chicken pox

We have it! Well, Gabrielle does, Madeline I am unsure of. She has all the symptoms, is itchy, but I can only see just a couple of very small spots. Getting and having chicken pox has been a lesson is just how much vaccines has changed life. 20 years ago the vast majority of children got chicken pox, it was a common occurrence. Not the case now days. A couple months ago I send out e-mails to everyone I know who might possible get chicken pox and might be willing to pass it along. Early this month I heard about a family that I knew slightly that had it, the very next day I was over with another mom hoping our children would get it. Exactly 16 days later after a week of cold like symptoms, odd rashes, fevers, Gabrielle broke out in pox. During that time I was unsure of proper protocol, do I warn follow parents that my children might be contagious, stay at home, or do nothing? I choose a combo, telling some friends that we might be getting it, going out to some of our normal activities, but trying to stay away from small babies. Now Gabrielle does obviously have it so I am keeping her at home with me, but am sending Madeline out with dad. Another mom and I were chatting about this, she was been made unwelcome at her regular playgroup because her child might be getting chicken pox, I feel some pressure to keep quiet about Gabrielle because then Madeline's dance class moms will find out, it seems to be an environment where they wouldn't take so kindly to their children being exposed to chicken pox, vaccine or not. 

Maybe I analyse this this much. Ever since having Gabrielle and going through all the illness and resulting health issues with her, I try not to pass illness on to others. Before Gabrielle, if Madeline had a nasty cough or a runny nose with interesting colors coming out then yes we'd stay home, but a little dry cough or clear runny nose then we'd go out. Now I don't want to take the chance of giving an illness to another child, and had the chicken pox not been much a long incubation period and recovery then I probably would of been at home during that time. Maybe if that one person that had a nasty cough had stayed home, then maybe Ryan wouldn't of gotten pertussis, maybe Gabrielle wouldn't of gotten it as a newborn, maybe she wouldn't of struggled so much in her short life.... maybe.... I think of the hell we went though, the pertussis, all the numerous colds that made it worse, the influenza, the croup, the RSV, this last nasty virus, her being on O2 for 6 months, the utter fear of her getting ill again, the inhalers that she requires now when she gets sick, I wouldn't wish any of it on anyone.