Really?!?

 

 Wednesday, I worked all day like always and got a call from Tracy that Ellie had woken up from her nap warm and cranky. Crap!  No childhood illness is a minor one anymore when one of your children has a compromised immune system from chemotherapy. The fever seemed to be low grade, under 100 degrees, so I told Tracy to hold off on any Tylenol so we could see if she really had a fever.  I came home from work and got her out of bed to check her temp...it was totally normal...but I noticed a bug bite on her foot.  Thursday, she had no temperature at all, so I decided she didn't need to go to the doctor, but I did notice a couple more bug bites on her leg when I took off her jammies.

We went about our day.  Took Nate to the clinic where we learned that all his counts are awesome, but we are still expecting them to tank some time over the next week.  When Ellie got up from her afternoon nap I noticed some red spots on her face.  By dinner time, the "bug bite" on her foot had turned into a blister and she was super cranky.  That's when my aunt said the words "chicken pox".  I immediately got on good old Google for pictures.  The pictures sort of resembled the one "bug bite" spot.  Then Nate got his dressing wet and it started to come off and had to be changed. Geesh!  Talk about stress!  My stomach instantly started doing somersaults.  All this while we were supposed to be having a family celebration for my birthday...I think I instantly became a party pooper.

Nate's dressing change went well, thanks to Uncle Adam and the iPad, but I couldn't stop obsessing over Ellie's rash.  Chicken pox could be bad...really bad.  Nate has had the vaccination, but the vaccine isn't great and he CAN NOT get chicken pox...but he's already been exposed...if that's what it is.  Also, I took Ellie to the clinic earlier that day...holy crap!  I could hardly sleep because I just wanted to see what the rash did over night and get her to the doctor today.

When she woke up this morning, a spot on her nose started to look like a blister, but the rash had not spread at all.  I'm starting to think that it may be hand, foot and mouth disease now, because it hasn't spread to her trunk at all and the spots are mostly on her face, legs and hands.  This would be better than chicken pox because it is not contagious for as long, and has a shorter incubation period, plus I'm pretty sure Nate has had it already.  Once I get a diagnosis from her doctor, I will call the clinic and see what steps we have to take.  She has a doctor's appointment in an hour and I can't wait to get her there.  I just need a break.