Chickenpox | Our experience with the virus

Picture the scene:

01 September 2017 | Friday morning | 06:35am
I am woken with these dreaded words:
“Mom, look at all these spots on me!”

There could not have been a worse time for my Jackson to get Chickenpox. The morning before his (and his brother’s joint) much anticipated soccer party -which had been a countdown in our house for what felt like the last 364 days 😜

I couldn’t switch the light on fast enough, and no matter how much I rubbed my sleepy eyes, I couldnt clear the spots away. Chickenpox 😭

Isn’t it amazing how life happens while you are making other plans 🤗

That’s it – the party was cancelled – he cried, I cried. We wept together.

A little while later I  spoke to his teacher who said someone from the school had said we should still have the party…! That most of the kids would have already been subjected to the virus as they are contagious a few leading up to the rash forming, and that it was going around the school anyway.
Without getting Jackson’s hopes up I sent a msg out to the mums and to my surprise majority replied saying they would still like to come…! We couldn’t believe it, but my heart was bursting with joy for my boys! Jackson agreed he would sit on the sidelines with me and not play footy with his friends (insert heart breaking emoji). You can imagine how hard this would be for a 5 year old, but he assured us he wanted this rather than to postpone or cancel his party.

I will post more on the boys party at a later date, but for now, here is a brief overview of Chicken Pox and what to expect, derived from our experience alone.

As soon as those pesky spots were confirmed to be the Chickenpox virus by my best friend of 18 years who is a (phenomenal) GP, we headed to Dischem to get the following  Must-Haves:

1. Calpol – for the discomfort
2. Pox Clin – this is the absolute BOMB! I wish we had this when I was a kid! This pump-action mousse/foam really helps diminish the itch of the pox.
3. Calamine Lotion & cotton balls – it was nice to have but only for those really pesky blisters that needed something a little extra to stop the annoying itch. In most instances the Pox Clin was enough.
4. Bokomo Oats and stockings – not pictured above

We applied the Pox Clin foam every 3 hours and it honestly was amazing stuff.  I remember being so irritated and annoyed, and itchy ALL OVER when I had Chickenpox as a kid. But Jackson was actually okay, if it weren’t for the visible spots you would not have known he was sick. Having said this though, I do think he had a very mild case of the Pox. Apparently it can be accompanied by fatigue, fever, headache and generally feeling unwell. The most (apart from the obvious blisters) that Jackson showed was slight loss of appetite. Otherwise he was happy enough.

The Chickenpox virus is normally preceded by flu-like symptoms, and almost always a fever. Jackson didn’t show these symptoms at all, so when he came through that morning with the rash I was taken by complete surprise. CP had been doing the rounds at the boys’ school, but it was present in Jordy’s class, not Jacksons yet. I think it is possible that Jordy carried it home but did not show any symptoms. To date Jordy has not shown any CP symptoms (touch wood!).
Interestingly enough, Jordy was immunized against CP but Jackson never was. The reason being that they were out of stock of the CP shot for such a long time, and eventually it almost seemed too late and too be completely honest this silly mama forgot! I do highly recommend immunizations! 

All in all, Jackson coped like an absolute star with both the Chickenpox, and the fact that he couldn’t enjoy the party the way we all would have loved him to. I am so very proud of him.
As a whole it was very manageable:

Day 1 – Rash which started on his front & back torso
We immediately treated with Pox Clin and Calpol
We also bathed Jackson in an Oat bath. (Bokomo oats in a stocking)* see reason at end of post
This was the worst night we experienced. Jackson had a couple pox spots right in his bum which were difficult to get to. He really battled to settle that night and was crying quite a bit from discomfort. He eventually fell asleep in our bed (his first time sleeping in our bed in 4 years, and prior to that he only slept once before when he was sick at 9mo! We don’t do kids in the bed! 😉 He woke up at 2am and went to his own bed – he is so not a Physical touch kid !! Loves his own space!!)

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Day 2 – Blisters increased rapidly overnight and continued to develop throughout day 2 (party day)!!

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Day 3 – No new blisters. Blisters started popping/drying

Day 4 – Jackson’s actual birthday:all blisters completely scabbed over

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Oatmeal bath:

So, apart from the Pox arriving the day before the boys’ party, we were VERY lucky as Jackson definitely seemed to cope well, and we were prepared for much worse !

If you suspect your little one to have pox or any skin spots/rash appear, I highly recommend that you get straight to a Paed or GP. Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease and can be very serious if it goes to the eyes or lungs.
However, my hope is that this post helps ease your stress should you be faced with the dreaded Chickenpox virus in your home. It’s not all that bad 🙂 and at least now it has come and gone, and will only help build Jackson’s immunity.

*Oatbath benefits: Sprinkling finely ground into into a tub of warm, running water soothes itchy chickenpox skin. Oatmeal makes the bathslippery, so help your child in and out. Allow them to soak for 15 to 20 minutes and pat sore skin dry with a clean towel. Cool sponging may help to cool children down. Source: How to manage your child’s chickenpox or measles – NetDoctor

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