Chicken pox or hives?!
Question: my 21 month old work up yesterday with 2 insect looking bumps on his legs. after his nap, he had 5 new ones. i took him to the hospital and they stated it was chicken pox. this morning he has more but there are more like a pimple now then blisters. i'm second guessing the hospitals opinion. does anyone have any thoughts. he has a low grade fever but he's been fine activity level.
Answers: my 21 month old work up yesterday with 2 insect looking bumps on his legs. after his nap, he had 5 new ones. i took him to the hospital and they stated it was chicken pox. this morning he has more but there are more like a pimple now then blisters. i'm second guessing the hospitals opinion. does anyone have any thoughts. he has a low grade fever but he's been fine activity level.
Sounds like Chicken Pox to me. The spots come in batches, and then they blister (these can actually hurt locally) and burst and scab over. Once they are all scabbed over he's no longer infectious. Make sure he doesn't scratch them though as they will scar.
He's been infectious for the last 21 days or so already, so let people know he's got the spots, as incubation is another 21 days or longer. Especially let those know who are either pregnant (it can affect an unborn baby), or elderly, or have young children too.
People with low immunities (like the above) are at risk of having shingles, which is the chicken pox virus re-activated.
You'll probably find that he feels quite OK most of the time, but if he's particularly itchy or the spots are sore, dab some antiseptic cream on them (something with a local anaesthetic in) to take his mind off them completely. In my experience calamine lotion does nothing except dry on the skin, its worse than useless as it can make sensitive childrens skin tickle!
If he can't sleep, then a children's antihistamine liquid will help.
Chicken pox! Fever along with the spots. Defiantly Chicken Pox! As long as he has a fever he is contagious.
Give him another day or two. If it's pox, then the pimple look will change to huge fluid filled pox. Do not give ibuprofen, it causes secondary disorders. Do use oatmeal and baking soda in baths to help with itching. Baths will also decrease the temperature, slightly. Temps are good, that's the body fighting the virus. If that's gone, you prolong the disease.
When my kids had the pox, they only had one day or so where they weren't like normal, the rest of the time they wanted to play and just be. One day where they were miserable, and that was the day they started to get better.
sounds like chicken pox....hives are larger raised red areas, not usually individual spots...hives do not form a center like a pimple...usually feel worse right before the pox break out, then just itchy and irritable....