Saturday, November 6, 2010

Chicken Pox ~ Part Three

I made supper and as we were eating Daddy looked at me a little funny and asked if I am getting Chicken Pox too. That there is something on my face.


I went to look in the mirror and was dismayed to see a few big ugly pox on my face. I then showed my arms to Daddy and he told me to go to bed, that he and John would take care of cleaning away the dishes and tidying the kitchen.

I went to bed, in the middle of the night I woke up feeling awful and much too warm. I got up to wash my face with cool water mixed with baking soda in hopes it would make it feel better. I struck a match to light my lamp and didn't like how my hand trembled as I tried to place the chimney on the lamp. As I was picking it up to go fix the water I happened to catch a glimpse of my face in the mirror and recoiled in horror. It was covered in huge blister looking pox there wasn't a spot on my face that I could touch without also touching a pox.

I went downstairs and was fixing a bowl full of water when Daddy came out to the kitchen to see what I needed. When I turned around and he caught sight of my face I saw a shocked expression crossing his face. He asked me to sit down on Mom's rocking chair while he went to get a washcloth and proceeded to dip it in the water and then gently blotted my face and arms with it.

It felt so good. Once he was done he asked me to stay on the rocker while he went and brought our roll away bed into the kitchen and got it ready for me. I was glad I didn't have to climb the stairs again and sank wearily into it. Daddy told me to call him if I needed anything and then went back to bed.

I didn't sleep well the rest of the night but didn't want to disturb Daddy from his much needed rest. The next morning Daddy appointed John to take care of us while he went to the hospital to stay with David and Mom could come home with us.

It seemed wonderful to have Mom at home. Her presence was comforting and she spent a lot of time trying to cool me as I was burning with fever and drifting in and out of crazy dreams.

A few days later the fever left but I was still very sick, but not sick enough that I didn't rejoice with the rest of the family that David was able to come home from the hospital. Grandpa Mast's brought their hospital bed for David and set it up in the kitchen across the room from where I was on the roll away bed.

Daddy lifted David into his bed. I was shocked at how frail and skinny he looked. As he lay in bed he looked over at me and his first words were, "Wow, if only you could put some lights in all those bulbs you would look kind of pretty."

I had to laugh. It seemed so good having him at home again. His sense of humor and being able to talk to each other made the remaining days of being confined in bed go so much faster.

10 comments:

  1. I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying your chicken pox anecdotes

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  2. You are a wonderful story teller...I really enjoy your blog and your simplicity. :)

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  3. I just got done reading the chicken pox posts. Those were some really bad cases of the chicken pox. I had them when I was 26 years old. I never had them as a child so I got them when my youngest children got them. They had very light cases that lasted a couple of days and just a few pox - I had them for 2 weeks and was miserable so I feel the pain in these posts.
    I am so glad they have an immunization now!

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  4. I was just about 1 when I had them so I don't remember, but it was awful when my children got them! I think sometimes if you get a really light case you can get them when you're older, or something like that. That being said, you should be just fine!! :D

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  5. The warmth and love your family members had for one another sure comes through in these posts... your father caring for you in your mother's absence is so heartwarming, and so is all the caring you did for your siblings. Your writing really conveys all of the feelings. Thank you for sharing these stories with us... and I'm so glad everyone made it through all that illness.

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  6. My two oldest got chickenpox at the same time. Patty was three and Kathy was two.I had a really hard time keeping them from scratching until my father came for a visit and told me to go get sa couple pair of thair stockings. I did and he put them over their hands. They didn't like it but left thm on.
    I am enjoying your story, as always.

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  7. You have the best outlook: always thankful for the everyday things we often take for granted. I love your style of writing, too.

    Blessings,
    Jen

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  8. Oh, what an ordeal...thank goodness for family! My oldest had them when he was almost 2 but had them lightly (caught them from his uncle who was 11) ... and he got them again when he was almost 12! Got 'em good that time!

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  9. The chicken pox saga was interesting reading. I'm so glad to see David with his sense of humor fully intact.

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  10. I had chicken pox when I was about four. I had one pox inside my left ear, down at the bottom, and I dug at it until I actually went all the through to the other side! It grew over, but I still have a little "well" inside the shell of that ear. I don't remember a fever, but I *DO* remember the itch!

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment. I love hearing your thoughts.