Chickenpox at Age 22 (25th April 2008)

Although my sister caught this when I was about 2, the virus never got to me. Recently my mum had shingles, which is when the defeated chickenpox virus has a second coming. Apparently this got transferred to me and so I caught chickenpox. Big time.

15th to 16th April 2008

Noticed the first spots during the night. There was a corker on the left side of my chest. By the afternoon I decided to shower, just in case I started getting more and couldn’t do so the next day.

17th April 2008

Woke up feeling rotten. Hadn’t got much sleep. No position was particularly comfortable. The spots had spread all around my torso and started down my legs. Started getting some beneath and behind my ears, too.

Tried going back to sleep but nothing happened. Eventually stumbled downstairs and slowly, painfully made some breakfast. I hardly ate much of it but felt the worst of the rottenness fall away. Eating seemed to make a world of difference to my mood, although I still felt very poorly.

18th April 2008

Got downstairs and started talking to mum. Began feeling lightheaded and disoriented. Then all the colours faded and it felt like my eyes had pins and needles. Something instinctively told me to go and sit down right away, that this wasn’t just a bit of a headrush.

After being sat for several minutes I still felt pretty weak. But the colours were starting to come back. I’m sure I would have fainted otherwise.

19th April 2008

Sometimes people say they haven’t slept as a shorthand for they haven’t slept well. Could not get a wink of sleep. Literally. The discomfort, the fever and outright pain of these spots was unbearable. By morning I was feeling helpless, in dispair.

My mum phoned NHS Direct. I described my symptoms. After a short talk they said a nurse would call me back within the hour. A few minutes later one duely did so. After quarter of an hour of detailed questions and advice, she said to visit the out patients section of Frimely Park Hospital.

She agreed with taking paracetamol to keep my temperature under control and suggested an anti-hystemine to go with them. These help with the itching and irritation.

Got there are waited in the reception for a while. Eventually saw a doctor who examined the spots, checked my breathing and temperature. “Well, I think it’s chickenpox,” he quipped. Apparently this was a high dose and was already quite far gone.

20th April 2008

Bathed in warm water with 5 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda. Spots were now like blisters, growing big heads fill with puss. Really disgusting.

24th April 2008

Bathed in warm water with 4 tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda in the evening. Went down to the guinea pigs and talked to them for a while. This was relaxing.

It’s now at the scabbing over and falling off stage. My instincts are telling me to start scratching and picking at them but I’m trying hard to resist!

2nd May 2008

Still got small scabs. Mainly on my back and chest but also on my scalp. Mostly gone from my face and hands, though.

Had a tentative shower, being very careful to avoid knocking any scabs off. Also washed my hair. Could only have baths before this as the pox were so fragile and I hardly fit in out bath. Feel like a million dollars now!

5th May 2008

Parents were on holiday for a long weekend in Weymouth. So the living room has become my personal vacation, during which I have mostly watched TV and played Gran Turismo 3 in widescreen with 5.1 surround.

Plan to have another careful shower today. Will leave for Sight City 2008 in Frankfurt tomorrow.

14th May 2008

Still got plenty of red marks. Mainly on my arms and back. A lot less marks than I had spots though, so those ones healed without scarring.

30th May 2008

Some of the lighter red marks have gone. The rest are fading very, very slowly.

7th June 2008

Most of the red marks are still here. They are noticably fainter than last time I blogged about them, though.