Chicken Pox at 29... what the?!

Well now I'm on day 10 of cp and so I can assure you it gets much better! My rash is fading especially on my face so I'm hopeful that it won't be permanently horrific. I felt exactly the same and whenever I saw my reflection I became a weeping mess (hence avoiding all the mirrors) I wouldn't think air con would make anything worse though? And I recommend filling a pale (clean) sock with porridge oats and securing it with an elastic band and putting it in a lukewarm bath. This actually helps with the irritation of the spots and makes you feel less grotty. Plus I seriously recommend taking Piriten before you go to bed (make sure you get the drowsy kind) as this helps with the itchiness and kinda knocks you out. I also advise changing all your sheets, pillow cases, pjs etc as having clean surroundings totally makes it feel more bearable.

I know you feel like you won't get through this, but you will!

Age 20 on day 3 of the pox! in absolute agony! with muscle pains and headaches etc.

Tuesday i felt extremely fluish. could barely walk or move, massive headache, high temperature.

went home and had a bath thinking it was the flu and ill nip it in the bud before it could get worse.

how wrong i was! lying in bed boiling yet shivering (still thinking its a flu) slept with pjs, house coat, blanket and duvet but could not get warm.

wednesday woke up about 6am due to shivering and dehydration. got out of bed and seen in the mirror i had a few spots on my face and chest. first thing i thought it may be the chemicals i use in my new job or the bath bombs i used the night before. got my water and went back to bed. woke at 10am and oh dear my face and chest had spread with more spots, however they were not itchy so i still thought it was just some sort of reaction. by wednesday night the spots had blistered but it was late so i just went to bed.

thursday woke and looked in the mirror and im cover head to toe in blisters, its so irritating i cant stand it. cant sleep. cant eat. been given calamine lotion for the itch but i think it just adds to it as it hardens on the skin so was given eurax instead and it really helps. also had baths with bicarbonate of soda in it, only about a tablespoonful and it helps relieve the itch for a while too. also paracetamol for the headaches and fever helps. try ice lollies too!

cant wait for this to end, im in severe pain with it, and ive got about 6 spots in my month and a swollen gland! had picked a few in my sleep (didnt think to cover my hands) and its 4 big massive ones on my face.. anything to prevent scarring or at least reduce it!? any information would be really appreciated! feel so miserable

Saw a few spots on Sat and thought nothing of them, and went to high street for shopping. Sunday am few more which increased during the day - nothing to indicate anything other than an insect bite. Doc on Monday said cp but as beyond 24 hours, no medication other than paracetamol and keep drinking water, though I felt very poorly. Spots came in very stronlgy over Sunday/Monday/Tuesday night and day, all over me, including onmy head, not just specific areas. If you're considered infectious until all the spots have gone, how is it possible to check under hair or apply lotion?

Wednesday woke up with strong fever, got emergency appoitment with doc (different to doc on Monday) who said adult cp is very debilitating, but gave a prescription when I said I had spots in my mouth with sore throat. Chemist didn't understand why i'd not been given an antiviral....

Now Thursday, day 6 of spots and more seem to be arriving, and although there's no real itching and being fully covered in calamine, I've got prickling in some areas of spots (like skin feels when a scab is scratched) but no sign of any spots going away.

My work won't want me in the office looking like my face is about to burst! Going back to doc on Monday to hear what they say.

45 just reached, and cp caught from pregnant lady in office whose son had infection about 3 weeks ago.

Now to just worry when the shingles will turn up and REALLY cause problems

These accounts of adult chickenpox are really helpful so you don't feel so alone in this. I'm a 30 YO female and here's my story.

FRIDAY. I went about my business as usual. I noticed two small zits, one on my jaw and one on my foot, the one in the jaw kept getting bigger but I had acne there before so I put it down to a big pimple. I also developed a bit of a sore back at night, but I put it down to sitting in an uncomfortable position.

SATURDAY. Went to work from 9 to 5 pm. Zit on jaw was quite big so I covered it with make up. My face looked clear enough in the morning but by lunch I had another spot on the tip on my nose that I could feel was getting bigger. Felt a bit rough and bothered but managed to complete my shift and go to the chemist to ask about infected mosquito bites (as the thing on my jaw kept getting bigger) I also had a few bumps on my scalp and the pharmacist said there's nothing I could do with mosquito bites in the face, she said if it kept getting worse, I should see a GP. Went home and had flu like aches all over.

SUNDAY. Couldn't sleep so rose at 6AM and convinced I had an infected mosquito bite because of the flu like symptoms I went to the walk in centre first thing. I was told it was the f---------g pox, but wasn't asked if I was pregnant, or if I had HIV or wasn't even told not to take aspirin, doctor/nurse whatever she was basically said theres nothing I could do but let it sort out itself. At this point I had a few faint red marks appearing in my forehead and a few bigger blisters on my clavicle.Went back home to do some research and found out about the antivirals the NHS doesn't want to give out because they're too expensive.

MONDAY. Booked an app with local GP feeling like utter crap. By then I had fever, face was slowly getting covered in spots, shivers, weakness, muscle ache, the works. I got him to give me the antivirals although it was probably too late for they to work properly. From here on I just continued to deteriorate.

TUESDAY. Worse day of all, absolute hell. Pain everywhere, spots kept quadruplicating, getting bigger and nastier by the minute. Stiff neck, swollen glands, sore throat, doctor came to check me at home worried about neumonia. I got him to prescribe stronger painkillers (so far I was just taking over the counter paracetamol with 8mg codeine). He prescribed 30mgs codeine with paracetamol plus antibiotics to prevent any infections. Getting up make me very tired and queasy.

WEDNESDAY. Some spots start shrinking while some others are still raw and full of clear fluid. Absolutely VILE. So many are as big and raised as a pencil eraser, I can't bear to touch them or look at my face in the mirror which is absolutely destroyed, It looks and feels like bowl of muesli with extra sultanas OH MY F------ GOD

THURSDAY (Today). I "feel" a lot stronger although my face hurts and still looks like utter s--- more and more blisters are drying into a crust (yummy) but none have fallen off yet. My skin needs tons of exfoliation which I havent been able to do, so basically all the sebum and crap keeps caking on top of itself and the spotless bits on my nose feel like sandpaper because of all the blocked pores and impurities I havent been able to scrub off for days. It's SO REVOLTING. I can't wait until all this s--- drops off so I can have a hot shower and scrub scrub scrub!!!!

All this time I've survived on chicken broth, ice lollies and bottled water. As a tip, DAB calamine cream on the blisters that are real big and full of fluid as it helps dry them up and crust faster. I wouldn't recommend spreading the calamine because it doesn't do anything for the itch and its a total biatch to wash off. To hydrathe and soothe big areas of spots, try Virasoothe instead (clear gel). Ice bags also help cool down and desensitise painful hot areas.

Hope this helps others not feel so alone in this chickenpox utter hell.

By the way, I did a quick count in the mirror and I have about 160 spots JUST on my face and neck, that's withouth counting the ones on my scalp. I'm really worried about how long it will take to clear as my job is customer facing ("facing", haha, ugh)

If you can't bear to touch your own skin either, ask someone to get you a make up brush to spread the Virasoothe with, or you can use cotton wool.

Workwise, I've been given a one week off sick note, and I'm getting another one as the doctor saw how truly ill and miserable about my face I was. Not really sure how it's going to look in two weeks time or if I'll be able to hide it a bit with heavy make up. Happy days

Hey,,im 20 and right now at my 7th day of chicken pox,,,i just also want to share my experience undergoing this illness. All you need is confidence!!!!!!

At my first day ,wednesday..i've noticed a spot on my arm, at first i thought it was just an insect bite..so ignore it.

Friday morning i woke up with runny nose headache...and my head was so heavy i thought it was just a result of my sinus....then go to school,,,and arriving at home notice another spot on my tummy and with a feeling of irritation and itchiness just put on some ointment and rub it..

Ok saturday...many of the spots had shown on my back and the thought that it was a mosquito bite was not enough so consulted my auntie and told me that it was a chicken fox....😱 OMG. NEXT WEEK IS MY FINAL EXAM,,,WORRIED SO MUCH

..with that i consulted my condition with a skin specialist and warned me about the effect of the chicken fox especially if it had oocur with adults ,the spots usually grow on face...she show me some pictures of a cp victims and TERRIBLE.... She recommended a deep cleansing soap,,a muporin ointment,, and another zinc oxide 10%cream ointment for the rushes,,sleeping pills,,vitamins...and most of all ...aciclovir medicine to be taken every 4 hours 5 times a day......

Now on my 7th day the two spots that grew on my face was gone but yes leaving a small scar but not visible when applying powder....and lucky that the rest of the cp had grew at my back ONLY and now totally healed after taking 35 tablets of aciclovir 800mg

And also the itchiness can be cured by natural medicine specially at night by sponging a cotton of half teaspoon of baking soda on a glass of water to the spots

The scars will really heal itself,,just dont be discourage when looking at the mirror....cause as days goes by you will never notice that it was already gone😃

Thank you all for sharing. I am in day 4 of my ordeal and never thought I will be inflicted with this cp as an adult. It is really bad for me. Apart from agreeing with almost everything that has been said above, I just wanted ta say that I am facing constant fever, cough andsore throat and it stops me from having a proper diet. Any suggestions?

Hi Chixpox, sorry you're going through this. For the first few days I survived on soup and ice lollies. Take cough medicine to control the flu like symptoms and fever and lozenges for the throat. Or you can get your GP to prescribe a spray. Soup is a good option because it's easy to swallow and nutritious. You could also try food supplements like Complan and the like, they're just like a milkshake and they're loaded with vitamins and nutrients, again they're easy to prepare and swallow. If you blend it with ice it'll soothe your throat as well. hope you feel better soon I know this is horrible! xxxx

I had the same problem a few weeks ago with my throat when I had CP. The first 5 days were the usual hellish mixture of fever, itching, pain and the severe throat pain starting on day 4. I took 2000mg of Liposomal Vitamin C on the 4th day (I'd ordered some online and it arrived that morning, luckily!), as I'd heard that it had a much better absorption rate than regular vit C, and could be very effective for infections and viruses. The 5th day was much the same - just trying to open my mouth slightly was agony, so I took 5000 mg that day (I spaced out each 1000mg dose 5 times throughout the day). Well, on day 6 I woke up feeling almost normal! There was slight discomfort on the left side of my throat, so took another 1000 mg that morning and by afternoon all throat pain was gone and my temperature was normal all day instead of the usual 38 degrees of the past 5 days! All pain and itching was gone.

I honestly don't know if it was a coincidence or the Liposomal Vitamin C, as it was the first time I had tried this stuff, but I've never had a sore throat go from THAT painful to 'gone the next day', before. So, anyway, that was my experience and I just wanted to document it here in the hope that it might help someone else suffering with this horrible, nasty virus. Good luck x

.

Have caught cp at age of 54 from kids at the nursery where I work am really miserable as it's Christmas can't see anyone or do anything.

Have found this discussion very helpful & realise I'm not on my own - now on day 4 and am hoping this is when I'm going to turn a corner I don't think I've any new spots come up & my throat doesn't seem quite so sore as it was. I didn't realize how painful cp is its hard to find a comfortable place & although using calamine am worried am going to be very scarred once all the blisters go.

Oh well x

I'm 29, I started feeling like I had the flu on Xmas day, woke up on Boxing Day after a terrible sleep with a few spots on my back, face and chest. Iv now got hundreds of them, everywhere! (and I mean everywhere, iv got some on the top of my manhood) I just want it to go away now. Even with cream and lotion they are itching like hell. A couple of the ones on my face have started oozing clear liquid which dries yellow. I rang the out of hours doctor tonight, they told me to come down. I told them I'm still getting new spots so I don't think I should be in a room with other patients but they said no it's ok it's not contagious once the spots are out. Iv read this isn't true on a few sites now so I haven't gone. there would of probably been kids in the waiting room, the last thing I want to do is give it someone else. So I'm gunna try and hold out until Monday and speak to my GP. I'm trying alternative medicine to try and get some sleep tonight (jack daniels) I'm hoping if I drink enough il just fall asleep, I'm exhausted. Thanks to everyone who's posted on this thread, it's nice to know I'm not alone.

Hi there, Lorraine and Rockwell.

Sorry you're having a poxy Christmas!!!

The worst will be over within the first week.

Rockwell, easy on the alcohol, the last thing you want to end up having is chickenpox AND a hangover. The chickenpox is definitely contagious at this stage. You were contagious even before you had spots. Even though most people have had it and therefore are mainly immune, they do recommend you to stay at home. I wouldn't worry too much about children as it's not so severe for them, and they better catch now than as adults!

I was doing so badly I got my GP to do a home visit and he prescribed some industrial strength painkillers (a high dose of codeine) which helped a lot with general discomfort and knocked me out, so at least I got some sleep. That's the best you can do, just pass out until the worst is over TBH.

A WORD OF ADVICE ABOUT SCARRING:

Do not scratch. Do no touch. Sit on your hands! DO NOT FIDDLE WITH THE SCABS!

I was so sick to see my face covered in icky black scabs that I started soaking them in bio Oil thinking I would speed up the healing process, and knocked a few off before they were ready to fall off on their own. HUGE MISTAKE, as I ended up with quite a few craters on my face and now I feel like an idiot, and like a swiss cheese. DO NOT FIDDLE! DO NOT TOUCH! Let them fall off on their own accord even if it takes 3 or 4 weeks. 4 weeks of scabs is nothing compared to a lifetime of holes in your face. I learnt this the hard way.

I am 32 on day 10 of getting chicken pox. The first 5 days were worst. I had high fever and shivering but after that it was ok. The blisters started drying out on day 5 starting with face and today on day 10 ones on my feet also dried out.

The itching is too much on first 5 days. It happens when blisters are getting filled with pus. I couldnt sleep for first 4 days. After the drying out starts, the itching goes down. I hope all of these would clear out in next 5-6 days.

All the best.

I too have developed chicken pox at the ripe old age of 59!

Not much fun, but there is a silver lining - amazingly I have no

spots on my face and this is day 6! I wouldn't wish this on my worst

enemy as not only is it very debilitating but no-one wants to come

anywhere near me (friends and family included!) Poor husband is leaving

food outside the bedroom door for me but refuses to come in as he isn't

sure whether he had it as a child or not.

If you do get adult cp then make sure you get lots of rest, fluids, baths,

nutritious food and as much co-codamol and eurax cream as you can lay your hands on.

I'm 18 years old and suffering from this chickenpox... Been absent for 3 days now and this is real torture... is there anything medicine that can ease the pain the chickenpox brings? Or how to lessen its spreading? I am in terrible health today and my studies are affected... If I'm not gonna heal sooner I might get a failing grade in my classes...

PLEASE HELP ME.... I WANT TO BE BETTER SOON... :'(

MY FUTURE DEPENDS ON MY HEALTH...