Oh Chicken Pox, Oh Chicken Pox...

...why do you plague me still at age 37 :(

Darn that virus!

I had it when I was elementary school...it left me with two scars...and a dormant virus...

Which has now reared it's ugly head again in the form on shingles.  No fun at all!

Let me back up a bit...

Last Thursday I started to feel really strange.  I had deep pain on the left side of my chest...really felt like chest pain...and it got more intense as the day went on.  By the time Kev got home from work, I was worried...I thought maybe I stressing myself to the point of an anxiety attack or even a stroke! (yes, I am crazy!)  I told him I might need to see a doctor.  I don't really like to mess with chest pain.  I waited til Thursday and the pain moved to the left side of my back.  I just assume that I had overdone things with the party planning and the cake-making.  If you will remember it was a year ago that I threw out my back (slipped disc).  I just figured my body was trying to tell me to take it easy.  I pushed through the pain and Saturday night after the party was said and done and I had showered and gotten ready for bed, I noticed a rash on the left side of my chest and happened to notice some itching on the left side of my back. I couldn't see that area well unless I looked in a mirror and sure enough it was red and raised like a rash.  Honestly it looked like a skin allergy.  We chalked it up to me getting sticks on Friday by the creek with the girls (we needed Olaf arms and hair!).  I really thought the rash would be gone by the next day.  It wasn't.  It didn't look any worse though on Sunday so I was relieved. Well, today the rash is like raised fluid-filled blisters.  The tell-tale sign of shingles. And that whole side of my body hurts like the dickens. It actually feels like it's imploding and going numb (as it attacks my nerves).  Not to mention I feel exhausted and cannot sleep.  It almost feels like the flu.  Really stinky.  I am trying to not get down about this, but I admit I am struggling.  This is not something I needed to be dealing with now (or ever!).

Please just pray that this only affects the two areas that is has so far (because thankfully I can keep these covered and they are not exposed to infect people).  And also pray that I don't somehow infect anyone, particularly my children. All of them have thankfully had their varicella vaccine, but I do believe Logan can still be at risk and he has actually been snuggling up with me lately near my chest area, which is infectious.  No one can get shingles from contact, but they can get chicken pox from it since it's the same virus.  And I just pray, pray, pray that I don't get this near my eyes or face or somewhere that can be dangerous.  I can live with where this is now and I just hope it will clear by Oct. so I can enjoy my favorite fall month. Right now all I want to do is sleep because of the pain and exhaustion. Ugh.  I feel very disheartened today. :(