Clara Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Just a quick post! I've been absent from the forum for a while as the chaos of everyday life on top of performance schedules (my own, not dd's!!) took hold for most of December!Dd has a couple of auditions coming up over the next month and with only a handful of classes after the Christmas break beforehand, her plan had been to keep stretching and dancing around the house over the hols. Unfortunately she broke out in severe chickenpox on New Year's Day! (She's 11) She was only able to go back to school yesterday as the spots were so big and covered her from head to toe and just took forever to scab over! For the first few days she suffered really badly and was knocked out for most of the time feeling really poorly and lethargic. Then she had really painful chickenpox on her feet and could barely walk let alone dance! She had to miss her first dance lesson back this week, but was determined to return today despite looking a bit of a mess with the scabs glaringly apparent through her ballet tights and all over her back, arms and face! Anyway, the point of my ramble is that she has inevitably stiffened up and is worried she won't be at her best for the auditions! Is 3 weeks enough to get back in shape and will the spots fade in time?! My youngest also had it but her spots had pretty much disappeared in half the time. Dd's scabs are still more than obvious! Think I'm just after some reassurance on her behalf! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 I'm no expert but I can say that it can take quite a long time for the Chickenpox marks to fade completely. The spots crust over and then it takes a few days for the scabs to fall off which leaves the marks. I've seen children quite spotty for a few weeks. It sounds as if your older daughter had quite a severe case of Chickenpox. I think that it's rare for the skin to be left scarred, unless the spots became infected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 I think this is a case where it would be worth mentioning her illness at the audition. Or perhaps you could send a short letter beforehand. She shouldn't worry that the scabs might still show, nobody would mind, but if you explain that she has had time off I am sure they will take it into account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Oh your poor DD. I cannot really advise if she will be at her best come audition time but it has been my experience that children bounce back quite quickly at that age. Now that she is feeling better in herself and the 'ill' part is over I imagine it won't take long for her to feel physically fit again. As for the spots, obviously the child is contagious until the spots have all scabbed over. Then I think most of the scabs will have dried up and fallen off within the week but the large spots might take up to 2 weeks. So if a few marks still remain I doubt it would be noticeable. My younger DD had shingles as a toddler and her spots were so large and close together the scabs were the size of ten pence pieces but start to finish was still 3-4 weeks. She actually had chickenpox at the same time but those spots were gone within 10 days. Hope she is soon recovered and good luck with those auditions. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clara Posted January 11, 2014 Author Share Posted January 11, 2014 Thank you all! She did get it quite badly bless her; but I guess a few weeks later and it could have been worse! She is much happier in herself now and was raring to get going again today, but it really got her down when she just couldn't get on with doing anything.......especially dance! Maybe I'll wait to see how she's looking in a couple more weeks and then if I think there will still be any evidence of the pox visible on audition day I'll just send a quick email beforehand. She's quite resilient really, I thought she might be a bit conscious in her leotard today but she just got on with it! Fingers crossed she'll build her strength back up in the next few weeks! Sounds like your dd had a rough time with it when she was little 2dancersmum! Has she been left with any scars? Dd's have been pretty large and close together too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 I think assessing a few days beforehand and emailing if you feel you should at that point is a good idea. Re scarring - yes the really large spots sometimes do scar but be reassured that the scar from individual spots is tiny - pinpoint. DD had a large deep chickenpox spot on her cheek and it left a scar but I don't think friends and family even realise. My DD is now a teenager and even she doesn't notice it and has to search her face to find it. DD has been left with a few inches of scarring from the shingles though, luckily at the base of the armpit so not really noticeable. The spots for shingles tend to be all very close together as all the spots go in a band or stripe. For DD this was about 2" wide and it went 3/4 way round her body and the scarring occurred because the scabs joined together in places and were rubbed off as she slept simply by contact with the sheets. None of her chickenpox spots scarred this way, even the large ones so don't worry for your DD. I'm glad today went well for her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clara Posted January 11, 2014 Author Share Posted January 11, 2014 Thank you for the info! It's really handy to know. I am very worried that I have somehow presumed chickenpox when it could have been shingles? I assumed she was suffering a lot worse than my youngest just because she's older. She has been very good at not itching because she's at an age were she can appreciate the consequences and wants to avoid scarring where possible. She has a few on the insides of her arm that got caught against something and seem to have left craters but hopefully there won't be too many big scars that are overly noticeable. She did say if she still looked spotty at any of the auditions at least she would stand out and attract their attention! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 with shingles all the spots are within a band following a nerve so although it is the same virus it is very distinctive, whether it is on the torso or elsewhere on the body so believe me you were correct to presume chickenpox not shingles. I saw the doctor at the start when this dense band appeared and again 10 days later when she started getting spots elsewhere on her body. That is when we learned that it is possible to have both at the same time - though rare . Bizarrely also children are not ill usually with shingles or that itchy nor are they contagious unless you actually touch the spots or are prone to shingles as an adult. Incidently I wonder if your DD caught it off your youngest. I have heard that when it passes from sibling to sibling, the second one often has it worst. That was certainly the case for my other 2 kids, who had it before youngest was born and for my brother and myself. Could be just an old wive's tale though. Glad your DD is on the road to recovery anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loulabelle Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 True for my two younger ones (eldest had it before they were born). My younger son had it exactly two weeks after DD and had far more larger spots than her. DD had it three weeks before her very first dancing show, luckily she wore a mop cap which hid the very large scab in the middle of her forehead! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 I only had one that scarred and that was on my back luckily but you'd be hard pressed to find it now!! Not sure if you meant Jan or Feb (next month) but if its Feb she should be well over it all by then. If you had an audition say next week then it might be worth mentioning that your DD has just had chicken pox. Is she still having trouble with her feet or are they ok now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BankruptMum Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Perhaps its worth asking for later audition dates under the circumstances if she really feels it would make a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clara Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Hi LinMM, they have thankfully cleared on her feet now and she's back to dancing, but she's still absolutely covered in large scabs! Everyone who sees her can't believe that the spots appeared on the 1st of Jan as they're still so prominent! The smaller ones are starting to fade down, but I am wondering whether she'll be going to auditions still spotty at this rate! One audition is at the beginning of Feb BankruptMum and it's the last one this year for that particular school......Hopefully she'll be slightly less stiff and spotty by then! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 My eldest was the second to get them and she had a nasty case too. The flat red marks under the scabs took weeks and weeks to fade. She was self conscious but nobody actually teased her as they'd had them and it was 'normal' to them. She also had a couple of large pitted scars on her face which were very noticeable and I got myself into a bit of a tizz worrying about but they have become much less noticeable with time. Health wise she went from being really quite poorly and not sleeping to her usual self within a couple of weeks. Best of luck to your daughter x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clara Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 Just a quick up date to day dd STILL has several scabs on her forehead!! We are now on day 23 since the spots first appeared! The rest of her face is relatively clear thankfully, but as you have mentioned Moomin the red marks under the scabs are still quite clearly visible, especially those on her arms and torso! It feels like the longest ever case of chickenpox I've ever come across!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Can you use some sort of concealer so she feels better about herself, or is that not a good idea? I can't remember when her audition is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clara Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 I may do with the ones on her face if the scabs have come off just to tone down the red marks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katymac Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I remember my (very tanned) friend getting CP when we were 16 - I spent a large part of that summer dabbing fake tan onto all her CP marks as they were such a different colour to her I hope she is on top form soon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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