Monday, June 15, 2009

Life is back to normal, although my life is anything but normal.

You've probably noticed I haven't been around much lately, at least I hope you've noticed.

Two weeks ago, I thought I had poison ivy, not because I've been working in the yard. Noooooooo. I've never had poison ivy in all my years, surprisingly enough, but I've seen what others go through and I don't ever want to get this nasty, itchy, painful rash. I not because I've been working in the yard. I thought I got it from touching my husband's bath towel or his yard clothes, because he got poison ivy and gets it just about every time he works in the yard, which is every weekend! He is very susceptible to getting it. I've watched him suffer from contracting it and then, unknowingly, spreading it to many parts of his body, with his face being the worse. Poison ivy should be banned from the face of the earth!

I've never had poison ivy in all my years, surprisingly enough, but I've seen what others go through and I don't ever want to get this nasty, itchy, painful rash.

As I covered my rashy areas with calamine lotion, I couldn't take it anymore! The pain under my arm was really bothering me and several small areas on my shoulder blade were beginning to itch. I went to a "doc in the box" (a walk-in clinic) and was diagnosed with adult chicken pox (shingles). What? Are you kidding me? I'm not old enough to get this and why the hell do they call it shingles? Isn't that something roofers use? If it's adult chicken pox, just say adult chicken pox, for God's sake, don't use a stupid name like shingles.

Enough obsessing over the stupid name. I was so upset, I'd only known one person to get this and they were in their 60's. This can't be happening to me, a young chick with two small children. But the doctor (who had no bedside manners, no compassion and was the coldest doctor I had ever encountered in my young life) explained how as a kid I got chicken pox and it sat dormant in my spinal cord. Until, something like stress, brings it out in full force, hence my rash and the calamine lotion doing nothing to help the rashy areas. Stone faced doctor prescribed pain medicine, an anti viral medicine, and medicated patches that would relive the symptoms and hopefully, shorten the time I would have to endure this. Great doc, thanks for everything, now go work on your people skills before I report you to the head of doc in the box, because you are a heartless asshole who should be working in a laboratory, and not with people.

Then it hit me. Stress was taking over my life. Stress was causing me to keep pounds on that I clearly didn't need or want. Stress was causing me to get "shingles". Stress is not my friend but had taken up residence in my body and my life. But let's face it, everyone is dealing with stress in one form or another, but its how we deal with stress that makes a difference. I have been allowing it to take over, its time I give it the boot!

The adult chicken pox (I refuse to call it shingles because that doesn't make sense to me) is all but gone, thankfully, so now I will change my focus to reduce my stress. It won't happen overnight, but I will make small changes and make it happen. So who's with me???

6 comments:

Michel said...

Holy Shit! You gots the POX! I'm so sorry! I hope you're okay...that's some serious crap when you're old.

Is your mommy coming to stay with you - b/c i would demand it. I'm sure you want your mom right now.

It's the only thing that makes crap better.

FEEL BETTER! So sorry.

On the bright side, perhaps you can patch up the roof since you also gots some extra shingles as it turns out.

Unknown said...

I'm with you on attempting to reduce stress and hope you're serious about at least trying.

Amy said...

Boy could I use some stress relief now. I'm with you on working on it. Good luck to you!

Beth said...

Saying you are going to reduce stress and actually being able to do it are two different animals. For me, I've had to learn to let go of the little things. And I've had to learn to make some things little things because in my world, everything was big!

What stresses you out? That will be the key to figuring out how to deal. And you can do it! I have faith in you.

Yvette said...

You poor thing...don't mess with it, make sure you keep up with your meds, it's nasty!

BTW, my daughter had her first episode of shingles when she was 10, that's right 10! It went misdiagnosed for years due to her age.

Smart Mouth Broad said...

I had no idea that the "s" word was adult chicken pox. And I work in healthcare! Admin but still.

Glad you're feeling better and I'm all for stress relief. Let's go tot he beach!