Friday, November 18, 2011

Chicken Pox


Wednesday Matthew said to me, “Mom, would you look at my back. I’ve got all these itchy pimples.” At the words “itchy pimples,” a muscle in my face twitched. A shudder went down my spine. And a voice in my head said, “Oh, no.”

I said, “Let me see, Matt.” So he lifted up his shirt. And my suspicions were confirmed. “Matt, sweetie, those aren’t itchy pimples. Those are chicken pox.” My fifteen year old son, who has had the chicken pox vaccine AND who had chicken pox twelve years ago, has CP again! This is NOT supposed to happen.

Luke, Ariel, and Jacob all expressed their disapprobation in varying ways as they contemplated the possibility of getting chicken pox before/during finals. To keep the peace, every surface of the house has been sanitized and Matt has been banished to our bedroom though everyone realizes that they’ve already been exposed.

Matt, who now has pox everywhere, is getting by on Benadryl, oatmeal baths, hydrocortisone, books and movies. His plan is to watch the entire extended version of the Lord of the Rings. In the meantime, we’re all scrutinizing every red dot/spot that shows up on our skin.

Incubation is 10 to 21 days. So if we don’t get the pox by December 8, the last day of finals, we should be good to go for the rest of the holidays. If I don’t comment on a lot of your blogs in the next month or so, you’ll know why—we’ll be having a Jolly Spotted Christmas.

(Note: If you’ve been waiting to buy Screwing Up Time, now’s the time. I’ve put it on sale for 99 cents for the holidays.)

And here’s something fun. "Christmas Can-Can." Give it a moment--it starts kind of slow.





13 comments:

  1. Oh no! Here's hoping for a pox-free holiday season (and finals) for your family.

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  2. My sister, a physician, had chicken pox 3 times. The second and third times were after she moved from our home state, VA to WA state; the last time was while she was pregnant with her third child. She attributed it to a different strain on the West coast. Both my daughters had significant cases of chicken pox in January after being vaccinated during the prior summer. Doctors do not control all, He does.

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  3. Eck, that really sucks! I hope he gets better soon and that none of the rest of you get it! Good luck!

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  4. Wow, that's bizarre. I've had shingles several times, but the orignial chicken pox only once. I had no idea it was possible to get in its original form more than once!

    Hope the rest of you stay healthy!

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  5. A pox on your house! Literally.
    Sorry for you son. And you! That is really unfair, getting it twice. I hope it heals up nice and quickly.

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  6. Oh and thanks for putting up the Deja Vu blogfest widget!

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  7. Oh, no! I didn't know it was possible to get chicken pox more than once. OR that you could get them after being vaccinated. Bummer. I had 'em bad as a kid, and all our kids had 'em, but that was prior to the vaccination. You poor thing. I hope you have a "spotless" Christmas.

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  8. You poor things. My family came through that in July. It was exhausting!

    I LOVE the extended versions of Lord of the Rings. I hope Matt enjoys getting lost in those for a while.

    Take care :)

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  9. Send my condolences to Matthew!

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  10. Oh no that sucks! Fingers crossed that Christmas is chicken pox free.

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  11. Oh nooooooooo! Twice? That's so unfair! I'm 31 and (touch wood) have never had chicken pox, though I have had the vaccine. Here's hoping you dodge it!

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  12. Yikes! Sending pox-free positive thoughts your way!!!

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