Happy to be at home.

Following up on the discharge post below.  So what happened?

On Thursday, I picked Xander up from pre-school.  He acted fine and looked great except for a few little bumps on his chin.  I didn't think much of it.  We went home and he ate a horse of a lunch. 

Friday, they were still there but not any worse.  Ron and I just assumed he had some hives that maybe got a little infected.  We were just keeping an eye on it.

Then on Saturday, they looked a little worse but they hadn't spread.  So we thought as long as he doesn't have a fever and they don't spread than we'll wait for Monday to take him to the pedi.

On Sunday they had spread.  Not knowing what chicken pox look like, we immediately started researching on the Web for pics.  Chicken Pox typically start on the torso and spread out.  Xander's were on his chin and on Sunday one on his nose, one on his ear, one on his hand, one ugly one on his ankle and two behind each knee on the back of his legs.  The pics we saw online of chicken pox looked like what Xander had so off to the hospital it was. 

We got to the ER, they thought chicken pox as well and started him immediately on IV acyclovir (anti-viral drug). 

For the immune compromised, chicken pox can be deadly.  Scary but true.

We got to the floor and started to prepare for war for the next 7 - 10 days, looking more like 10 days according to the pedi on the floor. There was also talk that this might be herpes and not chicken pox.  Um, herpes?  Isn't that some 20 year olds get from kissing on too many people? Well, whatever it is, at least it is all in the same family and the treatment is the same.

So if it was the chicken pox specifically, what they generally see is it spreading for about 5 - 7 days and then the leisions begin to heal.  For Xander, he would need to stay to be administered the IV acyclovir to help him fight off this virus and to be watched carefully to ensure he didn't also get any bacterial infections (because of his open leisions).
Xander kicked butt.  His leisions immediately began to scab over.  They called in Infectious Disease (ID) on the second day we were there.  They looked him over and said he was looking great.  They were impressed with how well he was doing.  ID said this just can't be the acyclovir doing this alone.  They said they thought his immune system was also fighting.  I was so thrilled beyond thrilled to hear this that I could have kissed that doctor.  Then ID said if he is looking this good tomorrow meaning no new leisions, they were all scabbed over and no fever we could go home!!!  I said, what?  Yep.  Home.  Now the ID doc was begging for me to slobber on him.

So after two days in the hospital, we were sprung.  I think that is the fastest recovery in chicken pox / herpes history for an immune compromised person in history.  Regardless of records, we are sooo thankful to be here rather than there. 

And yet again, I am in awe of Xander's resilience and fight.  He never ceases to amaze me.