Chicken Pox for the Sole Child

I got the chicken pox when I was in Form 1. Wifey got hers when she was in Standard 1. I can still remember the memories of the yesteryears; itchy bubble wrap-like skin, the uncomfortable hot, blue bathwater, and the limited choice of food. We had hoped that Irtiza won’t be getting his anytime soon, as he was still too young to control himself from the itchy urges. But that proved to be just wishful thinking, especially when your kid goes to pre-school; a place where kids are large in numbers and viral diseases can spread easily. 

Two days after his recent birthday, I noticed some skin anomaly on Irtiza’s back while I was giving him an evening bath. We deduced that it was what it was, but we still wanted a professional opinion. The next evening, we went to Dr. Altaf’s Child Clinic at TTDI where Dr. Padmini was in for the 530-830pm session. She later confirmed the disease and gave some advice and prescribed some meds. She said Irtiza’s condition could be far worse if not for the optional chicken pox jab that he took when he was 18 months old.

Irtiza's back from last last Friday (It was truly a Friday the 13th moment)

...and his chest...

Still smiling :)

His meds.

Wifey and I took turns to take care of Irtiza in the following week. I took Monday and Wednesday and wifey took Tuesday and Thursday. The leave application was quite abrupt and at the last minute, but fortunately our bosses were quite empathic during that time and approved them.

Since the visit to the clinic, we also tried the traditional approach to facilitate his recovery. Fresh young coconut drinks were an easy buy in KD. But we had trouble finding ‘Daun Semambu (or Neem plant). So we have to make do with the prescribed Calamine Lotion and Dexchloramine.

Where's Irtiza? (At the playground in the morning during his 'quarantine period')

Alhamdullillah, Irtiza healed fast and was able to attend last Friday’s pre-school session. The whole ordeal was not as difficult as what we imagined it would be (compared to what we used to face as a kid). Throughout the whole thing, Irtiza’s appetite was still ok, temperature was averagely-normal, and with minor case of itchiness. The only challenge was the epic struggle to apply the calamine lotion from the neck up (He didn’t like the smell).

A pic from last Thursday

Bye-bye Irtiza...papa and mama are off to work

Emmm... :(

The chicken pox thing is slowly becoming a thing of the past now. Still, who knows, the whole ordeal may be repeated in the near future, with the already immuned Irtiza to assist his parents along the way…insya allah (*winks) ;)