EBV

It has now been long enough that we won't scare any of our friends from hugging Alec ever again so we can unveil the scary pictures. Many of you will remember Alec's rare reaction to the common Epstein-Barr Virus. Most kids just exhibit symptoms similar to that of a bad cold, Alec broke out in a crazy rash that extended into his mouth and throat making eating very painful. The rash itself wasn't bothersome, no itching or burning but as these pictures can attest it was awful-looking.

These pictures are chronological so you can see how the rash developed: first the face then back, torso, and finally extremities. His face got less swollen as the rash progressed from red raised dots to purple patches.



Silver Lining? Yes, there is always a silver lining. Because Alec's mouth hurt so bad from the sores he couldn't suck on his pacifier (he has only ever been able to have it while sleeping). The first night it bothered him alot, he cried for a little bit, then fell asleep holding his pacifer. The next night he just held it without crying any and the following night he didn't need to hold it at all. He was completely weened. Charlie still uses the exact same kind and he has never asked to have it back. Whew! We were bracing ourselves for quite a transition but I guess all you need is a little, violent, harmless attack of EBV. Totally recommend it.