Post-Chicken Pox: Recovery.

This is my first time blogging on mine and Lyndon's new laptop.

Our old one (which was my University one) was six years old and had finally given up.

Typing on this one is quite different and is going to take some getting used to.



I won't say much here,

Only that I've been back in Dunedin for almost two months now and it is really nice to be back.



I did really miss it.

Mostly I missed Lyndon, obviously.


I have gotten some flack from people, telling me I shouldn't have left and gone back to my parents house, that Lyndon should have taken care of me.


I don't agree though.


I honestly think if I had stayed in Dunedin, I could have gotten very very, life-threateningly sick.



It is hard because I still feel sickly a lot of the time, I got a blood test which showed I'm severely iron deficient. I have been taking a supplement for this but haven't noticed much change yet.



I'm still covered in chicken pox scars.



A week after I returned to Dunedin, I was struck down with a cold which had me out of action for another week.


I think I'm finally okay again now though.




I don't think my friends realised how serious my chicken pox were. I actually thought I was going to die.



I hope I never get that sick again, it was really really difficult, and makes me realise how bad some people have it.


Please Lord, don't let me get chicken pox for a third time!!!!!




There are still a heap of people I still want to catch up with since returning, and I'm slowly trying to organise this.



I think I am on the road to being fully recovered.

Thank you so much to all the people who prayed for me.


If you ever want advice on dealing with chicken pox, I'm your girl!




x

The Pox Diaries. Episode 2: Attack of the Itch.

This is my second chicken related blog entry.

I didn't write yesterday as I really wasn't doing well.

My razor blade throat was at an all-time high (low?)

It was really really sore.

My whole mouth hurt and the pain from every swallow wore me down pretty fast.

Also, just to get overly graphic, my mouth was producing this white filmy stuff (it wasn't saliva, but a lot like it) and I kept choking on it.

Spent the whole day trying to spit it out.

Super disgusting.

I haven't stepped foot outside the house yet, but I surprisingly don't have any cabin-fever symptoms like I'd normally get if I was cooped up inside for four days.

I could have made a chicken pun just then (COOPED up).

Anyway.

So I slept most of yesterday, had two tar baths, one around 3ish and another right before bed.

They really help.

Went to bed at 10pm which is the latest I've stayed up for awhile.

Been going to bed around 7.30pm most nights.

It seems normal now.

I am feeling like I need to take a nap after I write this.

The pox blisters are starting to crust over which is a great sign.

Also my throat is less razory.

I managed to eat a sandwich today!!!!!

I'm so excited to be able to eat normal food.

I've been living off yoghurt and soups.

They are obviously great but not for every meal.

I'll be booking my flights back to Dunedin tonight I think.

I'm still itchy but nowhere near as bad as I was.

Thank you so much for your on-going support and prayers.

I feel the worst of this illness is behind me now :-)

The Pox Diaries. Episode 1: The Phantom Chicken.

Hello blog readers.

I never thought I would be writing about this, let alone from my childhood home in Kaitaia.

But here I am. Life is a funny thing.

I am covered in red itchy spots and let me tell you, it isn't pleasant.

But before I get ahead of myself, some background info:

Today is Wednesday. Last Friday morning I woke up the early hours feeling noticeably unwell. My whole body was sore, achey muscles and the like. And I had a sore throat.

"Pretty standard" I thought. Must just be a cold.

I had been feeling run down for a few weeks and had asked for less shifts at work.

I figured the sickness I had felt lingering around me had finally decided to pounce.

I slept for most of the weekend and didn't seem to improve at all.

On Sunday, I noticed some red spots on my upper body (maybe four?).

Weird!

They weren't painful or itchy so I didn't think much of them. Maybe they were a rash from my bra rubbing against my skin? I dunno.

All the while I also had bumps popping up all over my scalp, and THESE were itchy. I figured it was maybe my dandruff playing up.

When I went for a shower that night, I noticed MORE spots. And I counted them while I was in there. 26. I swear a few minutes later when I counted again, 32. WTF?

Lyndon and I decided to go to the Doctor the next day, even though Anzac day was Mondayised and it was going to cost $90. These spots were concerning me.

When I went to the Doctor, she told me she thought I had glandular fever, and the spots on my body (which still weren't itchy) were a staph... staff... staphylococcal infection (WOAH THAT'S HARD TO SPELL).

So I got some antibiotics and went on my way. Soon after this, the spots started getting itchy. I awoke on  Tuesday morning at 6am feeling very unwell and itchy. The bumps on my scalp were unbearable. I was whimpering and crying. Lyndon didn't know how to help.

I told him I couldn't go on like this, I ...




*this is where I went and got Mum to put more calamine cream on my back. Soooo itttcchhhhyyy*




I couldn't go on!!!!

So we decided it might be best for me to go to Kaitaia so my mum and dad could look after me. First flight out of Dunedin was the cheapest, so after I got my blood test, I was out of there.

When I finally saw my dad at his practice, he told me that I didn't have glandular fever.
My tonsils were totally fine. But there was a mass of bumpy sores on the roof of my mouth!

I had chicken pox.



Now. let me just say, I have had chicken pox before.

When I was 11 or 12.

I don't remember it being this horrific.


Thus far, the itchy bumps on my scalp that I couldn't do anything about was enough to send me running to my dad. After that, my body got covered in the spots too. And now they are very very itchy.

I reckon I'm onto Day 6.

According to research, spots are meant to show up between Day 3 and Day 5 and start to crust over between Day 7 and Day 10.




Here is a timeline of my progress:

Friday/Day 1: Wake up feeling ill. Aches and pains all over, beginnings of a sore throat. Sleep most of day. Too tired to do anything.
Saturday/Day 2: Spots on head and in roof of mouth appear. No itch yet. Still very tired but manage to do some things while on painkillers.
Sunday/Day 3: Still very tired. Spots on upper body appear. Spots on head begin itching.

Monday/Day 4: More spots on upper body. Throat really hurting now. Spots on head insanely itchy. One spot on head already crusting over.
Tuesday/Day 5: All spots on body very very itchy. Mouth feels worse than ever. Spots have spread to neck, arms, face, and top of legs, as well as tongue and lips.
Wednesday/Day 6: Slept for 15+ hours. Very tired and grumpy. Spots have starting crusting over in some areas. Spread down further on legs. 

I will keep writing as new fun things arise.


So far the WORST thing about chicken pox is the fact I have them in my mouth.
It makes swallowing anything (even my own saliva) extremely painful.
I miss being able to drink water without wincing with every gulp.

I am glad I'm with my dad, he's given me lots of fun pills and creams to use which is helping.

I have been taking lots of tar baths (tree tar not road tar)
Its meant to stop the itching, and it does a pretty good job, but once you get out it starts getting itchy pretty fast.

Smearing calamine cream all over you is the next best option, it gets on all your clothes and bedding but trust me, you don't care. As long as it takes away the itch.



Please pray for me!


This sickness really isn't fun and I'd like it to be over sooner rather than later :)





Thanks for reading,


From your poxy blogger.