Friday, July 10, 2009

Plug for Sympathy

Last week Amy and Jenny drove to Colorado to visit Emily. They have been having a great time. Amy plans to stay all month, but Jenny was scheduled to fly home tomorrow.

This morning Amy called me, sounding a bit frantic. "Mom, Jenny has these red spots all over her chest!"

Oh great. Is she feeling sick otherwise? No. No fever, no other symptoms.

I ran down a mental list of diagnoses--maybe she ate a bunch of fresh fruit of some kind and is allergic to it. Maybe she and the Knepp girls were playing in some weeds that she reacted to.

I didn't even consider chicken pox, since Jenny had the shot as a baby. I had made that decision after her older siblings all got the most walloping dose of chicken pox any of us had ever seen. Amy, with her fair skin and red hair, ran a 104 fever for days and looked like someone had poured boiling water over her.

So Jenny had had the shot and was safe. Uh huh.

Amy took a picture of Jenny's stomach with her phone and sent it to Keith the nephew's phone, since mine doesn't receive pictures, and it reminded me a little too much of how young people send obscene photos to each other nowadays, but let me assure you this was all for medical purposes.

I didn't like the look of those spots at all.

Amy took Jenny to two local moms, who couldn't figure out what she had either.

Then she emailed me pictures of Jenny, and with a sick feeling in my stomach I admitted that it looked exactly like Matt and Amy's pox, back in the day.

Amy made a doctor appointment. Paul called Southwest Airlines. No, she absolutely can't fly with chicken pox, and no, we won't just switch the ticket to a different day. Paul got a bit testy. "She's not that sick, and you make it awfully tempting to just not say anything and let her fly." They wouldn't back down--she can't fly with chicken pox, and too bad for you about the cost.

The doctor was almost positive it's chicken pox but said we wouldn't know for sure until they formed blisters. And if it is, Jenny will be contagious for another 3-7 days. And oh yeah, in the last few years they started realizing that the baby immunization isn't enough and these kids need a booster shot when they're 5 or 6. I guess we never got that memo.

Jenny started running a fever. Amy is stocking up on Tylenol and Aveeno. She'll be a great mom for Jenny over this time, but she won't be me.

I think I'll just go cry for a while.

Quote of the Day:
"This way I'll get to stay longer!!"
--Jenny

UPDATE: Paul called Southwest this evening and got someone who again said no, we can't do anything. But then he called in a supervisor, who said, Well, if it's the same type of ticket, maybe. And so they found one hidden slot and booked Jenny for a Tuesday flight, which gives her pocks 4 days to scab over. Yay for Southwest. Pray that she will be able to fly then.

9 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear about Jenny coming down with chicken pox; hope she is not too miserable. They keep on changing the immunization schedule-I was surprised when I went to the MD for a dog bite (and tetanus shot) to learn that they now want adults to get a pertussis booster too.
    About SW Airlines policy -- it seems unfortunate that they won't work with you. Did your husband ask to speak to a supervisor after speaking to the representative and getting nowhere?
    Blessings, Aimee

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  2. yeah, i wasn't too happy to find out last year in thailand that all our unfortunate children who had the shot would know have to be boostered every 5 years!! but at least they say you don't get it as bad if you have the shot..... but yeah, away from mom, that's probably harder on mom than child :) hope it works well!
    becki S

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  3. As was mentioned, if you get the vaccine, you need a booster about every five years. the bad thing is..how many late teenagers and adults are going to go get a booster? And then the cp is actually quite bad to get. It probably is better to actually get the "disease" and know you are immune for life. Elaine

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  4. Hmm--I need to check into this booster thing. I didn't know it either. I finally got Maria the shot because it seemed she was exposed at very inconvenient times. Sorry; I wish Jenny could be with you. Maybe your daughters are getting some "mommy" practice.

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  5. If this is of any comfort, we had a son who had chicken pox several times! Everytime it made its appearance in school, he got it. It quit after he got to be a teen. Maybe he is now immunized for life.

    And he grew up and is normal, as normal as a 28 year old can be.

    Count your blessings - now you have another story to add to your collection!

    Sandra Miller

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  6. I am so sorry! :-(

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  7. Matt got pulled over by Corvallis Police the other night. I heard it on the scanner.

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  8. How awful for you....

    And bummer, because my son never had the shot (I don't trust them, especially for mild diseases like chickenpox) and so I want him to get them before puberty....But doggone it, I never know anyone with chickenpox...so he will have to get the shot if he doesn't catch them!!!

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