Chickenpox

[nscrbug]

Yup...I have it...at the age of 44...and may I say that it really sucks! Obviously, I never got it as a child and was never vaccinated. I have no idea how I got infected, but I am convinced that it was from the gym. The fatigue and malaise feel like I had been hit by a freight train. Shuffling from my bed to the bathroom, felt like I had just ran a marathon. I look like a monster. :eek: Thanks for letting me whine a little. :(

Linda

[OakLeaf]

Yikes. Feel better soon!

[Adventure Girl]

Yep! It sucks as an adult! I was "lucky" enough to miss chicken pox as a child. But "unlucky" enough to get it when I was an adult! Horrible -- just horrible!:(

I hope you are feeling better soon. You just have to let it run its course and be miserable for a while!

[GLC1968]

Oh dear! I'm so sorry! Get better soon.

I had it as a child...same time my little brother had it...same time my 38 year old mother had it! The three of us were a sight to see, let me tell you. My mom felt the worst of all of us, by far.

My father was lucky enough to be traveling in the far east at the time, so he missed out on all the fun! :p

[NoNo]

I had them when I was young and wouldn't wish it upon anyone! Oatmeal baths, hallucinating from a 104º fever, and just covered head-to-toe with bumps. I still have scars from a few of them. The funny thing is, I still remember the exact moment I knew I was sick. I was in class and noticed a red bump on my hand. Not that much longer I could swear another one had popped up. I went to the nurse, but being a frequent visitor to her office, she sent me back to class:rolleyes: A little while later, I made a second visit, and again was sent back. Finally I returned a third time, and the policy was that they had to call your parents, so mom came and took me home, and sure enough the next morning I was sick as could be.

Feel better and do your best to resist the urge to scratch!

[Kathi]

Hope you feel better, I had measles as an adult and they are not fun either.

I don't remember having chicken pox as a child but got tested to determine if I did (I'm the Shingles shot age). Apparently I had them somewhere along they way. My Dr. said a mild case was often overlooked when there were other children in the family.

[Trek-chick]

I had them when I was 12.... pretty bad too. I only have one scar, even though I caved and scratched my legs, in a pure blissful moment, because I just couldn't deal with the itchyness anymore. The scar is on my forehead from swishing a lock of hair out of my eyes...go figure. I second the oatmeal baths...Aveeno makes a good product for this.

get well soon:o

[Jolt]

Yuck! Hope you feel better soon. I didn't get the chickenpox until I was 11 (when one of my little sisters brought it home--we all got it) and it was miserable then so I'm sure as an adult it's just that much worse.

[Medianox]

{{hug}}
I had Chickenpox twice, once as a tiny baby and once when I was 26...I understand how bad you feel. :(
Oatmeal baths, calamine lotion and benedryl are your friends....

[Kiwi Stoker]

Yes my deep scars from my adult chickenpox were on my face too. Just rubbed them and now have three deep pits. I was lucky though I had no other symptoms apart from the spots everywhere including my eyelid.

Take care and maybe wear gloves for a few days!

[Bike Chick]

You poor thing!!! Feel better soon.

[maillotpois]

I got it when I was about 23. It was awful!! (The next year I had my tonsils out. :rolleyes: ) Get well soon and try not to scratch!!!

[NbyNW]

Had it back in 5th grade, so NOT fun.

I have a pit just above my right eye. I thought I was wiping away a drop of water after a shower, but instead I burst an emerging boil.

Be gentle with yourself and hope you feel better soon!

[nscrbug]

Thank you all, for the well wishes and encouraging words. I had a really rough night...the worst, so far. I haven't slept in 3 days, because the itching keeps me awake. I have a terrible feeling that I may end up with a lot of scarring because I've rubbed and scratched my face (bad, I know...but I just could NOT help myself). I am so distraught right now. I wish I could just sleep. I'm calling my doctor later this morning, to see if he can give me something (like Ambien or Lunesta) that will knock me out and let me get some sleep. The itching is insanely bad...words cannot even describe. I would actually rather be in PAIN, instead of dealing with this itching. Ice cold towels on my face (I literally soak the towels in a tub of ice water) are about the only thing that brings some temporary relief. My scalp itches so badly, I feel like ripping out my hair. :eek:

[NadiaMac]

hi there-
I had it at age 29 and it sucked. Aside from the misery and itching, it was hands down the sickest I've ever been and I was left very weak and drained for a few months afterwards. I really feel for you. Take good care of yourself!

Something to ask the doctor about if you are inclined: would a course of anti-viral drug be beneficial (I was prescribed acyclovir; even with this, I was still sick with visible poxes for over 20 days). Gamma gobulin (I think) is also prescribed for serious cases, but I think this has to be given very early in the illness.
Wearing gloves helps minimize scratching damage, as suggested above (especially when you are sleeping, if you wake up and find that you've been scratching). I also dosed myself heavily with benedryl (which I ordinarily avoid because I am very sensitive to it), used calamine, and took lukewarm/cool showers to ease the itching. Head's up: the facial poxes seem very prone to scarring, so try to avoid digging into them. I ended up with two very small pits on my face, but no other scars despite abundant scratching at arms/ankles etc.


Good luck!

[makbike]

I came down with the dreaded chickenpoxes the first year I taught (I was 29 years old). Unfortunately, I did not know I was carrying the virus and shared it over Christmas break with my two brothers. Needless to say I was not a popular person for awhile.

The best advise I got when I found out I had them was to put Vaseline on the poxes that had been scratched. I followed this advise prevented major scars. I also went to bed with tube socks taped on my hands to keep myself from digging in my sleep.

You might want to talk to your doctor about a strong antihistamine - this will help with the itching and will help you sleep. Your body needs the rest to recharge.

Take care!

[bmccasland]

:eek:

Get well wishes! Hope you get to feeling much better very soon.

[RolliePollie]

Oh you poor thing! :(:(:(

I had them when I was 22 and it's the sickest I have ever been. I had a 103 fever for I think 4 days and overdosed myself on Benadryl to try and stop the itching. I feel for you. Hang in there...and when you start feeling better, treat yourself to some Ben & Jerry's or something!


p.s. signs of wayyyy too much Benadryl included hallucinations, slurred speech, and one big pupil and one little pupil. It helped with the itching, but if you take it, make sure and follow the dosage on the box!