A bunch of useless crap
Published on June 19, 2010 By MasonM In Blogging

For the past few days I've been feeling a bit under the weather, like maybe I was coming down with the flu or something. This morning I woke and at first thought I had one whopper of a hangover but then remember that I only had a few beers the night before, hardly anything to warrant a major hangover.

I realized that whatever bug I had been feeling coming on had finally hit me full force. Well, nothing to do about that, so I began getting ready to hit the road again. As I was washing up in the sink after shaving my neck (grew my beard back) I caught myself rubbing at some very painful places on the upper part of the right side of my chest.

When I looked in the mirror I saw the red blistering rash spots there. Oh crap. I recognized them immediately as Shingles. I had a serious case of Shingles about 10 years ago and while I knew that a small percentage of people get it again the odds against it were high enough that I never expected it again.

Looks like I am in that unlucky 4% or so that get it again. Now it just remains to see if it's going to spread as much as it did the first time. That time it started on my chest and by the time it was done it had spread around to the back, across the shoulder, up the neck, and into my scalp. I was in some serious pain for a while.

I am really hoping it isn't going to be as serious this time around. Perhaps being the second time around it won't be. I just know that at the moment I feel like crap. Other than the seriously painful rash spots the symptoms are much like the flu or Chicken Pox. Low grade fever, muscle aches, headache, etc.

I had planned on making it to Missoula, MT before stopping tonight but by the time I had reached Rocker, just west of Butte, I was feeling so lousy that I pulled in and checked into the hotel for some rest. They have a bar here in the hotel but I don't even feel like sitting there to have a couple.

I got some food from the truck stop next door and brought it back to my room to eat. I managed to eat about a third of it before I just couldn't stomach any more.

I don't have any choice but to continue on toward Seattle tomorrow, feeling like crap or not. The fire truck I am hauling must be there no later than Tuesday or the ship will sail without it, and I committed to having it there on Monday. If I can just get to the point that I don't feel like I am roasting I can function better. It was fairly cool outside today but I had to keep the ac going full blast in the truck to feel halfway comfortable.

There is a pipe shop in Missoula called The Bell Pipe and Tobacco shop. I spoke with them on the phone earlier today and they will be open all day tomorrow (Sunday) due to Father's Day. I was hoping to stop by there on my way through as I need another pipe case, but whether I do or not will just depend on how I am feeling then. If I feel then as I do now I'll just force myself to keep on moving to get where I am going.

For now I am going to crawl into the bed and rest my body as long as possible.


Comments
on Jun 19, 2010

Sorry to hear about you being sick but since you already have some antibodies built up since from the first infection I would highly doubt that it would get as bad as you're first time but with all those bugs out there who knows. Hope you get better soon. 

on Jun 20, 2010

Leinad0033
Sorry to hear about you being sick but since you already have some antibodies built up since from the first infection I would highly doubt that it would get as bad as you're first time but with all those bugs out there who knows. Hope you get better soon. 

 

Thanks, that's exactly my thinking as well.

on Jun 20, 2010

Sorry to hear that Mason.  My ex- was little put down for several days and he really had a bad case.  Hope it is easier for you this time.  

 

judy

on Jun 20, 2010

oooops.  "literally"

on Jun 20, 2010

notronaj
Sorry to hear that Mason.  My ex- was little put down for several days and he really had a bad case.  Hope it is easier for you this time.  

 

judy

Thanks. The first round had me off work for a few weeks, this time I think I'll be able to muddle through. One new rash spot appeared during the course of the day today but all things considered that really isn't so bad.

on Jun 20, 2010

My husband had his first case of shingles when his father died.  His dad died on April 3 (years ago) but having his own business with a deadline of April 15 combined with the sudden death of his father put him into some emotional turmoil resulting in shingles.   It was really bad.  He was in so much pain and there really wasn't alot to do for it.  He had the rash all under his arm and torso area.  The pain was under his arm and around that area also going down his arm.  I could tell when he was in most pain when he'd have his hand under his arm holding his chest area.  He has a high tolerance for pain so this was something for him to even mention.  I don't think in 28 years of marriage that he's ever taken a sick day.  He muddles through but this really took him for a ride.  I can only imagine how painful this must be. 

Since then he's had a couple of flareups very far in between but not nearly as bad as that very first time. 

Hope this is the case for you, as well, and that you are better soon Mason. 

on Jun 20, 2010

Get hold of your doc & get on a course of anti-viral medication, Mason.  Won't cure, but will help.  Hope you feel better soon.  Good idea to get the vaccine once you hit 60, too.

on Jun 21, 2010

Never having had shingles, I do not know what you are going through, but I hope it is mild.  I know you will make the port on time, but doing so while feeling like death warmed over is not good.

Good luck shaking this bug (it is a virus).

on Jun 21, 2010

Won't cure, but will help. Hope you feel better soon. Good idea to get the vaccine once you hit 60, too.

We have a friend who got the vaccine in hopes he wouldn't get shingles and ended up with a very very bad case of it.  He was an old friend from our past who found out thru the grapevine that my husband had dealt with shingles. We hadn't heard from him in years.  He called us out of the blue last year in desparation asking for advice because he was in severe pain.   I'd say he's in his 70's now.  When my husband first got shingles in 1999 the doctors weren't very encouraging about any medicine really helping much saying there wasn't a whole lot that could be done for it. 

So that makes me leery in getting the vaccine.  But I didn't know you could take the vaccine if you already had shingles.  Isn't the whole point to get the vaccine so you don't contract it in the first place? 

on Jun 21, 2010

The vaccine is appropriate and effective for anyone age 60 or older, whether you've had shingles before or not, whether you've had chicken pox before or not.  However, because it is an attenuated live virus, anyone with immune compromise or on medications which can impair immune responses should not receive it.

Like any vaccine, it does not offer 100% immunity.  It cuts the risk of subsequent episodes by about 50% and, among those who develop a post-vaccination episode, cuts the incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia by almost 80% while reducing the severity and duration of the acute illness.

The older you are, the less you want shingles.  It can be a devastating illness which can cause permanent focal muscle paralysis as well as chronic pain.  More than once I've seen it be the first domino in the chain.

on Jun 21, 2010

KFC Kickin For Christ
My husband had his first case of shingles when his father died.  His dad died on April 3 (years ago) but having his own business with a deadline of April 15 combined with the sudden death of his father put him into some emotional turmoil resulting in shingles.   It was really bad.  He was in so much pain and there really wasn't alot to do for it.  He had the rash all under his arm and torso area.  The pain was under his arm and around that area also going down his arm.  I could tell when he was in most pain when he'd have his hand under his arm holding his chest area.  He has a high tolerance for pain so this was something for him to even mention.  I don't think in 28 years of marriage that he's ever taken a sick day.  He muddles through but this really took him for a ride.  I can only imagine how painful this must be. 

Since then he's had a couple of flareups very far in between but not nearly as bad as that very first time. 

Hope this is the case for you, as well, and that you are better soon Mason. 

Thanks. From everything I've read, if he continues to have repeated bouts it may possibly be a variation of the Herpes simplex virus instead of the chickenpox virus.

on Jun 21, 2010

The vaccine is appropriate and effective for anyone age 60 or older, whether you've had shingles before or not, whether you've had chicken pox before or not.  However, because it is an attenuated live virus, anyone with immune compromise or on medications which can impair immune responses should not receive it.

Like any vaccine, it does not offer 100% immunity.  It cuts the risk of subsequent episodes by about 50% and, among those who develop a post-vaccination episode, cuts the incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia by almost 80% while reducing the severity and duration of the acute illness.

The older you are, the less you want shingles.  It can be a devastating illness which can cause permanent focal muscle paralysis as well as chronic pain.  More than once I've seen it be the first domino in the chain.

Yep, that fits with most of what I've read on the subject.