How long should chicken pox last?

[SaintRoyal]

I'm a 28 year old male with an underlying condition that means I suffer from immune deficiency. After scratching my head all Saturday and feeling a bit lethargic and bad headache I noticed I had spots on my chest. So a quick dash to the out of hours doctor on Saturday night and he diagnosed me with early stages of chickenpox (I knew I hadn't had it before). So he's give me a high anti-viral treatment to take for a 7 days.

Now both he and a specialist nurse I spoke to on Monday morning suggested it's ilkely to mean the complete week off work to be safe. However they are both baffled by the lack of other symptoms or pain I'm in as they except adults to "get it worse". Though with my condition, their biggest worry is signs of cough/chest pain which could mean development of pnemonia.

My main question really is how long do I stay off work. Theres the instant answer of "when all spots have crusted over". Yet I'm not covered in spots as much as I think most people do get but I think I can see faintly new ones ready to appear (keep expecting a huge crop to appear overnight but not as yet). I'm always a "better to be safe than sorry" person when it comes to sick leave but the whole world to me seems like it takes the oppositie view of "battle on regardless" meaning they go to work ill and pass it around to other people.

I just feel a bit silly as I've got no other symptoms other than itching, no as many spots as perhaps I would expect (from pictures I've seen) and yet I'm off work. People (who claim to be talking from experience with their kids etc) suggest that 4-5 days max from first appearance. If this has any bearing also I work in an acute hospital too so other reason I wanted to be "safe than sorry".

I know it depends on each person but I've seen figures banded about from 2 days up to 2 weeks so its really confusing me.

Any advice?

Thanks

[Sqad]

Pain is NOT a feature of chicken pox.

As you are immunodeficient, the natural process of your infection may be prolonged and hence I find it difficult to answer your question.
However I would suggest, that when the last "scab" has dropped off, then you will be non infectious.....probably around 7 -10days from now.

[bednobs]

they are telling you to stay off, not for your sake but for other people's!

[SaintRoyal]

Thanks for the replies.

sqad, I've being living in fear of getting chickenpox one day as the horror stories people tell about how bad it is for adults ... so not feeling particularly bad now I have it is a relief yet confusing!

bednobs, I do know that is for other people's sake not my own I'm stopping away (hence why I don't want to leave my house sooner than I should) so I suppose I could always ring my workplace (especially as it is a hospital!) and explain what stage my condition looks like and see if they want me back or not.

koode, I had read that page but thanks for the link as I just re-read and spotted this sentence this time: "Chickenpox is most infectious from one to two days before the rash starts until all the blisters have crusted over (which is usually five to six days after the start of the rash)".

Seeing as the rash started Saturday morning I'm probably looking at Thursday/Friday at least as I had a fresh crop on Sunday.

I'm on annual leave next week from work anyway so it was just whether I should see this whole week out as sick leave and then when I return on 21st I should be definitely over it or make an appearance at work later this week.

Really appreciate your replies though :)