I noticed a couple of red bumps the other day on my back. There were maybe 4-5 of them - no big deal but still weird because they were in this perfectly straight line. I mentioned it to J and that was it.
The next day there were a couple of more. I thought it was something I wore that caused a reaction. I don't use anything but natural cleansers in my house so I knew it couldn't be anything like that. But again dismissed it.
This morning I woke up and itched my back and realized that they were still there and now there were like 15 of them. Then it hit me. I bet I have shingles.
Why my mind would go there or even know to go there - I don't know. I researched it once upon a time and remembered that they always occur in a strip on one side of the body. (Yes. Evidently my brain does remember things like that. Could be helpful in a trivia game someday - you never know.) So, I immediately Googled "shingles" cause that is just what I do. Big mistake.
They were the most frightening pictures ever. My little 3 inch x 1/2 inch section looks like nothing compared to what others deal with. But this did prompt me to go to the doctor immediately because I did not want to turn out like those pictures. Yikes!
Sure enough, I do have shingles. I was like the 3rd patient in 2 days that the doc has diagnosed so evidently it is going around and because of the cancer and my weak immune system of course it throws me into a higher risk bracket to get it. Oh the perks of cancer. They do not cease to amaze me.
The good thing is that I am not having the severe symptoms that a lot of people have. Thank you God. I think this is because I paid so dearly when I had chicken pox when I was a kid. I was a late bloomer getting the dreaded red bumps. I was 10 - practically elderly.
Then, everyone knew the only good thing about getting them was that you got to miss school, right? Wrong. I got mine over Christmas break. My Christmas Eve was marked with a record high fever and Calamine lotion. Then I was all better by the end of break. I begged my mom to let me miss one day just so I could be one of the cool kids. But she said no. Thanks Mom. Still hanging onto that one 22 years later.
Anyway, the doc put me on a heavy duty antibiotic. I have to take 16 pills a day. I didn't even take that many during cancer treatment. Oh well. If they work it is is worth it. :-)
Stay tuned... I have a "Funny of the Day" that I will be posting in a while. I could post it here but that would ruin the suspense.
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