom watch Griffin is because if Griffin has chicken pox he doesn't want to get them. Hubby had a really mild case of it as a kid, only had about 10 pox on his face.

I tried to tell him that if it is chicken pox Griffin was contagious for 2-3 days before any dots started to appear. Which of course means that if Griffin does have chicken pox hubby has already been exposed to them for many days.

He then calls me an a**hole, okay, sorry I'm just trying to be honest with him, if he's going to get it having his mom watch Griffin today isn't going to stop that. What a dork!

[mum43]

[QUOTE=ICNDonna;330472]Your post was duplicated so I deleted one; apparently at the same time someone else was deleting the other --- so here is a copy: :bow:

Today, 06:40 AM
mum43
IC Friend

Hi Donna,
It must have been me who deleted the other msg, I noticed that I had sent it twice and tried to remove one.
Sorry.
Griffsmommy !!! give the little guy a hug from me and I hope he feels better soon.

hugs xxx

[jen74]

Actually, I believe he has been exposed to the virus for at least a week before griffin even came down with the bumps as the virus was already in him.
If he feels better letting his mom watch Griffin, then I would let it be. No sense in arguing with him. Does he plan on having his mom watch Griffin for the next week or so?
I hope Griffin starts to feel better real soon. Sending big Hugs your way.
Jen

[GriffsMommy]

I know Jen, I just dropped it, but it's just too funny. As far as I know of his mom is going back to work tomorrow. I think she has more paid time off left than I do but not much because she calls out all the time, sometimes when she really doesn't need to. I'm guess that she'll be going to work tomorrow even if she has to take the bus.

When I called home earlier Griffin sounded fine, having fun, running around, he just has the bumps. I on the other hand am getting a really really sore throat! I'm about to cry! It feels like if it gets much worse I won't be able to talk. I had some kind of bug last week that the dr gave me antibiotics for and I finished them, then here I go feeling like crap again. I swear, if it's not one thing it's another :bonk:

[jen74]

Oh Christine, I am sorry you are not feeling good again. I know what you mean though, if it's not one thing, it's another. That is how it is over here too:( If my bladder is not in pain, it's my stomach, if it's not my stomach, it's my bladder or some bad days it is both uggggh!!! A couple months ago, I had a nasty cold, awful bladder flare, and my period all at once. It really sucked. I really believe all who have IC should be immune to getting sick with anything else since IC is so awful to deal with, dont you agree :)
Anyhow,I hope you feel better real soon, as they say " this too shall pass" or as I like to say, " this better pass, and quickly!!" :)
Big Hugs.
Jen

[GriffsMommy]

or as I like to say, " this better pass, and quickly!!" :)
Big Hugs.
Jen

That is too funny Jen, I agree with you there. My bladder is getting upset that I'm not feeling well so I took a vicoden as soon as I got home and my throat doesn't hurt as much anymore but I can tell it's from the vicoden and am worried it will be much worse when it comes back.

Thought everybody might like to see my red bump covered baby so I took a couple of pictures after dinner.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s161/froggy2119/th_DSCN0543.jpg (http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s161/froggy2119/DSCN0543.jpg)
http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s161/froggy2119/th_DSCN0541.jpg (http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s161/froggy2119/DSCN0541.jpg)
The second one he has a little bit of pizza sauce on his face as well as all the lovely red bumps