Well, this month has been a lost month. On October 8th I awoke with severe pain on the right side of my neck. I figured I'd pulled a muscle during yoga and didn't give it much more attention until Sunday, the 10th, when it got worse and I discovered a pink rash behind my right ear. The pain pills were not helping the pain so I called my doctor and was able to get an appointment at 4 p.m. on Monday the 11th. After a cat scan and an exam by a ear, nose, and throat specialist, it was determined that I had shingles. In case you don't know about shingles, let me share with you. It stems from the chicken pox virus so if you have had chicken pox, you can get shingles. It is an inflammation of the nerve endings and can occur on any nerve in the body but usually shows up on chest or back. Mine chose the nerves on the right side of my neck, behind the right ear, and up to the top of my head. The nerve pain was so severe that Percocet didn't knock it. The good news is that it will eventually resolve itself in 2-6 weeks and all the patient (victim) can do is take anti-viral medication to stop the blisters from developing and pain pills to ease the pain. For three weeks I felt like I had the flu and the pain was so bad that I couldn't go to yoga, crochet, or turn on my computer. Shaunti wasn't sure what was wrong but she detected that 'Mom' wasn't her usual chipper self. Today I feel better than yesterday so I think I'm almost back to normal. If you had chicken pox, get the shingles vaccine. I know that I will be getting the vaccine soon since shingles can recur at any time. I do not want to experience this again.
1 comment:
Glad to hear you are on the mend.
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