Sunday, July 29, 2012

Adult Chicken Pox

All those things they say about adult chicken pox being harder on adults than kids are true. I am 45. I have chicken pox. I guess that means I qualify as an adult with chicken pox. I got it from my daughter who had breakthrough chicken pox. She had it easy. She was given 4 days of time off from school. Add in the weekend and she had 6 days off. After the first 2-3 days of fever and cough, the rest of the days was like a holiday for her. If not for the fact that she had to quarantine herself, she was almost enjoying her time off from school. Breakthrough chicken pox is chicken pox in someone who has had the chicken pox vaccination. She has had one jab and we missed the booster one. What a big mistake that was!

I have it much tougher than her being an adult with chicken pox

  • I had high fever for 4-5 days.
  • My face, neck and upper torso was covered in chicken pox. They looked like harmless mosquito bites at first, and then into the more sinister looking blister like rash and finally turning almost black before crusting over and falling off. 
  • I was extremely tired and lost all my appetite
  • My stomach felt bloated and full even though I had eaten nothing accept medication.
  • I felt nausea like I was having morning sickness
I was given anti-viral Aciclovir (if taken within 24 hours of the first rash would help reduce the severity. It won't kill the virus but it may reduce it from multiplying). I think it was too late for me but I took them all the same. I also took antibiotics for any secondary infection plus cough and fever medication and anti-itch medication. Anti-itch, Anti-biotic, Anti-viral. My stomach was anti-food at the time. The medication made me feel even more sick!

I bathed twice a day, then gently pat the pox dry before applying calamine lotion all over and lay down aahhhhh to rest. 

They say that having chicken pox as an adult is tough. Yes, it is. I felt terribly sick but the worse part was.....

there was no one to look after me! No one to give me my medication, no one to sponge down my fever or give me cooling baths or make cooling drinks for me or warm food. No one to help me apply the calamine lotion in the hard to reach places like my back. Plus, I had to quarantine myself from touching the family which was hard especially with the little boy saying "Just one hug, mummy. Not even one touch?" Then he would run around and try to accidentally touch me. Oh, how I do miss hugging my family!

In addition to having no one to look after me, I still had to look after the house and the family. That was the toughest part about having chicken pox as an adult mum!
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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Breakthrough Chicken Pox

My girl just recovered from Breakthrough Chicken Pox. I had not heard of this term before this. "Breakthrough Chicken Pox" actually means Chicken Pox that occurs in a person who has had the Chicken Pox vaccination. The symptoms of the breakthrough Chicken Pox are very much milder.

My girl only had the pox on her back, a few on her shoulders and a few on her face. I think she only had less than 5 blister like pox. The rest were mostly flat looking ones. It didn't seem to itch as much. She did have a fever and a cough which the doctor said was common. However, her fever, cough and cold was worse than normal  because she may have contacted that from her little brother and me who were both having a cough and cold virus with fevers.

The doctor gave her 4 days off from school to quarantine her. That was from Friday to Wednesday. Actually, I started noticing the spots on Tuesday but it was sparse and not causing her very much discomfort, I thought it was just a normal rash, and we had just been to to the doctor with the boy on Monday which is why I only took her to the doctor on Friday when the spots didn't go away.

Anyway, her symptoms are quite mild and by the time she is back in school on Wednesday, most of the spots are all gone. The doctor says her brother may get it too. He has been vaccinated twice. Once before plus a booster jab. The girl missed the booster jab.

I found this information about Breatkthrough Chicken Pox quite useful. Pin It
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