Chicken pox, or hand, foot & mouth?

[jacina]

Hi all,

My little boy woke this morning with a slight temperature and as the day has progressed i've noticed red spots appearing on the soles of his feet and hands.

I obviously assumed hand, foot & mouth (he has had it once before, but not CP) - but while changing his nappy i've now noticed a somewhat large blister on his bottom - which looks identical to the chicken pox starter blisters my elder child had when she had it years ago.

I know H,F&M can give you 'blisters' in the nappy area, but the one on his bottom is so reminiscent of CP i'm now beginning to question myself.

Has anyone had similar spots with H,F&M?

Thanks!

[candj]

Sorry I don't have experience with HFM, but chicken pox is an all over body infection and in my experience comes on rather quickly looking like red welts then blisters covering the entire body (head to toe). I don't think CP would be limited to just the hands/soles.

Here is a further explanation to tell the difference btwn HFM and CP.

Hope that helps and that your little boy recovers soonest.

[Fuschia]

IME HFM was small red spots, cp was dewdrop spots turning red.. first a handful then within 48 hours, hundreds.. so I guess time will tell?

HFM caused lots of crying/not wanting to eat

CP= itching

[buggie]

Never known chicken pox to appear on soles of hands/feet - def sounds more like HFM - chickenpox normally start on limbs/trunk and start as red spots becoming blisters.

Hope he feels better soon! x

[GinaG3]

I realise this thread is a little old now but..

My daughter who is 18 months old has developed first 2 spots on her inner elbow around 2 days ago and then today I noticed around 8 or so on her legs. They appear to be slightly blistered and yellow in appearance, but red from afar (IYKWIM?). These are very small pimples, like insect bites but a lot smaller. She has no fever, nothing like this. Right as rain just being really grouchy like usual, I understand this could be a CP symptom too?! I've never experienced first hand before, I had it too young, and never remember siblings having it. I thought the rash was more profound. Even I'm itching now. I will take her to the doctors if she gets feverish and poorly of course, but in the meantime..

Someone help me?! Is it chicken pox?

[nunheadmum]

From what I remember of HF&M, it was more on the hands and feet and - in our cases - the mouth, so affected eating. I don't remember it affecting other parts of the body.

Could the spots you mention be some kind of excema? My youngest is always getting little rash-type outbreaks in different places, particularly bits that tend to get hot.

If you've any concerns though, I'd recommend getting your GP to check it out - it's worth knowing if something is up, just for peace of mind (and knowing how much leeway to give that grumpiness!!).

[Belle]

my son has just had HF&M and he got it everywhere - legs, arms, bum, torso. It blistered and looked whitish on soles of feet and hands but not elsewhere. I think always worth checking with the GP though.

[buggie]

With chickenpox when they have to yellowish appearance they look blisterish rather than spot like - they then pop and dry out to be scabs - from what you've described time wise Gina, I'd expect a few to have dried out by now... can sometimes have chickenpox without many pox.

Def not HFM with appearance on elbow, and the yellowish-ness you talk of def sounds more CP to me.

Hope she's better soon x

[GinaG3]

These are still the same, haven't changed overnight or anything. Smothered in sudocrem last night. None have dried out and the a few have been there 3-4 days now. I'm unsure, I suppose I will just see how it goes. I'm still breastfeeding so I hope that will make it a bit easier if she gets in a state etc. I've also heard breastmilk straight onto CP spots can work better than calamine lotion?! I will test this theory.

Thank you buggie and I hope she is better soon too. :(