Chickenpox – The Finale

The chickenpox blisters have all dried up. Some of the scabs have even fallen off. There are three or four very visible scars on my face, mostly on the right cheek. The scabs came off prematurely while I was cleansing my face. I am not too bothered by it. I already have acne scars from my teenage years. A few more will not make it any worse.

The worst phase of the chickenpox infection was during the first few days when I had fever and lost my appetite. Wuan applied aleo vera gel on the lesions which were painful at times. That was refreshing although I had problems washing it off as it became slimy on contact with water. I took Panadols sparingly just to tide me through the feverish episodes. I took one dose of Loratadine which did not help in reducing the itch at all. It did take much to restrain myself from scratching the itch. I have gone through worse due to my renal failure.

For the past two weeks, Wuan has been buying coconut water for me to drink. It is believed that coconut water can reduce the heatiness in the body caused by the infection. If nothing else, it was a refreshing change from the plain water that I have been drinking. I have to stop taking it now that I have recovered. Coconut water is rich in potassium which is not good for my failing kidneys.

My food is even blander than usual. I have not had a taste of soya sauce since the infection. Soya sauce is believed to cause the scars to turn darker. In fact, I have not had a good meal since with all those taboos and whatnots except last Sunday when my resistance for good food was at it lowest. Out went all the chickenpox pantang-larang which saw the most filling meal I have had for two weeks at Italiannies in The Curve.

This was an infection that was waiting to happen for the past 43 years of my life, not to say that I was looking forward to it. Fortunately for me and everyone else, this only happens once in each of our lifetime. Now that it has come to pass, I can add another notch to the imaginary walking stick of my journey through life.

Author: Peter Tan

Peter Gabriel Tan. Penangite residing in the Klang Valley. Blissfully married to Wuan. A LaSallian through and through. Slave to three cats. Wheelchair user since 1984. End-stage renal disease since 2017. Principal Facilitator at Peter Tan Training specialising in Disability Equality Training. Former columnist of Breaking Barriers with The Borneo Post. This blog chronicles my life, thoughts and opinions. Connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.

11 thoughts on “Chickenpox – The Finale”

  1. Glad it almost comes to the end.

    CNY can eat hor liao di! 😀

    Peter:
    Still cannot simply eat. Need to pantang for another 80 days. So CNY goodies can see mostly cannot eat.

  2. Hope you are much recovered by today, Peter.

    I used the leaves from cherry trees to reduce the itch on the pox back in 1992.
    Slept on those leaves for a week and the itch was reduced alot..

    If u can find cherry trees on the roadside, dont hesitate to get the leaves and
    spread ’em on your bed and sleep on them..

    Good luck, Peter!

    Peter:
    Thanks for the tip Andy. There is no more itching now.

  3. Why do you have to pantang for another 80 days after weeks of pantang-ing? -__-lll

    Peter:
    That is to ensure that the body is completely healed before we start to abuse it again with all the toxic food. That is what the belief is lar.

  4. but it can happen again wor… in the form of shingles. That’s what the doctor says.

    Peter:
    Yes, that is possible but it will not break out all over the body like chickenpox.

  5. I haven’t gotten chicken pox in my life before! anyhow, gong xi fa cai!! have a good one, you and wuan!

    Peter:
    Gong xi fa cai to you too!

  6. Glad you’re thru that rite of passage.I had chickenpox when I was in kindergarten-some nice kid was handing it out in spadefuls to the whole school.
    Then in SXI mental institution, some joker thought it fit to pass the TB s**t to the whole class.Didn’t find out until some of us in the same class applied to study overseas and flunked our medicals.
    Sometimes,it hurts to receive.

    Peter:
    It is always better to give… Gong xi fa cai to you and your family.

  7. I am the same age as you are and never gotten infected with chicken pox. Chicken pox infection can be dangerous when you are an adult. It can lead to serious complications. I was very concerned and got vaccinated more than 10 years ago. I grew up in KL, left for studies in the US and decided to stay on. I am unsure if the vaccine is available in Malaysia. I would advice any adults who have not had chicken pox to get vaccinated.
    Take care and enjoy the CNY holidays if you can.

    Peter:
    The vaccine is available in Malaysia. Gong xi fa cai!

  8. Since you don’t have newer post, just like me, so I wish you here lah.

    Happy Chinese New Year! Hope you enjoy it to the fullest, even though have to tahan a bit. 😀 Cheers!

    Peter:
    Keong hee, keong hee. Here’s wishing you prosperity and abundance in the Year of the Ox.

  9. Ah timely. Today’s the 2nd day of my infectious chicken pox and i stumbled on ur blog post. Itching all over but hopefully it doesn’t leave any permanent marks on me la :/
    So i understand what you say by “CNY goodies can see mostly cannot eat”. Missing the cookies and bah kua!

    Peter:
    Here’s wishing you a speedy recovery. Don’t scratch, don’t break the blisters, don’t peel off the scabs!

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