What does the beginning of chicken pox look like?

Blair11884

My 3.5 yo ds has what I thought were insect bites that started on his tummy and now I see some on his back, legs, face, elbows, etc.  Only one of them inside his below had pus.  We found ants in his room this afternoon but I would think if they bit him all over, he would have felt it.  My mom says it is chicken pox, but I have no idea since there is no fever.  MIL also called me back after I called her and she has the exact same thing as ds with  only one bump with puss.  She also has had ants in her room this week.

 If it is chicken pox, what does the beginning of the rash/bumps look like?

 I hope its not, but from what I hear since he received the cp vaccine, it will be a mild case.

Any insight is appreciated! TIA!

Brideofranken

I *think* that the "bites" pop, then crust over...(  think.)

that is when they're contageous, too I am pretty sure-good luck!

hmckeown

I just went through exactly what you are describing. It turns out it was most likely chigger bites. They were the itchiest things I have ever encountered in my life. It was torture... (and I have had the chicken pox) I went to the Dr. and he thought for sure it was chicken pox.

I ended up seeing the Dr. twice and all I could do was use cortizone cream and Zyrtec.

I saw things outside that looked like red fire ants and now think that they were definetly chiggers.

I will try to attach a link to what they look like.

https://www.medicinenet.com/chiggers_bites/article.htm

https://mdc.mo.gov/nathis/arthopo/chiggers/

https://pediatrics.about.com/od/dermatologytopics/a/06_chiggers.htm

 Good Luck! Heather

AnnapolisLari

If it's a mild case, it probably looks like this:

https://ggibellato.tripod.com/ggibellato/index.blog/1687632/catapora-chicken-pox/129666846_df39d84752.jpg

I am pretty sure that DS had a mild case a few months ago, despite the vaccine. They manifest on the trunk of the body, and then migrate to the limbs. His were just on his shoulders, chest and belly. He didn't have a fever, just the blisters, and he never even slowed down.

If it's just on his legs, I would lean more toward insect bites and give him some Benadryl or something.

hopefulmom

Since both of my older kids got chicken pox (no vaccine then)  I think I remember what they looked like.  At first they look like a regular pimple...then they get a tiny pinprick of puss and then that breaks and there is a scab.  Eventually it falls off.

The fever is before they break out.  Like your DC would have had the fever the day before and both of my kids were really sleepy while they had the fever.  Next day the fever was gone and they started with the pox (on the tummy and chest) then eventually EVERYWHERE.  We used just oatmeal baths and calomine lotion but I'm sure they have a lot better things nowadays. 

Hopefully not chicken pox...but the chigger bites don't sound like something I would want to have either...especially if they itch like crazy.  Yikes!

Bellisimo

DD has chicken pox currently...she's 3 months old today.  Hers started as "spots" that were darker red and progressed each day.  They became less red, raised and eventually blistered.  I'll try to PIP.