Shingles





For my birthday this year, I got a full blown case of shingles. How many folks can say that? It's not like I went to one of those exclusive catalogues and picked out an exotic gift like silk pillow cases or a diamond tie pin. No way.... anyone can get one of those. If  you want to have a really different gift that no one else would even think about, try a case of shingles, they're about as welcome as dog crap on a white carpet. Though the pictures aren't very good- a certain someone seems to have difficulty operating my camera, you kind of get the picture. To say that they hurt like crazy would be an understatement. As luck would have it, this isn't the first time I've experienced this lovely disease. I had them when I was twenty one. I was in the navy at the time and when I went to the infirmary on base I told the doctor that my back was itching and burning, so he had me lift my shirt. Then he says, " Well hey, this is odd. You usually don't see this in people under fifty. Hey Fred... Fred, come here and look at this." The other doc comes over and stares at me like I was an exhibit in a freak show and made some smart comment and they gave me some cream that didn't work and that was that. I ended up hearing about using Mexanna medicated powder from someone who had suffered with shingles- he was at least fifty- and it seemed to help. A few months ago they started running commercials on TV about shingles and I was thinking to myself, well I'll never have to deal with that again. Hmmm, that old saying about lighting not striking twice probably isn't to be believed. Like the commercial mentions, if you had chicken pox as a kid, the shingles virus is inside of you. I would urge you to check out getting a vaccination for this. I really wouldn't want anyone that I cared for to suffer with this. I haven't been able to sleep since I got them and the pain is extreme. Hopefully they'll  go away soon. I guess that stress triggers them. If that's the case, I should have a savage case every spring until the end of summer. I'm just glad that they're confined to my back and chest. My brother had them in his hair and one of the retired teachers had them, well... I'm not sure where, but her husband said that she couldn't even stand having clothes on it was so painful. The only reason I know that is that I had heard him mention shingles to someone and I said to use medicated powder. The store didn't have any but I did so I offered to bring it out to them. That's when he mentioned his wife was naked as a jay bird- of necessity. I'm glad I can at least wear clothes. It would be really gross to be parading around here with my fat naked bod covered in brilliant red blisters. I guess it would be a good diet plan. The sight of that would be enough to make anyone loose their appetite.

Comments

  1. JillEJune 4, 2013 at 1:32 PM

    Tom, I'm so sorry you're suffering from shingles again - giant bummer! I was hoping you had a nice birthday...ouch! Did you get to do anything fun? Well, we're sending Happy Birthday wishes and get well wishes from WI! Love ya!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AutumnJune 4, 2013 at 1:52 PM

    Sorry dad, it sounded bad, and it looks REALLY painful! We are continuing to keep you in prayer! I hope they heal up soon and also that you can get some rest. Try to relax a bit! Love you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. ajJune 4, 2013 at 3:00 PM

    dad...that first response to this post isn't one you wanna click on...its obviously a spam or virus aj

    ReplyDelete
  4. T B BottsJune 5, 2013 at 10:48 AM

    Hi Jill-
    Thanks for the B-day wishes. Yeah, it's not exactly what I would have chosen.I would have been much happier with a package of the latest hottest hoochies or some coho spoons. Shingles are the gift that keep on giving apparently. Go figure.
    Hi Autumn. Thanks for the prayers. I can use all the heavenly help I can get. I'm running into Juneau tomorrow to the doctors and dentists to try and resolve some of the physical problems. Not sure if they can do anything with my mental state or not.At the end of the summer I could write an essay on what fun things I did this summer. While other folks are going to Disneyland or the Grand Canyon, I'm going to Juneau to the doctors. Woo Hoo!

    Hi Amber- I get a lot of spam comments. I just go through and send them to Spamville where they eventually get deleted. For some unknown reason my post on the Muffin Man seems to draw international attention from lots of spammers, like to the tune of over a thousand so far. Wierd. Oh well, when you put yourself out there on the internet, I guess you're fair game.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJune 5, 2013 at 5:12 PM

    Hey dad, No idea you were coming over tomorrow. I am off work if you need a ride. Let me know, those look horrible!!!!
    Liz

    ReplyDelete
  6. TB BottsJune 7, 2013 at 12:29 PM

    Hi Liz- well, I made it over and back. Thanks for the offer gal. I'm taking the meds but to not much effect yet. They say that it can make you drowsy, so I may be typing or running the boat and zonk out. Woo hoo! The fun just keeps on coming. Sounds like a few dogs are showing so I need to get going and get the boat work wrapped up. Talk to ya later.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AutumnJune 7, 2013 at 5:29 PM

    Are you taking those meds now? A few dogs are showing so you need to go get the boat wrapped up? Dog Salmon?

    ReplyDelete
  8. tbbottsJune 7, 2013 at 10:42 PM

    Yep Dog Salmon, Chums. Yummy Chummys. I just wish I felt better so I could finish up the work on the boat. I'm not sure how it's going to work trying to lift those fish on board. I guess I'll find out if I ever get out there.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Sick Pack

Image
      Jen came for a visit the other night. Apparently she had picked up a cold when she went to Juneau last week. Nothing like being crammed into a confined space with hundreds of other folks to test the old immune system. I hadn't seen much of her recently so I kind of wanted to talk to her and show her what I was doing with the new book and get some input. I knew that she was sick, so before she arrived I grabbed out a large bottle of Cran-raspberry juice for her to take home. I guess it's full of vitamin C or some such thing. Then I got to thinking, maybe I should get a mask for her to wear so I  don't catch her cold. She thought that was funny, but she didn't wear it, maybe because it was a dust mask like you'd use when sanding sheet rock and not one like doctors and nurses wear. I guess if a doctor wanted to do a little construction around his house he'd have a ready store of surgical supplies on hand and wouldn't...
Read more

Clear but Cold

Image
Behind Lumbago Way Frozen mud flats Spud Creek's frozen     For most of the three weeks that I was in Juneau for jury duty, the weather was clear and very cold. For the better part of the first week I knew it was clear, but we couldn't see the blue sky above because of fog. It was so severe that the commercial jets were forced to fly over Juneau and of course there were no small commuter flights between Juneau and the outlying areas, which meant no mail or freight that would normally be sent via airplanes. Jan always gets a little claustrophobic when it gets like that. It's a terrible feeling to think that you can't get out of here if you need to. When I finally got back home, I decided to go out and get a few pictures of the mud flats that surround Garteeni Creek. The creek itself was still flowing somewhat and the Mallards and Canadian Honkers were availing themselves of whatever there was to eat in the stream. I've heard stories of ducks being froz...
Read more

Street Art or Pornography?

Image
  This past ten days or so, all of my kids have been visiting, as well as grandchildren and great grandchildren. To say the least, it's been hectic. I wanted to spend a little time with my older son before he had to leave, so we decided to drive around and look for a spot to go fishing. As we were driving outside the neighborhood, we came across several considerable pot holes in the street. One is located right in the center of the road, making it almost impossible to miss. I was cursing the borough for not getting around to fixing them, as they have been a problem for the better part of a year. He,  in full agreement remarked, " down in Ketchikan, people got tired of complaining to the city council, so they started painting penises in front of the holes." "Are you kidding me?" "Nope. They had plenty of time to fix things, but our complaints fell on deaf ears, so some folks decided to take matters in their own hands. It worked too. Pretty soon the city was ...
Read more