Chickenpox autism and refusals

The last day of school I was called in to collect Z he wasn’t himself, a little warm and basically just saying every word he knew with a few spots on his belly.

Chickenpox, even though they didn’t quite look like the pox spots. I thought he may have had a sore throat as the night before he was dribbling loads so I was keeping an eye out for tonsillitis even though he’d just had it, and for the first time done really well taking all his meds with hardly any spit outs.

Got him into the doctors that evening, after he had slept for around two hours.

Confirmed chickenpox and tonsillitis.

Great!!

He wasn’t to bad Friday took his antibiotics the same as Saturday, the banned iPad was taking his mind of the scratching until Sunday

Day three of spots, these starting coming lower down and we’re obviously itchy and painful, I couldn’t even get him in the bath to try the oats or any where near the hot tub.

Z doesn’t take calpol he’s always sick so we’ve been told to just say he’s allergic, we were managing with nurofen he’s been refusing that before and with chickenpox he’s not even allowed nurofen. The only thing we could do was mix half a dissolved paracetamol and use half of that in a smoothie to keep the temp down. Was working until day 3 when he was refusing everything. Not even a fruit shoot would do it.

On day 4 first lot of spots started scabbing over which was good news! But he’d not had a wee in over 24 hours, was refusing all drinks ( paracetamol in) and couldn’t get his antibiotics down him for tonsillitis so back to the doctor we went. We got some Piriton and some mousse from the chemist. Was told one wee in 24 hours was ok and not to worry as he wasn’t dehydrated, to keep his temp down by keeping the window open like I was.

He was really rough day 4, we did manage to get some Piriton down him, and he drank some smoothie and fruit shoot,

Day 5 and we’ve managed a bath, he’s lost so much weight, but he’s drank a full smoothie and eaten some crisps. Think chips for tea and see how he does.

Most spots are now scabbed hopefully that’s it, I have to keep an eye on infection because he’s prone to cellulites too.

Day 5 Tuesday

What I was more worried about was regression, when Z was 14 months he ended up in hospital with septic tonsillitis and hand foot and mouth, this is where i believe autism really showed up, Z had autism before but I think the trauma played a big part in regression. Before this he would eat anything, he didn’t babble or make eye contact so I’d be lying if I said he regressed there but his food he did. For days he ate breadsticks. I wouldn’t say now we have a fantastic diet far from it but we’re working hard each day to get more in his diet. The thought of loosing that again terrified me, the thought of loosing all his new words terrified me, the thought of having to start right back at beginning really did terrify me.

I’d say we’re over the worse today. He’s smiling, he’s laughing, he’s drank loads he’s been to the toilet and he’s still trying to communicate I think we may have survived the pox. I pray well never have it again. As for his tonsils they’ll be coming out!