Author:
Randy Alexander
Date Of Creation:
23 April 2021
Update Date:
26 June 2024
Content
Chickenpox is a common but not dangerous infection for healthy adults or children (it becomes less and less common with vaccinations), but it can cause problems for other people or people. weakened immune system. It causes small lesions on the skin, such as blisters and scabs that are itchy and sometimes painful, and also cause fever and headache. Follow these simple steps to treat chickenpox and relieve discomfort.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Care for Children and Adults
Take over-the-counter medications. You or your child will usually have a fever if they have chickenpox. To reduce fever and pain you should take over-the-counter fever medicines such as paracetamol or acetaminophen. Remember to carefully read the information on the package before taking any medications. If you are not sure if the medicine is safe, do not take it or give it to anyone before consulting your doctor.
- Are not take aspirin or aspirin-containing medication to treat fever or other symptoms of chickenpox. Taking aspirin while you have chickenpox can lead to Reye's syndrome, which affects the liver and brain, and has a risk of death.
- Ask your doctor about ibuprofen. The drug has the potential to cause adverse skin reactions and lead to secondary infection, but rarely occurs.
Take an antihistamine. The main symptom of chickenpox is extreme itching at the site of the cold sore, there are times when the itching is unbearable, or it feels very uncomfortable. If this is the case, take an over-the-counter antihistamine to relieve itching, such as Benadryl, Zyrtec, or Claritin. For children you should consult a doctor about the dosage of the drug, and it is especially helpful when taken at night to help your baby sleep better.- If you experience extreme pain or discomfort, see your doctor so your doctor can prescribe a stronger antihistamine that you can only buy by prescription.
Stay hydrated. It is important to stay hydrated when you have chickenpox, as it becomes dehydrated during this time. Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day, while also drinking additional fluids, like sports drinks.- Ice cream is a great way for children to stay hydrated if they don't want to drink a lot.
Eat soft foods. Sores often appear when infected with chickenpox inside the mouth, which are extremely uncomfortable and painful if you eat the wrong foods. Choose soft foods like soups, oats, porridge, or ice cream. If the sores are very painful, avoid foods that are salty, spicy, acidic, or too hot.- You can sometimes suck on cream or lollipop to relieve the pain of the mouth caused by the sore.
Rest at home. When you have chickenpox you should rest at home or let your baby stay home. You yourself should not go to work or school, or take your child out of school if he or she is sick. You probably don't want to spread the virus to others because chickenpox is easily spread through the air, or when it comes into contact with a blister on your skin. In addition, exhausted work will make the illness worse.
- Once the sores have healed and dry, the virus can no longer spread. Healing is usually five to seven days.
Method 2 of 3: Take care of blistering skin
Don't scratch. It is important to remember not to scratch the area where the blister is located, as this will only worsen the condition, worsen the irritation or potentially lead to infection. If you scratch the cold sores too much it can cause scarring after the cold sore goes away.
- It is difficult to resist scratching, but you must try or advise your child not to scratch.
Cut the nail. While you shouldn't scratch the blisters, there are times when you forget it, especially with young children. Because of that possibility of negligence, you must keep your or your child's fingernails short and file flat. Short fingernails help prevent the cold sore from scratching, leading to tearing, prolonging the treatment process, or causing more pain, possibly even infection.
Wear gloves. If your child continues to scratch after cutting their nails, wear gloves or socks on their hands, to prevent further damage to the skin. Then even scratching the skin would not be significantly irritated, because the fingernails were covered.
- Even if you or your child can avoid scratching all day, you should wear gloves at night to prevent scratching during sleep.
Wear suitable clothes. The skin is sweaty and uncomfortable during the chickenpox infection, to avoid skin irritation you should not wear tight clothing. Choose loose cotton clothes to keep the body temperature comfortable, so the clothes can move gently over the skin. This is the best way to reduce discomfort.
- Do not wear jeans and wool garments.
In a cool place. The skin is vulnerable and hot when you have chickenpox, which is caused by fever and herpes sores. You should stay away from areas that are too hot or humid, as these will make your skin hot and itchy even more. This means you should not go outside in hot or humid weather, and keep the indoor air cool.
- You should also avoid activities that increase body temperature and cause a lot of sweating.
Calamine lotion. Calamine lotion is a great treatment for itchy skin and helps the ulcers heal. You can apply as much as you need if the itching or pain makes you too uncomfortable. A soothing oil that calms the skin feels comfortable.
- You can also use cooling gels to aid in the treatment of herpes. Use hydrocortisone cream or ointment on red, itchy bumps for a few days.
- Do not use topical oils that contain the ingredients of Benadryl. Regular application can be toxic because too much of the drug seeps into the bloodstream.
Take a cool bath. To relieve itchy skin, take a cool bath or shower. Do not use soap that will irritate the sores. If you have a high fever, you must make bath water so that it does not cause discomfort, does not shiver from the cold.
- Add raw oatmeal or baking soda to the bath water to soothe the sores and relieve irritation.
- After showering, apply lotion or moisturizer before applying calamine oil.
- Apply cool compresses to areas that are itchy much between baths.
Method 3 of 3: Caring for a High-Risk Person
You should see your doctor if you are past 12 years old or if your baby is younger than 6 months old. Chickenpox usually goes away on its own without medical help if the patient is under 12 years of age. But if you are over 12 years old, you should see a doctor as soon as signs of chickenpox appear. The disease can lead to serious complications.
- Your doctor will prescribe Acyclovir, an antiviral drug that helps shorten the duration of the illness. Try to see your doctor within the first 24 hours after the outbreak of the cold sore, which is when the medicine is most effective. Usually they prescribe Acyclovir 800 mg tablets, four times a day for five consecutive days, but the dose may vary depending on the weight and age of the teenager.
- Antiviral drugs are especially effective for people with asthma or dermatitis, especially children.
See a doctor if symptoms worsen. There are some cases when you need to see a doctor, regardless of your age. See a doctor right away if you experience any of the following: fever lasting more than 4 days, fever above 39 degrees C, severe rash that oozes pus, a rash near or in your eyes, lightheadedness, difficulty walking regaining or waking up, stiff neck, severe cough, persistent vomiting, or difficulty breathing.
- After completing the examination, the doctor will decide the most suitable treatment. These symptoms can stem from a severe chickenpox, a bacterial infection or another virus.
Seek immediate medical attention if you are pregnant. You are at risk for a secondary infection if you get chickenpox during pregnancy, or pass it on to your unborn baby. Your doctor may give you acyclovir or immunoglobulin medicine. Immunoglobulin is an antibody solution taken from healthy people, and administered to patients at risk for severe chickenpox.
- It also helps prevent mother-to-child transmission, otherwise it could have serious effects on the fetus.
Get checked if you have immune problems. There are people who need special medical treatment if they have chickenpox. If you have an immune system disease, are immunocompromised, have HIV or AIDS, are treating cancer, are taking steroids or other immunosuppressive drugs, you should seek medical attention immediately. They usually give you the drug Acyclovir, but a disorder of your immune system makes you resistant to the drug.
- If so, they will prescribe Foscarnet instead, but dosage and duration of treatment depends on each case.
Advice
- Chickenpox can normally be prevented with vaccination. Talk to your doctor if your child or you cannot fully vaccinate. Prevention is always better than cure.
- Contact your doctor if you are not sure if you have chickenpox.
- When you see a doctor, you should let your doctor know if you suspect you have chickenpox. The chickenpox virus is very contagious, so you should not put the virus at risk.
