Amazing! It seems like I'm getting well each time i look in the mirror. The medicine does its work fast. A lot of the pox are drying up---I can see many of them scabbing over ( I apologize if this is grossing you out) already, and I feel pretty normal. "Normal" meaning the persistent headache is gone. I have not felt any aches, and I was able to watch two movies in the last two days without having to look away because I was dizzy. I got to watch Intermission (Cillian Murphy and a bunch of brilliant Irish actors whose names escape me) and Sideways (this I watched this evening with my sisters).
The fact that the entries for Days 3 to 4 1/2 have been squeezed into this post should be an indication of how much better I feel--I was able to do more! I read and read, watched TV, surfed, read again. I know, it almost sounds like bumming, but somehow the idleness is welcome. I have actually not been thinking about work. In fact I had to remind myself forcefully to text the make-up artist and email the florist today.
These past few days were really good! We got to play Cranium! It's such a fun game--a mixture of all sorts of creative skills and healthy competiotion. Forces you to think on your feet and be creative as hell. Oh, and another breakthrough: I was finally allowed to have dinner in the dinig room. Prior to tonight, Mama brought my meals up to my room because I was still contagious then, and that I might infect my sisters' boyfriends. But tonight, seeing as how the lesions are healing so quickly, Mama allowed me to hang out downstairs. Wow, it was nice to be part of the family again, and not chained to my bed. hehehehe
Right now, Benc and I are in the middle of editing the misalette. I never realized this was such a messy thing. But I guess if you want your rites to be customized, you have to work on it. See? I can stay up til 2 am! I'm feeling really normal now, as if nothing happened. :) I'm so glad. Can't wait to get back on the badminton courts again, and get in a bit of swimming too.
Oh but, there's a downside to the meds: it can really dry your skin. Both the cream and the tablets have that effect. The cream kind of makes the skin flake a little, as if you had a bad case of dandruff and it started to gather on your face. I'm itching to exfoliate, but of course that's not possible right now. The tablets make my sking dry, especially around the lips, which are peeling. The only remedy I have is lots of fluids and OD-ing on vitamin C. For my hair, maybe I'll sneak in a bit of conditioner at the mid-strands to the ends. It's become quite dry. Partly because of the medicines, and partly because I've had to tie it up and keep it out of my face.
But on the whole, I'm feeling much better, and I am looking forward to scrubbing of the scars. Could be anyday now! :)
Sunday, January 22
Thursday, January 19
The Chickenpox Journals - Day 3
I have this bubble just below my earlobe that reminds me of a resin pendant I got in Australia a few years ago when I was there. There were dried flowers in them and the clear resin formed a sort of looking-glass, bulging gently so that it really did resemble jewelry.
This bubble below my ear, says Benc, has something less appealing in it. I--nevermind.
So day three, 15 more tablets to go, two more tubes of cream left, and more or less 500 sores dot my body. Except for a few bubbles here and there, I have to agree, it's not as bad as my siblings' bout with the disease a few years back.
I thought chickenpox was just about getting the sores and living through it. I guess it's because it's the first thing you see and it's easy to latch on to the image of these lesions peppering your body. But equally disturbing and painful is the general ache and feeling of diorientedness. It was awful! I thought it was the medicine doing it to me, but I was wrong. The feeling of total unwellness and pain was exhausting, the palpitations were so bothersome and the parched feeling in my mouth was awful. I felt listless and restless yet tired and old at the same time. I felt like I was floating. I couldn't keep my eyes on the tv for very long, and I kept looking around the room. Everything seemed to be blurry. Like I was looking through a blurry bubble.
After dinner, at around 9.30 pm, something seemed to clear. It felt like I had just gulped down a glass of sparklingly clear water and my brain just switched on. It was amazing!
Suddenly, I knew what was happening, I felt instantly better. I could breathe better, and I seemed to "see" better too. I don't know if you get what I mean. And that good feeling continued on til today.
I thought it was the medicine--I was partly right. It was the medicine battling the virus and I guess my body won out. Phew! Thank goodness! Now all I have to deal with are the sores. The cream seems to be doing its job--- and it had better be! At P560 for a 2-gram tube, it would be highway robbery if they sold this thing and it turned out to be a fluke! Just look how small this critter is! GlaxoSmithkline, the pharmaceutical company who owns the "patent" on this cream, seem to be playing a cruel joke on chickenpox patients---they know full well that the whole body could be covered in boils, and yet
they only produce this tiny tube of cream! Talk about capitalizing on the masses' pain! Geez! Look at the size of it in relation to my palm. Granted I'm taller than the average Pinay and have tentacles instead of arms, but, are they serious?
Anyway, today I learned too that in the provinces, some people believe that one who has chickenpox shouldn't bathe. AAAAGGHHHHH! How unbelievably cruel! Benc experienced this himself when he had it, he says. I should tell these people that in fact, bathing with water with half a cup of baking soda does wonders! And that lots of TLC from your mom works miracles, ANd well wishes from friends online and offline speed up the healing process, hehe. I also learned that two of my officemates who are also our groomsmen, haven't had chickenpox...and I was in the office with them on Monday. Well, let's see how that goes. :)
I spent the day just reading and eating and taking my medicines like a good girl. It felt good to just sit and read again. It'slike my mind slowed down and wedding preps were nowhere in sight. I wasn't feeling at all pressured. In fact I was just reminded of them when Benc stopped by for a visit tonight. Just a few more details left. Maybe I'll deal with them tomorrow. Maybe.
I should rest now. But it feels good to be feeling better. Hehe, whatever that means. Thanks everyone for leaving your get-well messages!
This bubble below my ear, says Benc, has something less appealing in it. I--nevermind.
So day three, 15 more tablets to go, two more tubes of cream left, and more or less 500 sores dot my body. Except for a few bubbles here and there, I have to agree, it's not as bad as my siblings' bout with the disease a few years back.
I thought chickenpox was just about getting the sores and living through it. I guess it's because it's the first thing you see and it's easy to latch on to the image of these lesions peppering your body. But equally disturbing and painful is the general ache and feeling of diorientedness. It was awful! I thought it was the medicine doing it to me, but I was wrong. The feeling of total unwellness and pain was exhausting, the palpitations were so bothersome and the parched feeling in my mouth was awful. I felt listless and restless yet tired and old at the same time. I felt like I was floating. I couldn't keep my eyes on the tv for very long, and I kept looking around the room. Everything seemed to be blurry. Like I was looking through a blurry bubble.
After dinner, at around 9.30 pm, something seemed to clear. It felt like I had just gulped down a glass of sparklingly clear water and my brain just switched on. It was amazing!
Suddenly, I knew what was happening, I felt instantly better. I could breathe better, and I seemed to "see" better too. I don't know if you get what I mean. And that good feeling continued on til today. I thought it was the medicine--I was partly right. It was the medicine battling the virus and I guess my body won out. Phew! Thank goodness! Now all I have to deal with are the sores. The cream seems to be doing its job--- and it had better be! At P560 for a 2-gram tube, it would be highway robbery if they sold this thing and it turned out to be a fluke! Just look how small this critter is! GlaxoSmithkline, the pharmaceutical company who owns the "patent" on this cream, seem to be playing a cruel joke on chickenpox patients---they know full well that the whole body could be covered in boils, and yet
they only produce this tiny tube of cream! Talk about capitalizing on the masses' pain! Geez! Look at the size of it in relation to my palm. Granted I'm taller than the average Pinay and have tentacles instead of arms, but, are they serious?Anyway, today I learned too that in the provinces, some people believe that one who has chickenpox shouldn't bathe. AAAAGGHHHHH! How unbelievably cruel! Benc experienced this himself when he had it, he says. I should tell these people that in fact, bathing with water with half a cup of baking soda does wonders! And that lots of TLC from your mom works miracles, ANd well wishes from friends online and offline speed up the healing process, hehe. I also learned that two of my officemates who are also our groomsmen, haven't had chickenpox...and I was in the office with them on Monday. Well, let's see how that goes. :)
I spent the day just reading and eating and taking my medicines like a good girl. It felt good to just sit and read again. It'slike my mind slowed down and wedding preps were nowhere in sight. I wasn't feeling at all pressured. In fact I was just reminded of them when Benc stopped by for a visit tonight. Just a few more details left. Maybe I'll deal with them tomorrow. Maybe.
I should rest now. But it feels good to be feeling better. Hehe, whatever that means. Thanks everyone for leaving your get-well messages!
The Chickenpox Journals - Day 2
After much hedging, I decided to give in and come home to my mom’s. We were torn on whether to have myself confined in the hospital or to manage it at home. As we analyzed it over lunch, I made the decision my self: I didn’t want the hassle of traveling all the way there and waiting for a doctor to tell me to go home because I looked healthy enough to handle it. I didn’t want people looking at me strangely when they overhear the doctor say so. (In a way hearing myself say that made me proud of myself. I could hear myself determined to get well. And deep inside, I knew it wouldn’t take long.)
So after lunch, I brought my bags and allowed Squeak to take me home. I felt my heart drop as I said goodbye to Benc, who did all in his power to make me comfortable and sane through last night. I couldn’t even kiss or hug him. I know he had the pox before but I didn’t want to risk him getting a relapse, having just gotten well from colds.
The drive home was ok, it wasn’t at all uncomfortable. I just tried to take my mind off the itchiness and pain. It was—and still is a bit difficult for me to sit. But I’m hoping that with all the chemicals I’m pumping into my body, the virus will dry up faster than normal and leave.
Aciclovir, the only drug known to treat the varicella virus is one of the most expensive medicines I’ve had to take. Although my mom says the effects are obvious (sores aren’t as inflamed, etc.) I think I’m feeling the side effects more. I have palpitations, a constant headache, I feel like I have a fever inside.
Actually, I feel dehydrated, but I don’t know if I am. Though some of the symptoms are there: cramping, the headache, parched lips, cramps. The medical notes say that the drug can even cause nausea and vomiting. So far, it hasn’t happened. I just do what the good doctor said: because it’s a strong drug, the liver will be working extra hard. So I have to help me liver by drinking lots of fluids and allowing myself to go to the bathroom as often as my body needs to. So I’m drinking up lots of water and juices. Go, LIVER, GO!
The gentle wind is refreshing, not at all stale like the way my unit gets sometimes. Sigh. It was a good decision to come home, although my heart is crying out for Bubba to be here. But I know things will be ok. I am looking forward to talking with my siblings over dinner tonight, like old times. And maybe in that, I will find yet another balm to relieve my aches.
Wednesday, January 18
So that's what it was
High grade fever with chills? Check.
Sweating? Check.
Flu-like symptoms? Check.
Feeling hot and flushed? Check.
Blotchy and rashy? Check.
Pustules appearing first in the trunk and chest area? Check, check, check...
Yep. That's what it is. CHICKENPOX!
A month and a day to go and a disease I should've gotten when I was a kid suddenly popped up this afternoon.
"Didn't you get that when you were seven years old???!!!" Ninang Cheche exclaimed over the phone when I told her we had to cancel our dinner date.
"WHAAAAAATTTTTT???!!!...[stunned silence for tens seconds]." My mom's reaction when I told her.
"Ngek!" My dad.
*sigh* Well, I figure, better now than later. At least I can take care of myself. I'm working so I can buy my own medicines and use my health card, and at least I didn't get it when I was pregnant. That was what I was worried about. I never had it, and I wondered when in life I would. There was that one summer when all four of my siblings had it, and I was so exposed to them, but I didn't get it. My immune system was that strong. Thanks to gym five times a week and loads of happy experiences working with Ninang Cheche and the kids and the prods. :)
Need endorphins. Too bad they don't have endorphin-vitamins. These anti-virals are SOOOOOO expensive! P126.00 per tablet! And I have to take these five times a day for seven days or else I'll look like a typical national road in Metro Manila on a rainy month, hehe.
Wish me luck everyone. I believe in synergy. If all of you are pushing positive energy towards me while reading this post, I know it'll help me get better. :) Amen.
Sweating? Check.
Flu-like symptoms? Check.
Feeling hot and flushed? Check.
Blotchy and rashy? Check.
Pustules appearing first in the trunk and chest area? Check, check, check...
Yep. That's what it is. CHICKENPOX!
A month and a day to go and a disease I should've gotten when I was a kid suddenly popped up this afternoon.
"Didn't you get that when you were seven years old???!!!" Ninang Cheche exclaimed over the phone when I told her we had to cancel our dinner date.
"WHAAAAAATTTTTT???!!!...[stunned silence for tens seconds]." My mom's reaction when I told her.
"Ngek!" My dad.
*sigh* Well, I figure, better now than later. At least I can take care of myself. I'm working so I can buy my own medicines and use my health card, and at least I didn't get it when I was pregnant. That was what I was worried about. I never had it, and I wondered when in life I would. There was that one summer when all four of my siblings had it, and I was so exposed to them, but I didn't get it. My immune system was that strong. Thanks to gym five times a week and loads of happy experiences working with Ninang Cheche and the kids and the prods. :)
Need endorphins. Too bad they don't have endorphin-vitamins. These anti-virals are SOOOOOO expensive! P126.00 per tablet! And I have to take these five times a day for seven days or else I'll look like a typical national road in Metro Manila on a rainy month, hehe.
Wish me luck everyone. I believe in synergy. If all of you are pushing positive energy towards me while reading this post, I know it'll help me get better. :) Amen.
Monday, January 16
Nursing a Virus
Don't know what caused it. Could be fatigue. Or the cold nights. Or the adventure in Greenhills two weeks ago in the middle of the post-Chritsmas-blow-my-aguinaldos crowd. Or the stress of preps---darn, when this is all over, I'd have lost a convenient excuse! Haha!
I think I've peaked at 38 degrees. I don't know because I don't have a thermometer, and neither does Benc. All I know is that my joints hurt so bad. My back aches---didn't get much sleep. My head feels heavy. I feel like heat rays are escaping from my eyes. I alternately hot and cold (hehe--hot flashes?) and I feel really weak. So because of those symptoms, I'm pretty sure I am sick.
To think there's so much more to be done! Darn. I guess it's a sign for me to slow down a bit and to let go. And rest. We have a dinner pa naman with two of our ninangs on Wednesday!
Sigh. That's all I have for now. My brain's too exhausted with fever to think. MAybe in a day or two I'll have something more interesting to write. Maybe something about our dinner!
Hope everyone else is holding up well.
I think I've peaked at 38 degrees. I don't know because I don't have a thermometer, and neither does Benc. All I know is that my joints hurt so bad. My back aches---didn't get much sleep. My head feels heavy. I feel like heat rays are escaping from my eyes. I alternately hot and cold (hehe--hot flashes?) and I feel really weak. So because of those symptoms, I'm pretty sure I am sick.
To think there's so much more to be done! Darn. I guess it's a sign for me to slow down a bit and to let go. And rest. We have a dinner pa naman with two of our ninangs on Wednesday!
Sigh. That's all I have for now. My brain's too exhausted with fever to think. MAybe in a day or two I'll have something more interesting to write. Maybe something about our dinner!
Hope everyone else is holding up well.
Thursday, January 5
Year of the Fire Dog
They say it's going to be a little bit better this year. Well, I do hope so.
I purposely timed my wedding so it wouldn't fall on the cusp of the Chinese new year and make the whole thing unlucky. I know, I know, they're jsut superstitions and you don't have to believe them if you don't want to. But heck, 5,000 years of Chinese predictions may have some pattern of truth.
I was born in the year of the rabbit, and from what I got in my limited readings and self-education on Chinese astrology, this year will be less problematic. Oh I hope so! There are so many plans: travel, investments, saving for the future...but not all of these look rosy this year. Particularly in the aspect of natural disasters. Earthquakes, man! And I'll be living in an 11th floor condo unit! ACK! Must.get. feng.shui!
That or practice rapelling.
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