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  Monday with the Editor: Coping with chicken pox

      Part 2      (cont'd)

     Back to FrontPage of article

Coping with chicken pox after 40 Part 1

 

This article gives a first-hand account of someone who has suffered from chicken pox and may be helpful to you in dealing with chicken pox.

 

  Tuesday 17 Jul 2001  (Day 7)

  I woke up at 7.20am. When I was powdering the lesions, I noticed that there were no more new lesions on my body. In fact, those on my face had begun the process of crusting, though a few were still ripening. I guess the cells in the face are more active and therefore stimulate earlier recovery in the face area. Those lesions on my arms and body also appear to be ripening. But, I still could not com my hair as the lesions on my scalp met every brush of the comb painfully.

  I managed to move my bowels at about 10am. It didn't require great effort from me this time and there was no tremendous heat release either. That day, I had watermelon all through the day and evening. I noticed that I had developed a slight cough. For lunch I had macaroni again.

  The afternoon saw the return of that dreaded pulsating headache. There was tenderness in my scalp when I touched it with my fingers. The headache remained with me through the night as well.

  For dinner I had stir-fried chye sim with pork slices again. This was followed by a waterchest drink. I was not allowed to take the food or drink hot. I had to wait till they had cooled down to room temperature. Luckily, there was no leng liang in sight that evening.

  That night, I managed a three-hour sleep.

  Wednesday 18 Jul 2001  (Day 8)

  I woke up to a pulsating headache in the back of my head at 7.15am. There was tenderness in my scalp too. That day, there was no one to get breakfast for me so I took a slice of white bread and butter.

  In the afternoon, I had mee tai mak soup with minced pork for lunch. There was watermelon on the table too. The pulsating headache concentrated itself at the right side of my head the whole afternoon. I had hardly any peace.

  That evening, I had my usual meal of chye sim with pork slices. Yes! There was no leng liang for me that day as well.

  Thursday 19 Jul 2001  (Day 9)

  This morning, I found that the lesions on my face had almost cleared up. They had all crusted and remnants of the crusts remained on my face. I dared not peel them off for I was told scars would remain if I did so. I could comb my hair now, for the lesions on my scalp had crusted too. Still, I could feel the remnants of the lesions as I moved my comb over my hair. Some of the crust came off onto my comb.

  The headache that had plagued me the previous day was not around anymore. I had pickled lettuce and porridge for lunch. There was also a quarter of a watermelon for me to finish. The lesions on my body had begun to crust.

  It was chye sim for dinner again. I noticed the occasional cough. That night, I slept better than I had the previous nine days.

  Friday 20 Jul 2001  (Day 10)

  When I woke up at 7.30am, I realised I had slept a full five hours! I had bread and butter for breakfast and managed to move my bowels again at 10am.

  Lunch came at about 1pm. It was mee tai mak soup again. Most of the lesions on my body had crusted. The lesions on my arms and legs had started crusting. That night, as I slept, I noticed a slight itch in my body. By 12 midnight, I wasn't awake anymore.

  Saturday 21 Jul 2001  (Day 11)

  When I woke up at 7.30am, I found I had slept a full seven and a half hours without interruption. I was told I could bathe that morning. Boy! That was certainly welcoming news! It was my first bath in ten days! I was told to bathe using warm water. I had to shampoo my hair and dry it before proceeding to clean the rest of the body. There were layers and layers of dirt to be scrubbed off my body- albeit gently.

  Breakfast was chee cheong fun - plain white of course with nothing else added. But, I was allowed to add some light soya sauce. For lunch, I had mee tai mak soup. That day they brought some grapes for me to eat. I also had water-chestnut drinks.

  Chye sim was on the menu for dinner again. I was glad they had decided I could stop taking that dreaded leng liang.

  Sunday 22 Jul 2001 (Day 12)

  Sleep was uninterrupted. I only woke up in the morning. There was more good news that day - I could go downstairs to the carpark to warm up my car. Yes! After 11 long days, I finally could get out of the house. I had a warm bath and then did a quick drive round the neighbourhood to reacquaint myself with it again. It had been such a long time since I was last able to go out in the sun!

  I went over to my mother-in-law's place for lunch. She had cooked a bowl of mee sua soup with minced pork for me. Late afternoon, I hopped over to Hougang Mall with my wife. It was a refreshing change from being stuck in the house.

  That evening, I could eat at the main dining table, but I could only have chye sim and pomfret - the rest of the food was still out of bounds to me.

  It is now 9.45pm and I am pounding away at my notebook, preparing tomorrow's Monday with the Editor column. What I want to say is this - try not to get chicken pox. But, if you ever do, read what I have written, it may be of some help to you.

  Just keep in mind this - the first few days are really nightmares in that you hardly get to sleep what with all the itch and the suffering. Prepare yourself for that sort of situation and you will come up tops. I am also told that I can't eat chicken, seafood, chilli, curry, black soya sauce, etc for at least two months from today.

  Much as I dislike to say it - It was the leng liang that did the magic, for though the taste was pungent, the leng liang did the job of removing most of the heat from my body, thus allowing me to recover from chicken pox much more quickly. But, mind you - leng liang is very expensive! The pock marks are still around - dark spots here and there all over my body and limbs. I guess it will take a while for them to disappear. By the way, as I am typing, I realise the itch is still around. It hasn't gone away totally. Anyway, have a nice day!

Subsequent notes:

By the 15th day, all lesions had fully crusted and fallen off, leaving dark marks everywhere. These marks will take some time to fade. I still have to stick to my existing diet (described above).

Though I can go out, I can't take outside food - not yet anyway.

It's 20 Feb 2002 and a number of pock marks remain on my body - on my chest, hip and legs. The marks on my face have totally disappeared. One or two faint pock marks are seen on my arms. 

Coping with chicken pox after 40 Part 1

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