OK, i think my son got chickenpox from the vaccine... w/pics

[LadybugSam]

He had been acting cranky like he usually does the first 3-4 days after getting vaccinated. He even got a weird rash on his leg where he got one of the vaccines, but it went away a couple days after. Well when he got that rash i started reading the literature (yes i did this before but i did it again) and it didn't really explain that weird rash (it was raised and red and covered the area aroudn it like a diaper rash looks after its been healing kind of...) well i very sternly told my son to "not have chicken pox" ;) and i've been watching him closely. I noticed some red marks on him yesterday but DH said that sinse he had been at my mom's hosue playing with the dogs that it was probably fleas. well today he was acting like his usual self so i thought i was over the worst of the vaccine reaction but then when DS was in his highchair, DH went to get him out and said that he had something icky on his arm. I thoguht that he meant that he had gotten messy in the chair so i didn't get up to check, but then when DS sat next to me i saw what DH did, Caleb has a blister on his arm. It looks white (like its filled with pus) and its red around it.

I'm worried he might have chickenpox. I've looked online for images to see if thats what it is but everything that comes up is "worse case scenerio" "this child might die" outbreaks. Which while extreemly scary isnt' very helpful. Can one of your LOVELY ladies find some image for me of what the beggining stages of chicken pox looks like?

Also what can i do to help him get through this? I know NOT to give him tylenol or any fever reducer, but what can i do? Is there some kind of homeopathic thing that will help him through it? Is there some kind of lotion to help with the itching?

I'm just so :hissyfit right now. I did my research before vaccinated and i decided to go through with it, and now something like this happens and makes me feel like an awful mommy for donig that to him :bheart I'm just so mad right now

Edited to add that i added photos at the bottom...and to add this "Just because you know the risks doens't mean you're immune to them" :banghead

[JessicaTX]

Well, it usually takes between 1 and 3 weeks I think after you've been exposed to chickenpox to catch it. So perhaps he was exposed before he actually got the vaccine? has he run any fever? I believe it usually goes low grade fever for a day or two, maybe with sniffles and a cough, then red spots start appearing, usually they start on teh trunk and spread outward, the red spots will turn into blisters, and you'll get new batches of blisters after a couple days, then once all the blisters are scabbed over, they aren't contagious anymore. So he could have caught it from someone who had a bit of a runny nose and fever, with no blisters.

Oh yes, are they itchy? That would be another tell-tale sign. You could google chicken pox, and click the images button at the top, you're bound to find a couple blogs of people who's kids had chicken pox =) Not just the medical worse case scenario.

[cobluegirl]

will pm you some info!

[AmyDoll]

(((hugs))) not the end of the world momma.

the vaccine can cause chicken pox. *wild* cases usually start on the trunk, underarms, and groin. he'll probably have a very mild case. i'd definitely call his pediatrician and let them know AND i'd insist that they report it to VAERS (i'm not sure what's involved in that process) - it's not a severe reaction but it should be noted. http://vaers.hhs.gov/pdf/vaers_form.pdf here's the form
The blisters typically look like little pus filled "circles" that *pop* after a couple days.
You can give him aveeno (oatmeal) baths and they have an "aveeno" ointment that my MIL used for her granddaughter.

Hope he's feeling better soon!

[cobluegirl]

Yes I agree...you can get the disease from the vaccine.

Here is a link that has some good info on how to treat..(minus her tylenol info)
http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?lk=P623&Id=239

This is Janet Zand author of Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child

[Teribear]

My daughter got Chicken Pox from the vaccine. That was one of the things that first got me questioning the wisdom of continuing to vaccinate. She had a VERY mild case and I did insist that it be reported.

[cklewis]

Well, I'm about to provide some experience that is well. . . . just WEIRD.

The day we went in for the CP vax the doc said, "He's already got 'em! No need to vax!" :jawdrop Talk about a coinky-dink. That didn't sound right. The nurse looked, too, and agreed. He never got any fever. The rash did itch and intensify but only on his trunk. And it lasted FOREVER!! Weeks and weeks. :think And it seemed to come and go. :huh

I got really suspicious, but the DOCTOR said, RIGHT? I mean, I never got CP. What do *I* know? *THEY* know, right? I don't know what they look like. . . .

After a year, I now know it was DS's body expunging the ickies from his then-newly dairy-free diet. It wasn't CP at all. And it looked an awful lot like CP to "experts." So it may NOT be CP. It *may*, but it may not. . . . Given the time frame, it doesn't seem likely.

C

[PurpleButterfly]

:hugheart You're not an awful mommy. :heart

My nephew got the pox after his 12 month vaccination...he is okay. :hug2

Do you have Stephanie Cave's book? She gives a very helpful checklist of beneficial things you can do/give both before and after a vaccine. I think I posted a lot of it on a personal webpage, let me go check.....

Okay, here (http://groups.msn.com/APhearts/vaccinations.msnw) it is. Some of the suggestions include Vitamin C w/bioflavanoids, which will help strengthen the immune system and is also a mild anti-inflammatory, echinacea (a wonderful immune stimulator), and acidophilus (we use Culturelle - found in drugstores) to help restore healthy flora (a foundation for immunity).

Vitamin A is very healing to skin tissue, and Zinc promotes healing and a healthy immune system. Echinacea is mentioned above, but I would try to find it as a children's echinacea/goldenseal blend - it will help to soothe mucous membranes, clear infection, and overall boost the immune system. Avoid the herb astragalus as it contains salicytes similar to aspirin. Burdock root is recommended in, "Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child", and noted for high levels of valuable trace minerals that help to detoxify the body and heal skin lesions.

You can help relieve itching by giving lukewarm oatmeal baths, or by making an oatmeal sock for the bath/shower. Just fill an old sock with uncooked oatmeal and let the water flow thru til it's nice and milky, then squeeze that liquid out over the skin. Very soothing and healing.
Calendula ointment/cream would also be comforting and healing.

Homeopathic Rhus Tox 30x or 9chelps fight the intense itching, and Sulphur 30x or 9c is helpful for very red and very itchy pox.

Trim his nails nice and short; you want to avoid potential secondary or staph infections of the skin.

Some links to share:

http://www.healthy.net/scr/Article.asp?Id=239

http://www.healthy.net/scr/Article.asp?Id=1288

http://www.healthy.net/scr/Article.asp?Id=1714


http://www.parentingnaturally.net/chickenpox.htm

It's very important to report this to both VAERS (http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaers/faq.htm) and NVIC (https://www.nvic.org/Report/reaction.htm). Please do not rely on your pediatrician to do this, regardless of what they say.

:hug and :pray

[cklewis]

Please do not rely on your pediatrician to do this, regardless of what they say.

In sum, this is what I was trying to say. Very roundabout way. :doh But that's the gist. :O

C

[PurpleButterfly]

Please do not rely on your pediatrician to do this, regardless of what they say.

In sum, this is what I was trying to say. Very roundabout way. :doh But that's the gist. :O

C


:scratch I'm a little confused....I was talking about her reporting an adverse reaction to the vaccination. Your ds didn't get the vax, tho, right? Or are we just two preggo brained mamas who would be better off sharing some chocolates and getting foot massages together? :grin

[cklewis]

Please do not rely on your pediatrician to do this, regardless of what they say.

In sum, this is what I was trying to say. Very roundabout way. :doh But that's the gist. :O

C


:scratch I'm a little confused....I was talking about her reporting an adverse reaction to the vaccination. Your ds didn't get the vax, tho, right? Or are we just two preggo brained mamas who would be better off sharing some chocolates and getting foot massages together? :grin


ALWAYS. :yes :grin To the chocolate part and massages. Aaaaaahhhh. . . .

I think I'm solely creating the confusion here. Let me try harder (as I avoid housework).

Yes, you're right, DS didn't get the vax. :yes Because the doc INCORRECTLY (I believe) thought he had it right then. :doh He didn't. He hadn't been exposed. No one else got it anywhere in his life. He never got a fever. It didn't act like CP at ALL (well, it was a rash on his tummy and back and it did itch). And it lasted a long time. . . . And NOW I know that he gets that reaction when he's had dairy and he's "coming off dairy." I didn't know that then because I had just taken him off of it.

So my conclusion from my experience is this -- doctors are goofy. For the OP, it could be CP, sure. It could also be a CP-vax reaction. :think It could be something else entirely that no one would know *now*. :shrug And asking an "expert" (ie doctor) if it IS CP is not always sure-as-shootin' accurate. That's what my WEIRD experience brings to the picture. Mama, in time, will have it figured out better than the doc. Unfortunately, that time thing is kind frustrating. :hug

Docs are goofy when it comes to diagnosing vax reactions (as you point out) and in diagnosing the disease itself (as I'm awkwardly trying to point out).

Is that clear as mud?

C

ETA to make it a little clearer still. . . . I need to go to BED!

[LadybugSam]

OK lets see if this is working, i took some pictures but my DC is not very good. Like i said he has some small pin prick red marks all over his body but the only really bad one is on the underside of his arm where it bends, there is also a largish red spot at his armpit but that did NOT show up on the camera

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v68/ladybugs984/Caleb/gpox002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v68/ladybugs984/Caleb/gpox001.jpg

he has had a runny nose and has been congested. Maybe he has a slight fever. We actually just got over an awful flu 2 weeks ago, then the holidays came, so its been a while sinse my son has been acting "normal" I think i kind of forgot what normal is, LOL

[raquel]

I never got the CP when I was kid and since I work with children in many different childcare centres my Dr recommended that I get the CP vax and so I did. I personally believe it was a wise choice for me because I got a mild case of CP a week afterwards from the vax and when I told my Dr he said that more than likely I would've gotten a really bad case of CP if I'd caught it from people and not the mild form of it. CP vax is a live vaccine and my Dr told me that it is very common to get one or two random CP spots in reaction to the vax approx 1- 1 1/2 weeks after the vax. Because I had such a mild case and it was over a year ago I can't help as to whether the photo you shared is a CP blister or something else. I hope your DS is back to his normal self very soon. It's tough when your child is sick. :hug2

[Quietspirit]

It does look kind of like chicken pox. But the timing seems "off" for him to have gotten it from the vaccine.

Could he have been exposed to chicken pox allready? And is now coming down with it? Poor little guy :hug

Or it could be a secondary skin infection from the illness he had earlier? I don't know :think

[milkmommy]

where did the "spots" start I've heard the most common for Chicken pox is on the stomache and face. I've also heard some that have gotten bad excema reaction (probably from a vaccine ingredient) with chicken spot looking rashes on arms and legs. However him having a cold does have me :think. Poor baby. The first person I knew who vaccinated there DD for CP when it first came out got full blown chicken pox very soon after. :no2
I got CP naturally when I was 9 months unfortunally I never fully developed an immunity to it :rolleyes SO I get shingles a lot :td.

Deanna

[LadybugSam]

Well he woke up today screaming, having pee through his diaper. I took off his jammies and there are 2 spots on his torso and one under his chin.

His rash started right next to the injectsion but it didn't look lik chicken pox. Then he started getting pin prick red marks on his body and legs, and then all of a sudden there was that big one on his arm. The only other place i could think of him getting it from is the nursery, which would have been either 5 days before the shot, or 2 days after...Would it help if i gave you a timeline?

1 1/2 weeks before christmas we both had the flu, lasted a week

Sunday (christmas), church nursery, big family event.
Thursday: Got shots, excessively sleepy
Friday: Cranky, fever
Saturday, cranky fever
Sunday (new years) cranky no fever, boogery (went to the church nursery :think), snuggly with mom and dad
Monday: Rash on leg near injection (looks weird not like chicken pox, started looking closer noticed pin prick red makrs), boogery, snuggly but normal
Tuesday: Rash went away, acting totally normal, sort of red marks on body, really boogery, snuggly to daddy
Wednesday, still had pin pricks, runny nose, really snuggly w/daddy didn't notice much else
Thursday: Noticed blister on arm, a few pin pricks around his body, runny nose, diarhea
Friday (today): Excessive urination, a bigger red spots on torso and under his chin. Acting sick, tired, and cranky, woke up crying.

[cobluegirl]

I would say that it is definitely a reaction the shot and you should report it to your dr and make sure they report it to VAER'S. poor little guy....

[milkmommy]

I would say that it is definitely a reaction the shot and you should report it to your dr and make sure they report it to VAER'S. poor little guy....

I agree :hug2

Deanna

[Quietspirit]

I agree as well. :hugheart

And I would take him to the doctor to be sure it's not anything like a strep infection.

[cklewis]

Poor thing. . . . :hug :( Poor mama too. . . . :hugheart

C

[2sunshines]

I agree. Chicken pox or not, he is definitely having a reaction to the shot and it needs to be reported to VAERS.

Praying he feels better soon. :pray

[LadybugSam]

We took him into the Dr, and its definantly chickenpox, althought a very small case of it. He's only had 3 bumps so far in the past 3-4 days.

Overall he's been acting like he's not even sick, which is great, even though it meant that i had to work the nursery alone while DH took care of the poor little chicken baby. Oh yeah and last night, we had an hour of projectile vomiting....i have no idea why, it just kind of came out of nowhere...

But we're A-OK today :)

[milkmommy]

:phew well I'm glad you have an answer and its not "too bad' :pray he feels all better soon.

Deanna