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November 18, 2003
***Can't protect them from everything?***
I believe in immunization. Russia is a country where there is a very real risk of contracting diseases like tuberculosis and diptheria. Andrei and Anna have received all the recommended (in Russia) immunizations: tuberculosis and hepatitis (given right in the hospital at birth) tetanus/diptheria/whooping cough/, MMR, polio, plus their annual flu shot ... but they haven't had the chicken pox vaccine, since it is not widely administered in Europe, and practically unavailable in Russia.
Like most of us, I had chicken pox as a child. I was 6 years old and I still remember the awful itchiness of it.
At the beginning of last week, Dima had a few itchy bumps on his waist. He thought they were bug bites, but by Friday, there were a lot more of them; a 2-inch patch on his front, and a smaller patch on his back. I made him go to the doctor, and we were both shocked to find out he has SHINGLES! Shingles is a re-activation of the chicken pox virus, which lives in anybody who has even had chicken pox, it just lies dormant in the body, and for most people, never causes any trouble again. In shingles, an event such as weakened immune system, a cold, or other factors including stress (!!) causes the virus to wake up and attack nerves (usually in the torso or the face), leaving a path of destruction and pain. It also causes this really disgusting looking but very localized rash, corresponding to the chosen target. Apparently, for many, shingles is excruciatingly painful, but Dima has had just intense itching on the site of the rash. Since Friday's appointment, he's been taking anti-viral drugs, putting on special cream 6 times a day, and I've been giving him daily injections in the butt (not fun for either of us). He feels fine and we are both very thankful for that, but the sucky (REALLY sucky) part is that while he is of no danger to anyone who's had chicken pox (shingles is not contagious - you can't give it to someone else), since the virus that causes shingles and chicken pox is one and the same, he can give chicken pox to those who've never had it - ie. Andrei and Anna. That can probably only happen if the kids have direct contact with the rash, and could have been avoided if Dima had kept himself covered up, but for almost a week before his diagnosis, he was walking around the apartment topless (sorry if that's too much info!!), carrying the kids around, giving them their baths, doing his morning exercises without his shirt on... so it's a big chance they've had exposure.
Wah! I don't want my kids to get chicken pox!! Everyone I've talked to says it's good if they get it now, rather than later, that it's a mild (if itchy) childhood disease, and we've all had it, but I'll repeat myself and say: I don't want them to get it!! If in the next 3 weeks they don't get sick, I'm going to track down the varicella vaccine and if my dad thinks it's a good idea, they're having it.
***A word about my dad***
My dad is my hero. Usually, there comes a time in a kid's life when she realizes her parents don't know everything. I'm 32, and I still haven't come to that realization. My dad is a biochemist (developing a drug against prostate cancer). He's co-written books on nutrition. In the 1980's he developed the diet for the Canadian Olympic rowing team. In his downtime, he renovates houses, builds furniture and is an excellent photographer. He's a superb cook, and he knows how to sail. He is much too far away from me, and though I haven't lived in the same country with him since I was 17, he still phones me every Sunday evening, and I still miss him. I wish Andrei and Anna got to see him for more than one week a year.
Childhood memories with my dad:
My dad gave me raisins when my brother was getting breastfed (I was 2)
He explained why there were so many worms on the ground after it rained out (I was 3)
He took me to his lab on the weekends when he had to check on experiments (from 2 - 16)
He showed me how the solar system worked - with a big yellow mug for the Sun and balls of tinfoil for the planets (I was 5)
He drove my brother and I from Victoria, B.C. to Disneyland and back (I was 10)
He bought me a calculator when I could do the multiplication tables faster than he could (I was 9)
He played catch with me in the backyard (I was between 8 and 12)
He and I discovered computers together (it the very early 1980s and we had one of the first PCs in the city, we programmed in Pascal and Fortran and played Zork. There was no internet and no Windows).
He was the one who was there when I got my first period (I was 9).
My dad always tells me the truth, even when it hurts.
***Dima and I***
The shingles are probably the result of stress. Dima's a banker, and in the past months, his work has been very stressful. I don't know about bankers in other countries, but here in Russia, it's not just a job, it's an image. You have to have the right car, the right suits, watch, lifestyle ... wife. I don't fit the picture of a banker's wife. Most people are amazed that I work. That's not part of the "image". I am supposed to be arm decoration: be tanned, dress very flashy, high heels, Versace, diamond bellybutton ring, hairstyled, made up, go to the tanning salon, massage, clothes shopping (which I hate hate hate to do), the gym... of that list, the only thing I do is go to the gym, and when people meet me, their first impression is not of banker's wife, but of former athlete. In fact, I am a former athlete (actually ballet dancer), as is Dima (boxer). Since this post is already really long, I'll conclude by promising to write my next entry about physical fitness and our family (if the kids don't get chicken pox).
***Andrei and Anna***
Andrei and Anna are fine. Anna has become very attached to me in the past month or so, and doesn't want to let me go when the nanny comes. She'll do anything from totally ignoring Vika, to gripping my knees crying hysterically. She calms down as soon as I'm out of sight, but it's so hard to leave if she's upset or crying. Both Andrei and Anna love to hug me, and I love it, too. For some reason, Andrei's been in a "mom only" phase for a while, he doesn't want Dima to hug him, or give him his shower or put him to bed. It surprises us, because before that, he was more of a daddy's boy. Perhaps it's because Dima's been around much less, with his new job he often comes home late an works on weekends. It's hard for him, though.
Still looking for Christmas gift ideas. I still have a lot of time before Dec. 31, but any suggestions would be appreciated.
Warm regards,
Lisa
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