If your fever goes above 102°F (39°C), if the spots start oozing yellow pus (hello, infection), or if you have trouble breathing, stop reading and call your doctor. Also, if you’re an adult who never had it before, the risk is higher for pneumonia.
For kids, chickenpox is usually a mild nuisance. For adults, it’s like being hit by a truck covered in itchiness. My friend Dave got it at 32 and described it as “a week-long interrogation by a tiny, itchy demon.”
