Shingles

For about 4 days, I have had this weird burning/bruised feeling on the top left side of my head. It is so painful that when I sleep on that side, it wakes me up! I racked my brain for the first two days and knew that I hadn't bumped my head on anything and I didn't have the tell tale "knot" on my head. So I grew a little bit concerned.

On Tuesday night, I commented to a friend while chatting with them online that I thought I might be coming down with the flu. I felt my lips burning (this is how I 'feel' a fever coming), my head was aching, and the left side of my face was uncomfortable. So I just went to bed.

On Friday, I decided that it would be wise to see a doctor. When I arrived I was greeted with the following, "Hey Heidi. I can't believe how long it has been since you've been here--January 2006...you must really be sick!"

When I walked out of the office 20 minutes later, he had diagnosed me with the early stages of Shingles. I am not really a candidate for shingles. Most sufferers are over 60, have a compromised immune system, and are under a lot of stress. But, it does hit about 2% of my age bracket who are otherwise healthy. I read a lot about it last night online because I was curious as to what the symptoms are. After reading the articles, I pretty much agree that I may have shingles.

It is most unpleasant. It is quite painful. I am able to carry on with life and I am on some pretty heavy duty drugs. I haven't had the blisters develop on top of each other yet. (I think this is where the name came from). I am waiting for them. When they happen, I will stay home because people who haven't been vaccinated or had the illness in childhood can catch the chicken pox from me. They could last a long time. Oh, did I mention that I have no idea what to do about my choir concert in 4 days?

Tomorrow I have 17 people (one of Stan's graduate classes) coming over for an open house dinner. Today I work my magic on the first floor of this house and cook a lot of food. And today I wait for the Blister Family to arrive. Maybe they will be in time for my party tomorrow.

So, there you have it. Life in the very best form!

Blessings,
Heidi