My son, age 11, has the chicken pox and right now he's driving me nuts.

[acmavm]

First, because it's Halloween. And for that, I'm having to buy him a boatload of candy to replace what he can't get trick or treating.

And then of course, this itching thing. We have been going at it all day, since he got up and asked me to look at his back because it really itched. Yikes.

What's a good remedy for itchy chicken pox? The inquiring mind really NEEDS to know.

edit: can't handle three letter words with any skill.

[Dookus]

1. when we had 'em as kids....

my mom used Calamine lotion. Not sure if it helped much.

You might also try benadryl. Also, if you have other kids, may as well expose 'em all now. My mom made sure we ALL got the childhood diseases at the same time. Just easier to manage.

Sorry for your son. It sucks, but it's a lot better for him to get it now than as an adult.

[LittleApple81]

11. My husband made a thin paste with oatmeal and brushed it on

our kids. But, then again, when they had the chicken pox each one of them got a maximum of 10 "pox pimples" on the chest (is that what you call them?) and not much itching.

[prolesunited]

2. Aveeno bath

and Calamine lotion. Try to get him distracted with a board game or read him a story or bake some cookies. Hope you both survive.

[Systematic Chaos]

3. Maybe calamine lotion?

At least I think that's how you spell it....

If not that then maybe applying some anti-itch cream with cotton balls?

[Lizz612]

4. Oatmeal bath

Dunno if it actualy stopped the itch, but it kept me distracted!

[patdem]

5. A bath in oat meal is very soothing...DO NOT GIVE HIM ASPERINE!

that can be fatal to him!!! My son and I had a fight over his taking asperine and I told him if he took one I would flush the whole bottle down the toilet...he said it was only if he had the flu...but when I took him to the doctor the doctor said Reyes Syndrom was first discovered with pain relievers given to young men with chicken pox.....

NO ASPERINE PRODUCTS!!!

[Lars39]

6. There's something that you can put in bath water. Aveeno-type stuff.

Name escapes me right now. :shrug: Maybe somebody with a better memory will remember. That's a bad age to get 'em for the itching/scarring/griping results.

[cally]

7. Well, Tylenol helps

reduce the sensation of itchiness. Then you have to give him power over the illness. Go look for medicines to do this. Even if it's baking powder and water or oatmeal and water, make him believe it works and that he can control the itchiness. That will work wonders.

[patdem]

8. Here is a link to Reyes Syndrone....please check it an all out

http://www2.state.id.us/dhw/ddweb/reg2/csb199.htm

[Ilsa]

9. I'm curious, did he have the vaccination?

I've heard there is a pretty high failure rate for that vaccine protecting against chicken pox.

BTW, while the doctors all say, "No, don't intentionally expose your other kids to it!", my microbiology instructor insisted on it when one of his kids was exposed. He sent his other daughter down to the sick household so they could both get it together.

I hope your son doesn't end up having shingles when he's older, and I hope you can make him comfortable.

[acmavm]

10. He had ALL his shots when he was little. The story about putting all

the kids in one room is funny, because that's EXACTLY what my Mom did to us. She wanted it all over at once. You want to talk about a snarly batch of kids. We got on each other's nerves when we were well. Luckily we all made it out alive. But if I recall correctly, there was one point where my brother John and I (the two oldest) were hatching a plot to bump off one of the other's for his constant whining. (But then again, that that was pretty much an everyday affair. Jim used to feel sorry for himself because he was born on Christmas. He only got presents once a year. No matter that at Christmas he got more than we did because it was his birthday, and it usually was the best. But that's Jim.)

Anyway, I'm getting children's Tylenol and cough drops because he's getting a sore throat. I have calamine, but it doesn't seem to work very well. (Remember this from when the girls had chicken pox. It didn't help a bit, or so they claimed.) I just don't want him to scratch and get scars. Or bleed. Or seep all over the place. Maybe I'll try the baking soda thing. A friend said try a milk bath. I have no idea why she thinks milk is supposed to work, and it seems like that would be gross. But I'm about ready for anything.

[seaglass]

15. Aveeno oatmeal baths definitely work, my daughter

took a couple baths a day. My son refused the baths and suffered more.

[wickerwoman]

12. My parents used baking powder baths

and made us keep oven mitts on our hands. :-)

I'd say your best weapon is distraction. Let him rent/watch movies or video games he normally wouldn't be allowed. Try to throw a family Halloween party and tell scary stories, etc.

It's a pain for both of you, but I'd say anything you can do to shift focus away from it will help.

Good luck!

[geniph]

13. Well, I used rum once

but that was with my ex-boyfriend, and he was 23 at the time. I had chickenpox when I was 17 myself, and it was miserable. With my ex-boyfriend, I just drugged him into a stupor with the rum (he wasn't a drinking man).

Calamine lotion - I all but bathed in the damn stuff when I had cp, and I still have scars behind my ears. I got most of my pocks on my face (!) so I looked hydrocephalic. It was just lovely. Chickenpox sucks.

I got shingles earlier this year, too. dontcha just love the herpes viruses? :mad:

[MissMarple]

14. I used Caladryl applied with cotton balls.

I understand it comes in clear now, not peptobismol pink. It really worked. And it is actually recommeded for chicken pox.

Good luck, I'm so sorry!!!

[Scairp]

16. Wow

He made all the way to eleven without getting them? My kids got them when they were very little, around three and seven. My older daughter was very ill, fever, throwing up, the whole bit. It's not fun but the serious itching part doesn't last all that long. All I can think of for it is the usual remedies, oatmeal baths several times a day, caladryl lotion, maybe an anti-histimine. And trying to keep his mind off of it because scratching the pustules will leave a scar. My younger daughter has one on the side of her face from chicken pox. Take heart, it will be over soon, though I'm sure at the moment it doesn't feel that way.