Balloon Pox

Starting with what most describe as an itching tingle in the extremities, Balloon Pox is the bane of craftsmen everywhere. It quickly makes holding tools painful and difficult if not impossible. The itching continues as fingers and toes begin to swell up painfully many times the normal size, resulting in a burning numbness. If left untreated the swelling will spread down arms and up legs until it reaches the torso. Fingers may not be able to flex and garments may no longer fit. Soldiers will find themselves unable to put on their armor nor will they be able to hold their weapons. Most sufferers have long since taken to their sickbeds. Ballon Pox will pass on its own with time and plenty of rest, fluids, and food. If a patient is not given full bed rest the disease will progress into the torso and cause long-term complications. If untreated the disease will begin to damage the liver leading to jaundice. General health will continue to deteriorate with some sufferers losing cognitive abilities, memories and gradually slipping into dementia. Sometimes after a long and painful several months coma and death may result. With treatment, death from Balloon Pox is rare. However, among those that refuse to listen to wisdom and take time to recover the risk is great. It is common enough that those known to be overachievers or to work themselves to exhaustion, even when Balloon Pox is not the cause of their demise, it is joked that they finally “died of the Pox.” The prognosis for full recovery of most cases of Balloon Pox is favorable provided appropriate care is given. In recent times it was discovered the traditional idea of prescribing diuretics to rid the body of the excess fluids stressed the liver and kidneys. This increased the chance of escalating the disease and causing jaundice. A regimen of nutritive teas and keeping the patient as comfortable as possible is the current best course of treatment.

Type

Viral