Day Two & Three Of Chicken Pox

I hope no-one was actually reading the blog day-to-day, because after two days absence, one might have presumed I died. Well, luckily I did not. I am still alive; just very tired and even lacking the motivation to scratch the annoying spot on my back, let alone write another blog. I have am entirely blaming my parents for me getting Chicken Pox at this inappropriate time. Would I have cared if I got Chicken Pox at Four years old and missed a few weeks of school; baring in mind that at school aged four we done a few maths questions then played in the sand pit the rest of the day? Probably not. Do I care about getting Chicken Pox at 17 during A-Level exam time and missing an incredibly important Photography exam? I do. If only they had made me hug more children.

                                                        

Forgetting the depressing fact that getting Chicken Pox has hindered me going to University this year, day two of Chicken Pox was worse than day one of Chicken Pox. This was expected though. More spots developed and they got itchier and itchier. Sometimes you cannot control your scratching reflexes, particularly when you are sleeping, so it is almost certain that I will have numerous scars when this whole thing is over and done with. Thinking my face will look slightly different than before, and so will my chest. Those are where the most scratching has occurred. Chicken Pox in the genital area is most uncomfortable thing ever – whether you’re male or female according my friend – The Internet. I’m a man, so I can only give half the story. It’s the itchiest of all places. Absolutely nothing will stop the itching apart from scratching. It is so tempting to scratch. I did, and it was like eating chocolate. For about 10 seconds it was so satisfying, but then you realise the repercussions. I am writing this blog entry a few days later, and I can tell you know. I really wish I hadn’t. If you thought the itching was bad, the pain it all scaring down there is actually unbearable. I have begun smothering them in E45 cream to stop any infection and any movement causes distressing pain. That is why you should not scratch while suffering from Chicken Pox.

My face during days two and three was red, blotchy and quite swollen. The skin feels very tight, and sometimes it feels like it is crawling. You can feel your skin moving. My face felt very dead. When I touched my face, I couldn’t feel it. I just felt a slight increase in pressure. It is not a very attractive virus. By this stage in my Chicken Pox, I could easily say I had about 100 or so spots just on my face, chest and back. It just is not nice. Waking up every morning and seeing more and more spots on your face is actually very soul crushing, however vain you are. I’m not vain at all, but seeing your face in this state is actually very upsetting.

Also, I still suffering with the symptoms of flu, and infact it is actually quite bad flu. The only way I could breathe was to spray a nasal decongestant up my nose every hour or so, and I managed to get through an entire box of tissues over the past few days. Then of course, you have to be incredibly careful when wiping or blowing your nose. Normally, I would do it without thinking, but of course my face is covered in all these red bots, particularly around my nose. I also completely lost my voice for a day. Well, I still had a voice, but nothing you would recognise as Stuart. Maybe a 40 year old smoker, but not me.

There are many theories as to what you can use to ease the discomfort associated with Chicken Pox. Camomile Lotion is supposed to be great at cooling down your skin and therefore making you slightly less itchy. This did not work for in – infact it just made me itchier. Using bath salts is supposed to help as well, but instead this just made the bath uncomfortable and made me itch more. I have also used this French stuff, which essentially looks like (and works like) red food colouring. Putting it on your skin does dye your skin bright blood red and look like I could be playing a murdered body from Midsummer Murders. However, it relieved the itching slightly. Today, I have used nothing. Not anything. Nout, zilch, zot – nullity. You know what, I feel much better. I don’t itch at all. Still uncomfortable, but I in no watch itch. This is probably something that affects everyone differently, but if you get/have Chicken Pox and have tried everything but still nothing has worked, and then try nothing. What harm can it do?

Technically, from when I first had the cold, I have now been ill six days, and I do not deal with illness particularly well. So far, this current stint of illness has caused a decrease in motivation, concentration, self esteem and my confidence, as well as increasing my depression levels more every day. Only six or so weeks ago I suffered from a bad virus which made me ill for about a week, so two stints in quick succession is not going to end well for me, so hopefully this Chicken Pox will not last long.

Ciao for now!

Day One Of Chicken Pox

Technically, that should actually be ‘Day Four’ as I have had Chicken Pox for four days; it’s just taken that long to figure it out. I am going to have a lot of free time on my hands over the course of the next week due to being stuck at home. A week in which I suppose to be busy and rushed off my feet, with an important Photography Exam has now ended up being a week in which I shall pump my body full of drugs, smother my body in creams, bath in salt, concentrate hard on not scratching and looking like I have brought a cheap Halloween mask. I may be ill, but as of yet I am still in possession of a sense of humour luckily.

I never knew this, but Chicken Pox starts out as the flu (no, not bird flu), and that is when you become contagious. You should stay away from people from that point on. Of course, how do you know the difference between having the flu and having the beginnings of Chicken Pox. Well, you don’t. My flu-like symptoms started Thursday evening, and they began to worsen over the course of Friday. Nothing made me suspect I was going to come out in a rash.

Saturday came around I was still pretty bad, suffering with a sore throat, cold, an aching body and quite dizzy – the symptoms of flu. I was even accused of over-exaggerating and suffering from Man Flu. I had gone to Curry’s to get a new Microwave after our one (which was older than me) finally gave up warming our food up. I had been for a walk to the nearest woods with my camera to get some much needed images for my upcoming exam. I gave up about half way through my normal route due to tiredness. I again thought this was just a cold. Thinking of all the people I saw over the course of those two days makes me feel very guilty.

I saw my friends at school on Friday, who gave me plenty of hugs due to me needing to be consoled. The family with three young children I saw walking through the woods who I acknowledged and all the people in Curry’s on Saturday. I touched the Microwaves. My germs are on them. Some unsuspecting soul will touch them. I have helped to spread Chicken Pox around my local area without even realising it. I am sorry to anyone who gets it as a result of me – but you cannot prove anything, so do not try and sue me!

Sunday was a bit different. I woke up and looked in the mirror to see a few red spots scattered in various places across my body. I put this down to one of two things. Either I had slept in bed with a hungry bed bug that felt the need to eat me or was just the usual spots I get for being a teenager. They didn’t really bother me. I then stupidly/cleverly (depending how you look upon the situation) went onto the Internet to try and discover what kind of bites these were. Could they have been Ticks or an angry Spider? I couldn’t find anything, so I posted a question Yahoo explaining them, to which some person quickly replied ‘Sounds lyk u hav Chicken Pox, unlucky.’ What a kind sentiment. I done some research, and thought it quite possible. However, I’ve had no contact with someone who has Chicken Pox and not many spots, so no longer worried.

Monday morning (Today – Bank Holiday Monday 03/05/2010) and I woke up as normal and touched my face. “Feels unusually lumpy. What is this huge, hard lump on the side of my nose? My forehead! It feels like I’m stroking the surface of the moon.” I laid and worried for a bit, before mustering up the courage to get out of bed, turn the light on and take a peak in the mirror. The words that followed cannot be repeated. I go downstairs; announce to my parents I probably have Chicken Pox before getting on the phone and contacting the Doctor. Bank Holiday, and of course no-one is there. Try the emergency number, and before I can even tell anyone what is wrong with me, I have to give them all my information. Name, where I live, age, medical history – the lot. Lucky it wasn’t a life or death situation because they would have been asking for time of death as well. After a few phone calls of the same tedious nature, I got an appointment at the hospital.

Got to the hospital and immediately was put in a waiting room full of children with broken bones and what-not. I pointed out that this maybe was not a great idea, and was then sent to a more appropriate waiting room. Doctor was quick and thorough, even if a slight idiot. I’m walking in with a body full of red blotches and he asks ‘What seems to be the problem?’ Well, I probably was not walking in with a broken leg was I. Quickly agreed with me that I had Chicken Pox, and wrote me out a prescription of drugs. I have spent the rest of the day sitting at home, thinking about everything I will be missing this week, all the wasted photography work I have done this year thanks to missing the exam and what to fill my time with.

Inevitably, I will be sent work from the school when I contact them tomorrow, but that will not really take me long. I concluded that my time will be taken up by watching lots of TV and DVD, as well as Tweeting, blogging and getting incredibly depressed, as is always the way when I get ill. That is why I have created this blog. I will update my usual, favourite, and popular blog slightly more regularly than normal. This blog will enable me to write my way out of annoyance and maybe even help people who get Chicken Pox. A new blog will be posted here tomorrow.

Ciao for now!