Memory sharing time of when I had the chicken pox and when I had the measles. I remember when I had both and it wasn’t a fun time. While these memories were brought up by recent outbreaks, to me it’s more remembering a time when I was living in some crazy conditions as a kid.
Before I went into foster care my bio-mom kidnapped my brother and I while we visiting our grandma. At some point while we were staying with her, I got chicken pox. It was pretty miserable and I remember the one bedroom apartment we were staying in only had a stall shower. So her and her boyfriend stuck a washcloth over the drain and filled up two inches of water and splashed baking soda in it. I then would try to splash the water on me. It kind of helped a little bit I guess but I was still pretty miserable.
I remember later staying with my bio-dad and his girlfriend. I remember feeling real sick and then I started getting spots and I was worried I was getting a different looking version of the chicken pox. It was a bit of a confusing experience as a kid. I remember staying on a couch downstairs for over a week. I remember them telling me later that I what I had was the measles. So I guess now I’m pretty well protected against it. I later also had the MMR vaccine for school shot records so I guess I’m double covered?
Someone at church around my age got shingles. I really hope I can avoid that in the future. It doesn’t sound like a fun side effect of having had chickenpox in the past. I just thought I’d write these memories down some where while I still remember some of the details from that young age including later realizing I had been in one of those custody kidnappings that take place.