“It’s time to get up. It’s 7:00 o’clock. Get up!” shouted my stepfather. As children, my sister and I were never allowed to stay in bed late on Saturday mornings. We had to get out of bed, eat breakfast before it got cold, and do our chores before watching cartoons. Which one is your favorite? Got more than one? I do!
Oh, don’t you remember those days of yore? Some of those cartoons I had completely forgotten about, but loved to watch. I wouldn’t mind a collection of them on DVD to show to my grandchildren. They would get a kick out of them. 🙂
On a more serious note. Late last year I would have given anything to get out of bed at any time of the day, on any day of the week, without pain. Those days were some of the worst in my adult life. For six months I suffered with shingles and the condition known as postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a common complication. I don’t know why the virus re-emerged but I was under a lot of stress and didn’t get a lot of sleep at the time.
Shingles, sometimes called herpes zoster, is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. According to the cdc.gov website:
After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays in the body in a dormant (inactive) state. For reasons that are not fully known, the virus can reactivate years later, causing shingles. Herpes zoster is not caused by the same virus that causes genital herpes, a sexually transmitted disease.
If you’ve had chickenpox you could be 1 out of 3 people in the United States to develop shingles. If you’re over 50 years of age, your risk increases. CDC states there is a vaccine licensed for persons 60 years and older. However, just this past March, the FDA approved Zostavax for persons 50 to 59 years of age. For prevention, it’s a little too late for me. It is still recommended to get the vaccine even if you’ve had an outbreak of shingles, just to lessen your chances of getting another one. I’m putting the vaccine on my to-do list since I’m in the 50 to 59 age group. I’ve never suffered so much pain and agony in my life.
I first noticed sharp pains in the middle of my chest for a couple of days. Tingling in the middle of my back followed. Then the rash appeared where the tingling was moving in a band to the left side of my body to the front. At this point I went to the dermatologist. She prescribed antiviral and pain medication. For effective treatment, I should have started the medicine two days before. I filled the prescription, bought a bottle of water and took the medicine before leaving the pharmacy parking lot. I couldn’t wait any longer. I had a long painful course to endure.
Learn about shingles. Be prepared. Get a collection of old cartoons to watch. I could have used some hearty laughs to ease my pain.
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I am so sorry to hear that you had shingles. Have you fully recovered? My mother had shingles and it was hard for me to watch her go through so much pain. Thankfully she is all better now. I hope this helps a lot of people avoid this horrible condition. Thanks for sharing.
Hi NeeNee, yes, I’m much better, thank you. From time to time, I will have an itch on my back but it’s nothing compared to what it was before. One of the side effects of phn is numbness in the area due to nerve endings being damaged so I will scratch but don’t know how hard I’m scratching.
I’m so glad you and your mother made it through that ordeal. You are right. It is also important to note what family members and caregivers go through. It is very difficult. She is blessed to have you. I hope others will benefit from this too.
Thank you for coming in.
My favorite was Magilla Gorilla 🙂 I don’t know much about Shingles, but I get the whole “pain” thing. How horrible to be ok one day and for your life to suddenly be consumed with pain the next (and the next and the next…). Glad you’re on the other side of it now!
I admire your desire to help others after going through such a difficult experience – AND I appreciate your practical advice, since I am nearing the “50-59” range in a couple of years, myself.
Thank you for your lovely comment on my blog – your words were very wise and kind,
Debi
P.S. I, too, was not allowed to sleep late and had lots-o-chores every Saturday! My kids’ jaws drop when they hear my stories, “You had to do WHAT??”
Hi Debi, I really liked Magilla Gorilla too. I have so many favorites. I could never sit down and look at just one cartoon. My love for them goes back to Ruff and Reddy and Beany and Cecil, remember – “Help, Cecil! Help!” and “I’m a-coming Beany-boy!” Yeah, I’m an old bird. LOL
Thank you for your kind words and I’m glad I could offer you some advice on shingles and hopefully a few words of encouragement to what you’re going thru. I often told my family when describing shingles, “I’m taking it for the team” since it hits 1 out of 2 people living to the age of 85, according to Merck – http://www.shinglesinfo.com/what-is-shingles.html. I hope one day soon you will start living on the pain-free side of life.
And, yes, I can relate to the chores stories, as well. Isn’t that funny? But of course, it wasn’t at the time. 🙂
Thanks for coming in…
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