Chicken.

My boys spent the night with their Grandparents on Saturday night. When they came home Sunday evening, The Teenager was covered with some little, some very large bumps on his face and arms.
Because I am a “Nut of a Mother!” I immediately freaked out.
“THE CHICKEN POX!!” I screamed.
“But he’s been vaccinated against the chicken pox! It can’t be!”
So for an entire day, I looked at pictures of The Pox online and I compulsively checked my son. They didn’t look like chicken pox, he hadn’t had a fever… as far as I know, he hadn’t been around anyone who had the chicken pox, so what in the hell?
Last night I took him to urgent care looking for answers.
“We can’t DO anything for chicken pox” snapped one of the nurses.
“I KNOW that.” I snapped back. “that’s not why I’m here. I’m here because I need to know if it IS the chicken pox so I know if I can send him to school or not.”
Shut her rude ass up.
They receptionist had called ahead of time to let them know that it was “possible chicken pox” so I was SHOCKED to see that the doctor they sent to see us was pregnant.
Pregnant lady + chicken pox = me scared. What were they thinking? Wasn’t there a doctor there who wasn’t pregnant that they could have sent in? Anyway…
She put a pair of gloves on and began to examine my son.
“Hmmm” she said. “It doesn’t look like chicken pox. But… It could be!”
Naturally, I was like “WTF does that mean? Does he have it or doesn’t he?”
“I’m not sure. I mean, it doesn’t look like typical chicken pox, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not chicken pox.”
She went to get another doctor to get a second opinion.
I was hopeful that the new doctor would give me an answer.
She came in, examined him carefully and said “I don’t know. It could be, but then again, it might not be.”
So, basically “your guess is our good as ours, but thanks for wasting an hour of your life and $10 on a co-pay!”
I have no idea if it is or isn’t chicken pox, but either way, I’m trying to keep both of the other kids away from him and when you have a little girl who thinks her big brubber is The Son of God, it’s NOT easy.
“But, I LOOOOOOOOVE HIM SO MUUUUUCH I WANT TO HUUUUUUG HIM MOMMEEEEEE PLEEEEASE?”
Maybe I’ll let her eat some cookie dough to distract her!
Good Lord– The Cookie Dough. I had no idea that Cookie Dough was SO SERIOUS.
The Pro-Doughs are all:
“Let your little girl enjoy her childhood! How dare you take away the joy of raw cookie dough from her! She has a greater chance of dying from a car accident then from raw egg you freak!”
Meanwhile, The Anti-Doughs are all:
“I will NEVER let my kids eat anything with raw egg in it. WHY WOULD I PUT SOMETHING IN THEIR MOUTH THAT COULD POSSIBLY KILL THEM?!”
Honestly, the reaction to that post (which, by the way, I almost deleted because I thought “who’s going to care about stupid cookie dough?”) is going on the list of “Reasons That I Love The Internet”, right next to Her blog.
I really enjoyed reading through all of your opinions on The Dough and am thinking that maybe I’ll start a weekly installment of “am I crazy for not letting my kids…”
Because if I loved hearing the different opinions on COOKIE DOUGH! I can only imagine what would be in store for me if I wrote about about the time I refused to let my boys eat the food from a Mexican caterer that I saw pick up pieces of raw chicken with her bare hands and then walk over and pick up tortillas with those same hands without washing them first. (Although, I think that raw chicken is worse than raw egg and no one could call me crazy for that, would they? Or, would they?)
Or maybe I’m just looking for a little validation from The Internet that I’m not crazy.
Ha.

54 thoughts on “Chicken.

  1. lani

    You’re not crazy, your an awesome Mom. Hope its not chicken pox… too bad you got such a wishy-washy answer from the “professionals”. I’ve been told chicken pox usually starts out on the stomach/torso, so if its not there it’s likely not chicken pox, but that’s a non-professional talking here. Maybe hives… an allergic reaction to something. Has he been exposed to anything new? He hasn’t been eating raw cookie dough, has he? 🙂

  2. Kimberly

    Oooooooooh gross, I let my kids eat cookie dough but I would TOTALLY have freaked out at that chicken thing.
    EW ewewwewewewew.

  3. Smiling Mom

    I’m pro cookie dough, but wear gloves when handling raw meat. It’s so bad that my son, 3.5, runs to get the disposable gloves when I take the meat out of the fridge. 🙂 We all have a bit of the crazy in us!

  4. mel from freak parade

    Eww. I never would have let my kids eat the food from that caterer either…..but I am just a tad bit fanatical about that kind of stuff. But we do eat cookie dough. Doctors are geniuses sometimes….when my son got chicken pox from the vaccine, the doctors refused to admit that. They diagnosed him with a “chicken pox-like virus” What the? Treatment…..oatmeal baths, calamine lotion, don’t scratch, stay away from others not exposed to chicken pox. Hmmmm, sounds vaguely like the freakin’ chicken pox to me. Lame. Hope he gets better soon.

  5. CharmingDriver

    I hope it’s not The Pox because: UGH.
    Also, I meant to comment on “The Great Cookie Dough Debate of Ought 8” something I read over the holidays that I thought was applicable (because seriously Y, depriving her of cookie dough is like taking away the greatest coping mechanism EVER; there is nothing cookie dough can’t cure, yo).
    Annnnnnnyway: A good mom lets their kids lick the batter (or dough) off the beaters. A great mom turns them off first.
    HEEEEEE!!

  6. Maria

    The raw chicken is definitely a no-no for me.
    I’m not pro-dough nor am I anti-dough. I know it is bad, but I do it anyway. I prefer cake batter myself. My ultimate comfort food is eating cake batter.

  7. Laura

    My son had the pox years after the vaccine and it was just a very mild case – minimal itchy bumps but no fever so it could be that.
    RE: Cookie dough – I never thought anything of it until my 2 year old got salmonella and now I am freaked by it.
    She was terribly sick for two weeks and they couldn’t figure out what it was and by the time they did she was over it but the health department was all up in my face with their surveys. Final conclusion was she had gotten it from a turtle that had wandered through our yard but I still shudder at raw eggs.

  8. Jeanette

    I absolutely would not have let my kids eat that Mexican food either! Sounds like she had very unsanitary practices which means who knows what else she did/didn’t do, know what I meean? Remember, it’s always better to be more cautious. When in doubt, don’t.

  9. Jane

    I’m 27 and I’ve never had chicken pox. When my brother had it, my mom was doing everything in her power to infect me. Didn’t work. All it did was convince me she loves him more.

  10. jadine

    That’s it. No more raw turtles at my house!
    (We actually had an aquatic turtle for years that we had rescued, and were pretty pathological about hand-washing after touching him).
    Raw chicken? Gross! I zip my hands into freezer bags before touching raw meat.
    Cookie dough? Yum. I just choose not to think about it when the kids or I lick the spoon/beaters/bowl…which is rare-ish anyway.
    Chicken pox? Doesn’t sound like your typical chicken pox that your son has. You can definitely get them after the vaccination or after already having had them, and the doctor has probably both had them herself AND had the vaccination AND decided not to lick any suspicious spots, no matter how tempting.
    And you’re right about everything. Always.
    Tada! More unsolicited opinion! 🙂

  11. norm

    My kids all had chicken pox a while back, so they didn’t need the vaccine. And then … some of them got it again. And I’ve heard of people getting vaccinated against it that got it anyway.
    I think the virus is evolving. And I think the med.prof. is not paying attention.

  12. Sallyjo

    ummm, When I was pregnant with my 4th child, the other three all broke out with the chicken pox.. If you’ve had the chicken pox already as a child, its safe to be around a person with chicken pox, pregnant or not. now if you have not ever ever had them, are pregnant, and get around somebody with chicken pox, then you can have a problem….

  13. Marriage-101

    You should’ve posted a picture of The Pox so WE could diagnose him because clearly the Internets are more intelligent than your docs 🙂
    And you’re not crazy. I wouldn’t have let my kids eat food prepared by that person either. Of course, if I even LOOK through the window at my local fast food places and see who’s cooking my food, I almost always am grossed out by what I see. Maybe I should just stop eating out and grow my own food. (Would THAT be crazy? Because I’m totally thinking about doing it.)

  14. Janet

    Yeah. We just had chicken pox in the house. First it was my daughter, who, incidentally, already had the damn pox at two. It was a mild case the first time. But still. That’s just not right.
    Then, the other two kids (who both received the vaccine six months ago) had all of the precursor symptoms: fever, sore throat, aching stomach. But no spots. Well, maybe the toddler did. I can’t tell, with her excessive eczema. Stupid chicken pox.
    Speaking of chicken…I am a freak about raw chicken. One time, a friend was making my family chicken for dinner and she only rinsed her hands with plain water after handling the raw chicken. It took all of my willpower not to forcibly soap her hands.

  15. Hope

    Raw chicken is teh naaaaaaasty. I’ve made frosting with raw eggs before, but I would NEVER eat something that I saw get handled by someone with raw chicken on their hands.

  16. Laurie

    I don’t think you are crazy for either situation, cookie dough or raw chicken. Although the raw chicken is definitely worse! I can’t even allow myself to eat raw cookie dough because of the eggs, I can’t imagine letting my kids eat it!

  17. ruralfelicity

    Spots: not to create panic, but bed bugs?? Those things have been my fear anytime I see a spot on my kids. I know somebody who had them and it took MONTHS to diagnose the problem.
    Cookie dough: I don’t usually let my kids eat the cookie dough because I’m saving it for myself!! LOL They usually get a bite or two, though, but I usually hand down the drama filled statement, “I sure HOPE we don’t get SICK from eating RAW eggs…” Thanks to my mother who would let us sneak a bite or two and then freak out that we might get sick. LOL

  18. Dani

    I think the cookie dough debate is fascinating. Even though you’re in the “No Dough” camp, I still think you are truly a great mom. Your kids couldn’t possibly have a better mom.
    You know what’s scary? I’m 32 and I’ve NEVER had chicken pox. Evar. There was no vaccine when I was little (obviously), so either I have a natural immunity or I am asking for a world of pain. I hope “The Teenager” doesn’t have them. They’re wicked when you get them when you’re older.

  19. Liza's Eyeview

    Sooooo… does he have chicken pox or not?
    Cookie Dough? I let my kids eat some. They’re still alive.
    Here’s hoping those bumps are not chicken pox and they’re gone by now (could be allergic reaction to something, like what dd had when she played with some mango tree branches)….
    Liza

  20. Becki

    My daughter got the chicken pox vaccine when she was a baby. Instead of getting chicken pox, she got shingles. At age 3. It was horrible and apparently not that uncommon when children get the chicken pox vaccine.

  21. Susan

    My son, too, had a mild case of the chicken pox a few years after getting vaccinated. It does happen.
    Becki (above): My daughter had the shingles at age 6 (I agree – HORRIBLE!!!) and she had never had the vaccine. She had had a full blown case of the chicken pox after contracting it from her vaccinated brother. As long as you have ever had the chicken pox (vaccinated or not), you run the risk of getting shingles someday. But, I think it’s fairly uncommon in children. We’re just the lucky ones. 😉

  22. SassyPants

    You are definitely NOT crazy (except in the really good and fun crazy way). I’m a dough eater and I share with my kids (when I have to) but that doesn’t mean what I do is always right. Pfftt… me always right? That is funny!!!
    Please don’t take us Internets too seriously.

  23. Kris

    OMG you don’t let your children eat MEXICAN FOOD do you? *gasp*
    Kidding.
    Seriously though – yo, the pox vaccination is like taking birth control pills. It’s not 100%. It doesn’t mean you WON’T get pregnant. It just means the likelihood is much, much less.
    BTW, if you’ve had pox before you CAN get them again (if the first case was not enough to build up an immunity.)

  24. mothergoosemouse

    Not sure if someone already said this, but they can culture the goo from the blisters to determine whether it’s the pox or not. Doesn’t always work though – they tried to do this for my daughter when we suspected she had it, but the results were inconclusive, whatever. I ended up keeping her home for a week, which was torture for both of us.
    Raw chicken is a definite problem. Buffets in general are a haven for foodborne illness.

  25. Stephanie

    Last year my daugther and I came up with something my doctor didn’t know if it was chicken pox or not, same thing, looked a little like it, but not quite. Finally her peditrician figured it out, we both had a staff infection from the hottub. to little of chlorine in it. So if he’s been swimming or hot tubbing it could be it. And if it is, it hurts like hell.

  26. abi

    My 4-year-old is just getting over chicken pox, even though he’s been vaccinated against it. When he started getting spotty over Christmas break, I was all, “That CAN’T be the pox! He had the vaccine!” but some internet research and a talk with my pediatrician taught me that the vaccine is only 85-90% effective, although kids who’ve been vaccinated usually get much milder (and sometimes weirder) cases than non-vaccinated kids. David’s run with chicken pox hasn’t presented quite like a typical case, which my pediatrician said is because of the vaccine – he hasn’t had the sore throat or fever, and the spots he started out with kind of faded away into itchy patches instead of blistering and scabbing over.
    You’ll make yourself crazy if you try to quarantine your son away from the rest of the family, though. If this is chicken pox, he was contagious before he started showing symptoms, so you’ve all already been exposed. If your kids have all been vaccinated, they’re less likely to catch it (although not completely immune, obviously). My 2-year-old has also been vaccinated, and he managed to not get it from the 4-year-old; and my husband and I both had full-blown cases when we were kids, so we’re fine, too. (And incidentally, I’m pregnant, so I was worried at first – but my OB reassured me that since I had pox as a kid, I’m immune, and the fetus is, too. And I got pregnant while I was religiously taking my 99%-effective birth control pill, so just ask me how I feel about medical probability right now.)

  27. ShortyMom

    I took my son in for a visit when he got up one morning complaining about a headache and dizziness. He had a spot on his hip the night before that I thought was another bout of ringworm we suffered with through the summer. That afternoon he had more red spots and I cringed at the thought of chicken pox. His doctor said to keep him away from pregnant women but she thought it was a staff infection and not the chicken pox. Staff infection was right when the antibiotic she prescribed started clearing them up within a couple of days. The longer they go untreated, the more they look like a big pimple. Hope you get it figured out!

  28. ShortyMom

    I took my son in for a visit when he got up one morning complaining about a headache and dizziness. He had a spot on his hip the night before that I thought was another bout of ringworm we suffered with through the summer. That afternoon he had more red spots and I cringed at the thought of chicken pox. His doctor said to keep him away from pregnant women but she thought it was a staff infection and not the chicken pox. Staff infection was right when the antibiotic she prescribed started clearing them up within a couple of days. The longer they go untreated, the more they look like a big pimple. Hope you get it figured out!

  29. Y

    ok, now y’all have me freaked out because I just looked up staph infection and I’m not even kidding, I think it could be that.
    Am calling doctor RIGHT NOW.

  30. Helen

    The raw chicken thing would have freaked me out! Chicken POX however…all 6 of my kids have had it, not even a vaccine available in the UK, we still have the “let ’em get it young 2 mentality, have chicken pox parties to get it all over with. Never seen a problem bigger than picking the scabs ( STOP will scar you!) Hope spotty boy gets well or unspotty very soon.

  31. Faith

    I’ve heard that staph infections are a bit rampant lately. That’s probably a real good guess, actually. I’d think the big diff between staph and pox would be the itching factor. Are staph bumps itchy? WebMD doesn’t mention that as one of the symptoms of staph…so that might be a big clue right there.

  32. ShortyMom

    Itching wasn’t one of the symptoms for staph that I found either but it was all I could do to keep my him from scratching and spreading his staph infection. I was even giving him benedryl to help ease the itching and help him stop scratching.

  33. Susan

    ^Yep, my son had a staph infection last year and it itched like crazy. I thought it was a bad spider bite, until it got markedly worse!

  34. Tracy

    Well, it’s probably too late now, but when my daughter started getting “the pox” (at 23 months) the doc had us put her in a really warm bath, and it made the bumps “come out” – seriously. So – Maybe make him sit in a tub and see if it gets worse. Also – has anything else changed? Fabric softener, detergent, soap, etc? Could just be allergies. Our son is allergic to GREEN BEANS. Can you stand it? Who the hell is allergic to green beans?
    Also – all of our kids had to be re-boostered for chicken pox. Not sure why – but the last time we had them all in for a check up they gave them another booster – and the kids are all different ages (7, 9, 11), and all had the shots when they were babies. Apparently kids were getting it anyway.
    And I agree on the caterer thing – Raw chicken can have all sorts of crap on it. With cookie dough, you’re not that likely to get anything from it unless stuff from the outside of the shell gets in there. Ick.

  35. Susan

    Yes, they are saying the shots aren’t lasting and kids should get a booster again in later years. I heard that not long ago. (Thanks for the reminder, Tracy!)

  36. The Autumn Dahlia

    Don’t they know that a very innocent case of chicken pox in a kid can make for a very icky case of shingles in adult?? And not fun in a not-prego adult. Ick, ick, ick! Hope everything is ok!

  37. Charity

    My sister had chicken pox 3 times. Once when she was about 2years old (a very light case), and then again when she was 14 & 16! The 3rd time my dad caught it and had shingles… not fun at all. Thankfully everyone is healthy now and the entire family has now been exposed and recovered so don’t worry too much. He should be fine!

  38. Ann

    I have been reading the post on chicken pox and my son has them for the 3rd time now and has been vaccinated! I am so furious! I would have never given him the shot if they had not told me “way back when” that he wouldn’t get them. He actually had blood drawn this week to check his titer to see if he had an immune problem and get this…they did cultures of two of the pox sites and told me that it could be a wild strand of pox that they haven’t yet discovered or that the shot was not effect for! Uuuuggghhh! I use to work in the medical field and I now can say that I hate it! I am convinced now more than ever that my daughter will not receive the new cervical cancer vaccine because who knows what that shot is going to do to her when she is 20…what if it ends up causing sterility in all these girls. It is too new to know. It was too new when they administered the pox vaccine to my son. Sorry to vent but I am very angry. Has anyone else encountered this many times with their child after having been vaccinated?

  39. Ann

    The docs say it is staph!!!!!! Not chicken pox! He showed me pictures of it and it looks just like chicken pox. His his titer for the pox showed that he was immune to the pox. Now he is allergic to the antibiotics and is seeing dermatologist this week. Frustrating!

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