No Contact

Dave was told by a dermatologist today to not have any contact with the twins for the next 3-5 days because he was just diagnosed with shingles.  Anybody who has not had chickenpox can get it from someone with shingles.  I've had chickenpox so I'm good.  The babies, being only 3 months old, of course have not.  The lack of sleep that comes from working a 7pm to 7am schedule (which is what he did last week) has taken its toll on my poor hubby.  A weak immune system and stress are two common causes of shingles.  

According to WebMD - When the virus that causes chickenpox reactivates, it causes shingles. Early symptoms of shingles include headache, sensitivity to light, and flu-like symptoms without a fever. You may then feel itching, tingling, or pain where a band, strip, or small area of rash may appear several days or weeks later. A rash can appear anywhere on the body but will be on only one side of the body, the left or right. The rash will first form blisters, then scab over, and finally clear up over a few weeks. This band of pain and rash is the clearest sign of shingles.

The rash caused by shingles is more painful than itchy. The nerve roots that supply sensation to your skin run in pathways on each side of your body. When the virus becomes reactivated, it travels up the nerve roots to the area of skin supplied by those specific nerve roots. This is why the rash can wrap around either the left or right side of your body, usually from the middle of your back toward your chest. 

And that is exactly where it is on Dave.  Poor man, it sure isn't pleasant to have and such a bummer that he'll feel that nerve damage for about a month even after the rash goes away.

Of course I do not want to take any chances with Suzie or Ian's health, but can I just express how much my heart sank when he told me he cannot have ANY contact with them for the next few days.  I think my eyes started to tear up right there on the spot with thoughts of constant round the clock day in day out feeding and care giving of the babes.

Dave worked nights last week I went almost 72 hours of doing all the feedings myself and it just about turned me into a looney person.  When Dave works days and comes home from work I usually go into our bedroom and am "off the clock" so I can rest and he does the evening and bedtime feeding.  This is great because it helps me get a few extra zzzs and rest up for getting up in the early morning.  Without that window of rest I turn into a robot - no emotions, no feeling, one word communication, loss of all sense of time and my personal hygiene tends to go out the window.  It gets bad, fast.  And now that's what I'm in for again.  Blah!!!  

I guess if I were to try to look at the sliver lining in all this it would be that he has it and not me.  If I got it we'd really be up the creek without a paddle!