Chickenpox!

[Tink]

My grandbaby is 18 months old. For Thanksgiving she got chickenpox! She'd had the vaccine, but is absolutely peppered with itchy spots. Poor kid! She's not terribly sick, but trying to keep one so young from scratching is going to be a challenge!

They're questioning the vaccine that was given int heir area because it seems many of the kids who had it have since gotten the pox. What a bummer!

[Janet]

Poor thing, it must be terribly hard for her not to itch. My son had them, but very lightly and did a good job at not scratching at them. Hope she gets along with them okay...

[Marilyn]

So sorry to hear that your grandbaby is sick, and hope she doesn't scratch them. Don't understand how she would get them if she had the vaccine. Good thing they are asking questions. You think if you have your child vaccinated, they are protected. Both my daughters were vaccinated as soon as a safe chickenpox vaccine was available. I had never had the pox until about two years ago. I got some kind of mild form of what they said was either chickenpox or something closely related. Neither of my daughters ever got them.

Take care, and wishing your sweet granddaughter a very speedy recovery!!

[Marilyn]

P.S. My worry was not so much the chickenpox and the shingles later in life. A man we know has shingles now, and they are in his eye. They say he is miserable.

[Kimberley]

Poor baby! My daughter did not have the vaccine and was COVERED with them (even in her ears and mouth) when she was 11 months old. It was horrible!!!!

My son has had the vaccine and when he got them (Christmas before last), it was centralized to just the inside of his mouth...and it was BAD!!! He couldn't even drink water without screaming out in pain.

We all survived, though.

[DianaB]

Poor little girl. Chickenpox is not fun!!

[Janet]

My mother had the shingles when she was in her later 70's. Not good! She had it mostly in her arms and shoulders and was in soooo much pain. Most pain relievers didn't help that much. I can't remember what the Dr. had her on, but she was still miserable.

[khardy57]

The bad thing about chickenpox is that the virus stays in your body for years and can reoccur as shingles. I had shingles 3 times in one year in '03 and I will NEVER forget it. They are linear and occur along a nerveline. I had them on the right side of my head and face, and behind the right ear. All three times in the same places. I thought I would never get rid of it.

Have you tried putting baking soda in the bath water? It's very soothing and if that doesn't help much try Aveeno bath oil. It helps too.

[Tink]

My daughter, Mama to the little one with chickenpox, is a nurse, so I'm sure she's getting good care. Her poor little feet are so broke out that she cries and walks on her tip toes when she wants to get somewhere.

I wish we lived closer so I could help out with her now. I know it's exhausting taking care of a sick child.
Luckily my Mom lives close to them, so she's been helping out. It's good for the kids to have great-grandma around, and equally good for her to have them!