Chicken pox in an adult?

Question

At the grand old age of 39 I have found out I have chicken pox, nursey at hospital didnt really tell me much, except once the spots have started to show (which is now) wait for up to four days before going back to work. Can anyone tell me anything to help the itches...I am using calomine lotion but is there anything else?

Answer 1

I have had recurrent attacks of chicken pox for over thirty years now - and you are meant to get immune to it !!! the last attack was followed by shingles which I developed on my face. Shingles really wiped me out physically and I would say it took me a good six months to get over it. To ease the itching I dabbed chicken pox with gin - I know that sounds odd but it really works - hope you feel better soon

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I was told today about the children of a family friend who have got chicken pox, but they have been given a new cream and not calomine lotion.

Unfortunately I don't know what it is called and it would mean ringing a couple of people to get the number so I don't fancy doing that. However it is perhaps worth contacting GP again to see if they can advise.

You have my sympathy!

Answer 4

I had them at 12, so I was definitely old enough to remember how miserable it was. I remember oatmeal baths, but I thought that was just as bad or worse than the itching. Maybe ask the Dr. for Caladryl instead of Calomine. It has Benadryl in it. He might also be aware of something with a numbing agent in the lotion. That's lousy news. Be sure to keep your fingers out of your mouth and off your food so it doesn't spread into your mouth and esophogas. Mine did. It can be dangerous if that happens.

Answer 5

No there isn't, only calamine lotion you should only go back to work when the last spot has a scab on it,
This is stop other people getting it, Chicken pox can be dangerous for pregnant women, So if you know anyone who is pregnant then stay away from them until they are all dry.
Hope you feel better soon

Answer 6

No i cant give you any advice on the itching but what i can tell you is (which is very interestin) when you get chicken pox as a kid or adult whatever, the virus stays with you in your body for the rest of your life, this is why people can get it a t later stages in their life more than once, the main factor that causes reoccurence is stress. My sister is 20 and shes had it three times and my brother has had it twice.

Answer 7

omg, so sorry for you, like you could manage to concentrate on work right now, plus you are oozing the virus everywhere. Be sure to call and see if your neighbors have any kids they want exposed to it, when my son had them there was an endless stream of kids in our home, lol!
Too late to ask why you didn't have the vaccine... Anyway, aveeno oatmeal bath, coolish water then SLATHER yourself in the anti-itch lotion. Then treat individual spots with an aloe and tea tree oil lotion specifically meant for skin rashes. Another good product is Burt's bee's Res-q ointment to help prevent scaring, and I've heard really good things about the poison ivy soap.
PLEASE call your Dr. if you have a fever over 101F, vomiting, or feeling any symptoms of pneumonia. Chicken pox can be quite serious in adults and you need to monitor your condition carefully.Did you not get any Acyclovir? Might want to ring your dr. about it. Good luck, I wish you wellness soon. Please get vaccinated for anything else you did not have as a child as soon as you can, dd

Answer 8

You poor thing. I had that a 29 years, and I was ill for 5 weeks. I did go through tons of calomine lotion, but when some of the blisters weren't healing, I had sea salt baths, that dried up my sores. It didn't sting, in fact I would dab myself dry and it felt slightly numb. You might feel a lot poorlier than a child would, so take care of yourself. Hope you get over it soon.

Answer 9

Cool oatmeal baths

Did they not give you anything to shorten the life of the chicken pox. I thought there was a way to lessen the severity of it if you get it. There's a medication called acyclovir You should see a doctor immediately because a lot of these medications need to be taken within the first 24 hours of blisters showing up.

Answer 10

Hi--I am about to go through the same experience, and am wondering how it's going for you. It seems the first week is the very worst, it starts to get better after that, but your four days off work scenario is probably wildly optimistic. Is it true? And did you take an anti-viral agent when you first started showing symptoms? Hope you are doing OK. Alex