Fever During Chicken Pox

Updated on December 26, 2011
V.R. asks from Herndon, VA
13 answers

Dear Mamas,

Wish you all a merry Christmas and happy holidays and a happy new year.
My son has been having chicken pox since Friday ( 23rd Dec). He had dry coughs and fever around 101.4F since Tuesday (20th).
He was better yesterday, but has a fever of 102 F again today.
The spots are getting to fade now.
Please can you tell me how long would the spots last.
He is also feeling a lot tired. Is that normal?
Most of the websites I visited have not informed me if the fever is expected during chicken pox ( they mention it as symptom, but I was under the assumption that the fever goes down once the spotting starts).
Is it normal to have fever during chicken pox?
Thanks and regards,
V.
[PS- sorry should have mentioned this earlier. We are in England, and I think vaccine for chicken pox is not a part of the immunisation protocol (need to check this anyway)]

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Featured Answers

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

The fever comes and goes, then eventually goes for good.
It's normal.
Do not use aspirin for it - it can trigger Reyes syndrome in some people.
I think Tylenol is ok to use.
That he's feeling tired means his immune system is working hard fighting the virus and it's normal.
The spots are fading and they'll take a little while but then they'll go quickly.
He'll certainly be fine by New Year's and most likely before that.
I had chicken pox as a child.
It was miserable.
I had blisters in my ears, scalp, inside my mouth, arms, legs, torso - everywhere.
My sister had them same time as me and Mom put us in the bath tub to slather on the calamine lotion, but it didn't help much.
Oatmeal bath should help relieve itching.

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P.K.

answers from New York on

Yes it is normal. Oatmeal bath helps with the itching. From a grandmother
who had children way before chickenpox vaccine. You will have a long
week but it will get better.

2 moms found this helpful

L.M.

answers from Dover on

Fever w/ chicken pox is normal, being tired can be too. Be sure not to give him anything w/ aspirin in it. If he just got the chicken pox, he's been contagious for about a week and will remain contagious until they are completely cleared up...normal at least 10 days. Even with the immunization, he could have still gotten chicken pox because the vax just lessens the severity and possible complications. The less severe the case is, the most apt they are to get them again.

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S.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

Response to chicken pox can vary greatly. Fever is normal, but I would watch the level and talk with your doctor if it goes any higher.

I had chicken pox at 6 weeks old, because my older brothers had it. I had six spots and a mild fever and am apparently immune because I have been exposed since and haven't gotten it. My younger sister got chicken pox at age 18. She missed an entire month of her senior year of high school. She had multiple waves of breakouts of spots, high fever, and was miserable the entire time!

I hope your son recovers soon!

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I think the whole experience is about a week long but the recovery is a bit longer since it is a virus. I would say when school starts back up after new years he will be mostly back to normal.

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K.A.

answers from New York on

Hi there. My 2 yr old son just got over the chicken pox 2 weeks ago. His pox lasted 7 days. On the 7th day they had all crusted over and beginning to fade. It has been 14 days now and you cant even tell he had the chicken pox because they all faded away now. He never had a fever, but I was told by his doctor that a fever can be normal with chicken pox and can last up to 5 days. My son was also tired during this period. Its just his body reacting to the infection. About the itching, Ive had really good luck with Aveeno baby body wash with colloidal oatmeal. It really helped with the itching and the healing of the pox. Good luck

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M.B.

answers from Dayton on

Fever during an infection is normal, but you can give your dr a call and just ask (even though the office is closed, call the on call dr). Since most kids don't get full fledged chicken pox anymore b/c of the vaccine, I bet most mothers aren't going to be able to help - sorry! With little ones a fever of 102 isn't really unheard of even though it makes them miserable. This one though has been going on for while, so I would make sure the dr knows it's been since Tuesday. Hope he's feeling better soon!

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L.A.

answers from Austin on

Yes, he sounds like he has the full blown chicken pox. Yes, it really can give them fever and make them very tired and sore. Remember your sons body is totally having to fight this. That is a lot of energy given to recovering and healing when this has invaded his body.

Let him rest as much as possible. Give him a lot of liquids and give him whatever the doctor suggested to take down his fever. If the fever lasts more than 2 days or spikes over 102, call the doctor to inform them.

A cool bath may also help him have some relief.
Bless his heart. Sick with Chicken pox during the holidays.
Be sure to get photos of him..(I laugh when I see mine when I was a little girl) In the future they are hoping no child will have to go through this.

Hang in there mom..

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M.H.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi V.,

Everything you said is perfectly normal. The fever will come and go and viruses are nasty things. (The fever going down when the spots starts is true of Roseola which is a cousin of Chicken Pox.) The spots will linger a while, sometimes two weeks. After the spots are gone, he'll still be weak and fatigued. Don't worry about the chicken pox vaccine. It's only effective for 10 years and getting it later is always worse.

Hope he's feeling better soon! God bless,
M.

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D.B.

answers from Charlotte on

My son had a fever for a week, and even a lot higher than that. I would count his pox marks to have an idea of how many he has - the reason is that you hope that he has at least 60 so that he will have enough immunity to not get chickenpox again.

My son was not well enough to be around others, and his pox were not done being contagious for a full 2 weeks. It was hard.

Good luck to you both and I hope that you all are enjoying Christmas despite the chicken pox.

Dawn

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J.S.

answers from Hartford on

It's perfectly normal since throughout the entire illness the fever can come and go.

S.L.

answers from Kansas City on

I know you looked online but here is a good site to check with and you do have the fever off and one.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chickenpox/DS00053/DSECT...
One of my kids got a very high fever so be careful to check it if it gets high. I have 8 kids, all grown now, and one got the chicken pox when the 4th child was born and nobody else got them. Then when the second oldest was a senior in high school the other 7 got them a few days at a time. The youngest, 3 yr. old, had the worst fever and really seemed the most sick with it. They had no vaccine here then either.

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