Day Two of Chicken Pox

I feel pretty tired so this is going to be brief.  We are hanging in there.  Ethan is complaining more about itchiness and he is covered in spots.  I just gave him an oatmeal bath and Dave spread calamine lotion on him.  I have realized that we need to be careful about how we talk about our concerns for Rachel around him.  Yesterday he said to me, with tears in his eyes and a trembling lip, "now I won't get to kiss Rachel ever again.  never ever again.."  I let him know right away that this was only temporary, until he got better.  And that if Rachel gets sick, it will not be his fault.  But he feels things so deeply.  He is a very compassionate little boy.     


Rachel had an ok day. She doesn't seem as active as she has been, but she is content.  Dave took her to the Children's Hospital this afternoon to get a varicella zoster immune globulin (the name of what Rachel was almost given yesterday).  Poor girl had to have two needle pokes at the same time, in both legs.  (she was too little to have all of it given in one leg) One of the Doctors from "Infectious Disease" called me this morning, saying that he was re-thinking his opinion.  He said that she doesn't normally fit the criteria of people who get this (usually given to patients who have compromised immune systems) but after learning more about Rachel's situation, and talking with our regular Cardiologist who was now back from holidays, he decided we should go ahead with giving her this immune boost.   I told the Physician from Infectious Disease that that the emerg. doctor had talked about risks associated with the VZIG and he said there weren't any.  That really confused me because I felt that I had been fairly clear in asking about this.  (maybe he thought I was asking about the risks of chicken pox?) But whatever the case, I'm glad we could do this - it makes me feel better that maybe we did something to reduce the seriousness of an infection. But so much is out of our hands and I am trying hard not to worry about all these things.  I am trying to leave my fears in God's hands tonight.  And I have heard so many sad stories tonight. Sometimes it feels like there can be no end to what can go wrong and no bottom to our fears and sadness, but like a fellow blogger just wrote recently, "there is a bottom and it is resting in the hands of the Lord."  And the Lord is full of tender mercy towards us.  (James 5:11)


Thank-you for your notes and for praying.  I have been blessed today.  I thank God for the new friend who arranged for meals to be brought to our house next week.  I thank God for my friend who came over to watch the kids while I lay down for a rest and then baked cookies and made soup and cleaned my house.  And for the other friends who have offered meals and other help. I thank God for His provisions today, for strength, and for the reminders from others that He will carry us through this.