Shingles

Nope, I am not drunk and slurring my words (yeah I'm part of the Shingles Apostolate *hic*). I'm in bed, laptop on my lap (duh) trying to be as comfortable as I can with my 4 king-sized, marshmallowy pillows. Came from the doctor this afternoon and finally found the answer to the mystery behind the stabbing and throbbing pain that's been annoying me for the last 3 days.

Shingles is apparently more common with people over 50 years (but why do I have it?) and usually attacks those with weak immune systems (me, who rarely gets a cold?). It is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, and apparently when you get that as a child, it doesn't really go away, it lays dormant near your spinal cord. For some unknown reason, it gets reactivated and starts to multiply, forming a band of rashes in the nerve area that it affects, which is normally on the left part of the torso.

Itchy? You bet! You'd want to tear out your skin. With it comes sharp chest and back pains combined that comes easy as it goes. It's like you're in a room whose walls are trying to flatten you like a pancake (like a scene from Twilight Zone). Sometimes the rashes feel like there's acid on it, and the rest of my left side torso feels so sore.

For more info, read more here:

http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068820/

And excuse me, that is not my photo that you see! Haha.

My boss advised me to take a leave and write my narratives instead (haha). Those who've had chicken pox won't get infected with shingles, but those who are still free from the virus, let's just smile at each other :) I have yet to find out when I can be given a clean bill of health.

Mom, being her paranoid self, thinks that the prescribed dosage is way too high for me - five 800mg tablets a day of aciclovir for 5 days. Ummm... sino ba doctor dito?! Sigh. In too much pain to argue. I hope my dad buys the rest of my meds tomorrow.