Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with chickenpox

Tips and tricks for Chicken Pox

B(oYo)BIES — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:24:42 -0800

Chicken Pox, or not? Also, what tricks or tips have you learned in your experiences with Chicken Pox? So far, they are mostly along her right side. There are what look to be a couple on her leg, and a handful on her arm, but most of them seem to be on her right side, from her armpit to her hip.

From checking images on the web, they look similar to Chicken Pox, but I am interested in knowing if it could be a rash, or if anybody has any other insight to what this may be.

Also, please give me any advice, tricks, or tips you may have on Chicken Pox.

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Is adult chicken pox as bad as they say?

tittergrrl — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:53:30 -0800

Adult friend may be contracting chicken pox for the first time. What should be expect, and should he avoid it if he can? My friend is 26 years old, and is in the middle of a divorce where he has joint custody of his kids. The kids have been taken to a chicken pox party by his separated wife, so should all have chicken pox by now. He's supposed to get them for the weekend but there is that worry that he could get infected and go through the adult chicken pox gauntlet. I know as a teenager it was pretty crappy, so it may be worse for him.

Any advice for him? I was reading that there's a drug that adult sufferers should be on and should he contact his doctor prior to being infected?

Thanks guys!

Green polka dot chicken pox cure!

KateHasQuestions — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:20:15 -0800

Help me figure out what was the green stuff, "zelionka," that was used on me as a kid when I had the Chicken Pox in Russia! In Soviet Russia, Chicken Pox has you. Just kidding. OK, now seriously..

Don't know what made me think of this today, but it's really bugging me. In Russia, anyone who got the chicken pox, or any other cut or scrape, would get this bright green liquid put on the wound, it's called "zelyonka" in Russian, which just means "green stuff" more or less. It stung like hell. I'm assuming it's some kind of antiseptic, and it worked really well against chicken pox. Is there any equivalent of it in the US? Does anyone know what the active ingredient was, or what the drug is called, other than "green stuff"?

Yea, imagine all the russian kids running around with green polka dots on their skin (the stuff doesn't wash off right away). Silly. But it worked. So what was it?

Ack! Weird / Fast / Mysterious Rash! Itchy!!!

ZakDaddy — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 19:31:27 -0800

SeeADoctorForThisRashFilter: Which we are going to, first thing in the morning, but I'm trying to put the Missus' mind at ease. My oldest daughter (turns 9 in November) developed a rather startling rash this morning, both in severity and speed of onset. It itches like crazy, apparently. No other symptoms (no fever, cough, nothing) and we're able to take the worst edge off the itch with liberal calamine / Benadryl / oatmeal bath application, but we can't figure out what it is. The nurse at the CVS MinuteClinic said it was very likely chicken pox, but (1) my daughter was vaccinated for that years ago, (2) she has no fever or other symptoms and (3) the rash doesn't look ... quite right for chicken pox. To wit: its distribution is odd, with hundreds of angry itchy red bumps on her trunk and extremities, most heavily where her bathing suit exposes the skin. Her back, in particular, is quite a sight. She has few to none on her face, scalp, genitals, butt, hands and feet. It's been about ... call it 20 hours since onset, and thus far none of the bumps have developed pustules. So, you know, wth? IANAD (obviously) and nothing I can find tells me whether this particular symptom set falls within the range of normal for chicken pox. Other ideas? We thought maybe Swimmer's Itch (we went swimming in her grandfolx neighborhood pool yesterday) but that apparently requires a waterborne pathogen, and presumably a chlorinated pool that's checked weekly would rule that out. Additionally, no one else in the family has any symptoms at all.

Weird, huh? Flagrant speculation and hand-waving is welcome. We'll be calling the doctor's office first thing in the morning, so we can bypass the "see a doctor" that's inevitably going to show up anyway. Thanks in advance. :)

Chickenpox Vaccine: Yea or Nea?

Otis — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 06:47:24 -0800

Chickenpox Vaccine: Yea or Nea? This would be for a 15-month-old child. After a great deal of research on vaccinations, we decided to get all the recommended ones for our son. I'm not sure about the Chickenpox vaccination though. Is it really necessary? Do the potential benefits outweigh the dangers? Extra information: he is not in day care. We also have an 11-year-old in public school who has not had Chickenpox or the vaccine. My wife and I both had Chickenpox as children. (I know vaccines are a contentious topic, so I'd like to try to narrow this discussion to the pros/cons of the Chickenpox vaccine. Thanks.)

It's hot and I've got chicken pox

Katemonkey — Tue, 08 Jun 2004 10:54:51 -0800

I'm 27, it's the hottest day in England so far, and I've just been diagnosed with chicken pox. Help?