Measles

The measles. is an interesting illness, and these days of course with the vaccinations all sorts of issues are raised when children fall ill with them. None of our children have been vaccinated fully, for various reasons. And the last week has been a heart rending, tiring, soul searching time for me. I stand by my decisions and here are some rather awful photos of my beautiful, strong, never to suffer from measles again boys! Yes, it was horrible and difficult and scary even at times, but they are finally through the worst (i hope) and will feel better in the next few days...
The photos are not of the worst period, there was a 24 hour stretch where Ivor would not let go of me, and his breathing and heart rate and temperature all soared. I therefore could not take photos. I was close to tears as I woke this morning, not only from lack of sleep but also to see my baby covered in the rash, his eyes glued together with conjunctivitis, his nose blocked and I was unable to touch it without upsetting him and now, the cough. yes, not a fun time. Now I shall keep them in for at least a week as the immune system is attacked and very low - the risk of secondary infection is high, apparently, especially on the lungs. It is a respiratory disease. Please dont be shocked by these photos, and remember, they all looked worse at the peak... How amazing is the human body, how lucky I am to bring up my boys in comfort, warmth, hygiene and good nutrition. The peas in the garden have helped, I am sure!!! (I picked hundreds today...)Thanks due to Justin who took over from me for a few hours every day.