For the first time in months, I have missed my self-imposed Wednesday deadline. I admit to being slightly discombobulated lately and it looks like it won't be going away very soon!
Years ago we had the summer of chickenpox. My youngest daughter was exposed during the last few days of preschool. We began the summer with spots and calamine lotion and continued until it was time to go back to school. One by one, each of my five children started to itch. The oldest was eleven and the youngest was a baby. Each one waited out almost the full incubation period of twenty one days before they got it. That's how we made it last all summer. That was a summer I will never forget. I don't remember when I had chicken pox, but I know I was very young.
In order to get shingles, a person must have had chicken pox at some time in their lives. The chicken pox vaccine will not completely eliminate the chance of shingles in the future, but the case will be much, much lighter.
There is also a vaccine available for shingles and I think everyone should get it. I did, last summer. There are two doses and I got them both. Unfortunately, the virus is only 91% effective. This means that 9 % of us will win (or lose) the Shingles lottery. And yes, I am one of the (un)lucky ones.
I started to feel bad a few days before Christmas and thought I had pulled a muscle at my exercise class. It kept getting worse and soon my right side had a burning pain all the time, and intermittent stabbing with invisible shards of broken glass. I was waiting for the terrible rash I had heard about, but it didn't come. When I was able to see the doctor I discovered that I had internal shingles (What?!?) and probably wouldn't even get a rash. No rash, but the internal variety might as well be called eternal, because it lasts longer. So far I have had 2 visits, several phone calls and taken 72 pills. I just got a refill for 6 a day for however many weeks or even months it takes to calm my nerve endings. Hopefully, this will help me to sleep. However, a side effect is brain fog. More than I usually have, so that should be interesting!
I just want to add that these poor little waifs are not my children, and the 7 on the calendar looks suspiciously like a 2. I created these images with AI. Obviously, I am still a beginner.
