I was supposed to fly to Jakarta this evening but I decided to cancel my trip given that the twins both contracted chicken pox. Yes, chicken pox — that common illness viewed by most people as some sort of rite of passage, something that every child goes through once in his lifetime.
The disease is common, true. But the danger is when it strikes too late in life — I had it in my early 20′s and it scarred me in more ways than one — or, as in the case of the twins, too early in life, as it is known to cause a more deadly complication among young children — pneumonia.
The pediatrician specifically told me to watch out for five things:
- very high fever
- non-stop coughing
- difficulty in breathing
- blue peripheries
- overall weakness and/or loss of appetite
With this in mind, you can imagine the scare that I got yesterday when Twin2 kept coughing and coughing until he vomited. And what he threw up was extremely hot — a very clear indication of his internal temperature. Hence, my decision to cancel my trip and stay at home to monitor their condition closely today.
Suffice to say that I had a hard time, not so much because they needed a lot of tending, but mainly because they practically wouldn’t let me out of their sight. When I tried to slip away to check on office email, for instance, they efficiently managed to track me down within five minutes of my disappearance and started crying and screaming in unison while banging on the locked door.
I guess they’re feeling a lot better now, judging from the way they’ve been jumping up and down the couch, bickering over their toys and even managing a punch or two between them. For once I was thankful to see them fighting with each other!
I was actually thinking that you’d cancel your trip that day I saw your tweet. I hope they are much better now.
Whew, chicken pox, I had a bad memory with that too, my very first time to experience being a bride’s maid and I got that, so i had to stay home to recuperate…oh well. Get well soon to the twins!
i’m glad to hear they’re better now. =) i can’t imagine how it would be when it’s my little girl’s turn.
Chicken pox is not fun – had that when I was 22 y/o and yes, it does suck! I couldn’t work for a week!
The funny thing is — the entire nursery/playschool had to be closed down because so many of the children came down with chicken pox! So the twins get an extra week this week to recuperate at home.
Oh no, I hope they feel better soon :( I hated it when I had chicken pox. I didn’t know at first that they were, so I scratched.. meh, now I have scars to remember it by.
How are your babies? :(
I hope they are feeling much better!