chicken pox

[Tash]

i've never had it before, and now one of the kids in my teaching prac class has it. and i'm currently sick with a cold, cough, iffy tummy and a headache. what are the chances i'm going to wind up with a fever and dots all over my body today or tomorrow?! man i'm sad, if i get it that's the end of my teaching prac:(

[henrah]

How old are you?

Getting chicken pox when your older from not previously having it can be quite bad. I suggest that you talk to your doctor about it, and possibly get the student to cough at you so you get it and can get it over and done with.

I don't know what the doctor would say, but I think it's best to get it and cure it now than later in your life. Though speak to your doctor before doing anything I've said. I don't want to put you in unnecessary danger.
Henrah

[thalbergmad]

If you have not had it before and you are past your teens and have come into contact with someone that has it, I would say the chances are high.

It is very contagious.

I is no expert though.

See the flying doctor.

Thal

[Tash]

i'm 20 haha yeah i was thinking, it'd be ok to get it now purely because i have an ed psych exam on the 26th and am too unenthused to study- perfect excuse!! haha but no i won't wish it upon myself, i don't particularly want to be wearing turtleneck tops for the next 2 months, and i'm about to go on holidays dammit!

so how long do you appear to just have a cough/cold before the rash appears? i've had it since last sunday/monday, with the cough getting worse on wednesday...oh there was a sore throat on saturday...

[quantum]

Look on your tummy or back for what appear to be a random outbreak of pimples.  That is usually a first sign.  When I had it I don't remember having cough/cold type symptoms.

[thalbergmad]

Look on your tummy or back for what appear to be a random outbreak of pimples. 

If she can look at ther back, she probably has a broken neck and not chicken pox.

Hope this helps.

Thalx

[Tash]

i could use a mirror...

when googling symptoms it says you usually get a cough and runny nose and a fever. i seem to still be dot free, my only worry is if it's still hiding inside me then i'll go to school on monday and spread it to my students, and i'm sure their parents would be highly impressed the student teacher coming in and giving their kids chicken pox!

[henrah]

and i'm sure their parents would be highly impressed the student teacher coming in and giving their kids chicken pox!

They would be, and they might even give you chocolates! Sometimes when one kid gets it, the parents invite every other kid at school over for a party so they can all get it. Best to catch it out early on.

[galonia]

From the time of exposure to when the spots appear, it is about two weeks.  Someone with chicken pox is most contagious before the spots appear - once the spots appear, it's basically safe for anyone to be around you.

I never managed to get it during school, even though one year, almost everyone in my grade got it.  Then a couple of years later, I kissed someone who came out with their spots two days later, and I still didn't manage to get it!

When I started teaching, I had a few freakouts - mostly, I'd teach the kids, then two or three days later, the mother would call and say, "I hope you've had the chicken pox before because so-and-so just came out with his spots today"

After a couple of years, I paid for a chicken pox vaccine to avoid all the worrying.  If you don't get it this time, I'd recommend you get the vaccine once you're over your cold.  Your GP will write you a script, and it's not that expensive to get it at the pharmacy.  You only have to pay for the vaccine if your GP bulk bills (since you're a student, you should be able to get a health care card and be bulk billed).

[Tash]

hmmm so i've been prac teaching 2 weeks now, so the spots should possibly come sometime this week, or next week, BOO. haha i'm probably being overly paranoid. if i don't get it yes i am planning on getting vaccinated. should probably go get shots for every other disease as well, since i'm completely unimmune to everything (i've been avoiding shots since i was about 6 can't stand needles). will talk to the chemist tomorrow, go to school and they'll probably tell me to go home again.

[gruffalo]

i have a similar problem. im 18 soon and i still havent had it.

[donjuan]

Getting chicken pox when your older from not previously having it can be quite bad. I suggest that you talk to your doctor about it, and possibly get the student to cough at you so you get it and can get it over and done with.

haha reminds me of that simpsons episode

hey tash, if you get sick during your practicum, wouldnt they give you some kind of grace period or something?

[Tash]

grace period? i took half of thursday and all of friday off last week being sick. another kid in my class has gotten chicken pox, and i was spending quite a bit of time helping her with her work, so if i don't get it it'll be a miricle. i saw a dot on my tummy today and was like OMG i've got chicken pox!! haha i'm way to paranoid. quite frankly, i'm over primary teaching so wouldn't mind if i got the rest of the week off!

[Tash]

ok just wanted to conclude the outcome of this- i have chicken pox! the dots started appearing yesterday and are now appearing all over me except i don't itch...my head, throat and lower back is killing me though, just waiting for the panadeine to kick in...

[pianistimo]

i got them in highschool and it was better probably than getting them at a young age (although now they have a vaccination).  u are less likely to scratch and leave scars.  calamine lotion helps a lot.  take a bath and then put it on every spot.  it helps to dry them up.  oatmeal baths supposedly help, too.  not sure how that works.  fine grain oatmeal in the tub?  anyway - hope u survive this without too much trauma.

[quantum]

i got them in highschool and it was better probably than getting them at a young age (although now they have a vaccination).  u are less likely to scratch and leave scars.  calamine lotion helps a lot.  take a bath and then put it on every spot.  it helps to dry them up.  oatmeal baths supposedly help, too.  not sure how that works.  fine grain oatmeal in the tub?  anyway - hope u survive this without too much trauma.

More about oatmeal in a bath - my doctor suggested this when I chicken pox:
https://www.aveeno.com/detailAction.do?id=3640

Hope you get better soon Tash.

[Tash]

yeah i was wondering what oats had to do with anything, mum put me in an oatmeal bath last night yum yum, except i wasn't itchy...am now getting itchy but it's not that bad- i'm not impressed! i think i have maybe just over 100 dots and still coming!

i agree with pianisimo, i'd rather have them now cos if i was a kid i probably wouldn't shredded my skin up by now (i was a compulsive mossie bite scratcher). i just wanna go out! oh well, getting reaquainted with my piano can only be a good thing!

[pianistimo]

mossie bite scratcher?  that's a new one for me.  did u mean 'aussie'  or can u say 'mossie' for 'aussie?' 

[galonia]

mossie = mosquito

[pianistimo]

ahh.  ok.  i get it.

[gilad]

hey tash, that sucks, sorry to hear you got it, damn chicken pocks. get better soon!

[Tash]

hahaha pianistimo you are the funniest! don't other countries say mossie for mosquito?

i am about to itch my pants off. it's driving me nuts!

[instromp]

hahaha pianistimo you are the funniest! don't other countries say mossie for mosquito?

i am about to itch my pants off. it's driving me nuts!

Sorry to hear that you have the chicken now   . I dont remember mines since i had them when i was a year old. If you scratch too much when they're scabbed up, it can leave makrs on you like forever, i think. I still have marks on my face from them, only three and they are small, but you can only see them if some1 is all up in my face,lol.

[pianistimo]

you shouldn't get them again if you get them bad the first time.  that's the only reassurance that i can give at this point.  sorry u got them - but can u imagine being any older and getting them?  what if u were in ur late 20's or 30's.  u'd be paranoid of ur own children unless vaccinated.  i don't know if there is an adult vaccination - but there is now one for children here.

[Tash]

my mum only got them like 10 years ago- we are about to go to hawaii (it was the middle of summer when she got it, bizarrely), and so me and my sis were sent to our aunt's place for a week and didn't manage to catch it! anyway, it's getting better now- is there some kind of cream that helps the dots heal faster? ewww crusty i hate that word! thankfully i barely have any on my face (only primarily on my forehead but that's ok cos my fringe hides them anyway!) yay to itching tablets i'm going to go sleep soon

[donjuan]

my mum only got them like 10 years ago- we are about to go to hawaii (it was the middle of summer when she got it, bizarrely), and so me and my sis were sent to our aunt's place for a week and didn't manage to catch it! anyway, it's getting better now- is there some kind of cream that helps the dots heal faster? ewww crusty i hate that word! thankfully i barely have any on my face (only primarily on my forehead but that's ok cos my fringe hides them anyway!) yay to itching tablets i'm going to go sleep soon

once they form scabs, you can have the fun of picking them off!

[lagin]

Yeah, but wouldn't that leave scars? 

[Tash]

yeah, the picking the scabs off bit is the part that leaves the scars isn't it, i'll just let them bask in their crustiness for now...