Sickness in Solitary

My youngest kidlet has a fever. It started yesterday afternoon when he suddenly complained his forehead hurt and he fell asleep in the middle of a rather boisterous playdate. He's still feverish today, but he seems to be holding up fairly well.

I find it interesting how Pig Jr. reacts to being secluded during illness. As a general rule, we try to keep sick kidlets away from each other so that whatever has infected them does not spread like wildfire throughout the rest of the house. Horse gets twitchy after a day of resting in her room, but she loves to read and can spend a good long while entertaining herself that way. Rooster either sleeps a lot or whines that she wants to leave the confines of her sickbed. My coming in and out of her room to check on her is just not sufficient for her social life, even during times when she is highly contagious. Pig Jr. seems thrilled that he's stuck in his room and doesn't have to deal with everyone else.

Seriously, my boy was perfectly content today. I brought him a stack of construction paper, a couple of coloring books, a box of crayons, and a pair of scissors, and Pig Jr. was happy as a clam to hide out in his bedroom and just create pictures from the confines of his bed. He drank all of the water I brought to him and he tolerated me checking his temperature every couple of hours. He requested being able to eat in his room. Pig Jr. was amenable to going out to the living room when it was time for his evening nebulizer treatment, but was otherwise thrilled to stay away from everyone else.

I wonder how much of this is because of his sensory issues. The past couple of days, he had been acting more aggressive than normal. When he is in sensory overload, he cannot handle people being too close to him, and he often pushes them away. (No, we do not think this is acceptable, and we are working on it with him. I am merely commenting that this tends to be his norm for sensory overload.) I remember his former OT (occupational therapist) telling me that when children who have sensory issues get sick, their symptoms can get much worse, and I believe we had been seeing a bit of that this week. Given that he was trying to self-swaddle while in his room (pulling his bedspread tightly over his head and shoulders), I think he can even tell he feels off somehow and is trying to make it all better.

He did love being by himself today though. His sisters were unable to pester him since they were not allowed in his room. He did not have to sit next to anyone who was making noise while he was trying to concentrate on eating. He was not overwhelmed by someone trying to somersault past him in the living room. No one got in his face and accidentally violated his personal space, which is easy enough to do with a sensory avoider under normal circumstances, let alone when the poor kid's sick. It was quieter, calmer, and much more relaxing for him. I  wondering how on earth I am going to convince him to leave his sickbed once he returns to normal.

Good thing bribery still works wonders with children, eh?