After breakfast that morning we looked at the rash. There is no change. Sigh, I do not want to take a ride in the car, but know I will need to. Once everyone is dressed and ready, we head to the ER/Trauma and Imaging Center. It is less than ten minutes away. I check in at the desk and am told to have a seat. I prefer to stand as it hurts to sit, while Grasshopper and Caterpillar are sitting in the waiting room. Within a few minutes I am called back. They wait for me as I go back to a room. The nurse takes my vitals as I explain what surgery I had and describe the rash and symptoms I am having. She says the doctor will be in shortly, and offers me a pillow. I can't tell you how many things are going through my head. What if I picked up something weird at the hospital? What is it?! I keep thinking to myself how people must have felt with leprosy!
The doctor walks in. He asks about the c-collar and surgery. I explain everything to him. Then he looks at the rash. He says in a calm voice, "Are you with me?" I said, "Yes, I am", and sat down. I tried to prepare myself for the news. I took a deep breath. He said, "You have shingles." The tears welled in my eyes. He said, "But I can give you medication which will help you feel better, help for the pain and it will be alright." He continued to explain, that as a child I had the chicken pox. That particular virus never goes away, in anyone who has had it! It goes dormant in your nervous system. As adults it reappears as shingles when our immune system is compromised, or our nervous system is affected somehow. Well, what happened a week and a half ago?! The neurosurgeon went in and played with my nervous system, and the shingles came out! YIKES! He said the virus itself makes you feel like you have a bad case of the flu. This explains why I have been feeling so terrible and eating saltine crackers like there is no tomorrow!!! He gave me an anti-viral prescription to speed up the healing process, as well as some patches to apply for the pain.
On the way home we stop at the pharmacy to have the prescriptions filled. I can wear the patch for 12 hours on and 12 hours off. I choose to wear them at night so I can hopefully sleep. Finally 8 pm rolls around. Hubby applies the patch for me. It feels like a cool compress, yet even better. It is very soothing. After family devotions, I go to bed and try to get comfortable. I say my prayers thanking the Lord it was not something worse. He is my rock! He is my comforter. His presence is my peace. I pray I can fall sleep.
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