Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Shingles, yea it really does suck

Two weeks ago today I would end the day with what started to feel like a cramp, a real bad cramp in my trapezoid. The cramp hurt so bad it felt like those you get in your calf that jolt you out of bed in the middle of the night. I had the wife massage and it seemed to help a bit, off to sleep I went.

The next morning the pain also went up my neck as well and I was unable to turn my head from side to side. I went to work anyhow, thinking that it may work itself free.
Work sucked to say the least, all I had to do was drive around in a truck and count animals for the first 45 minutes but the side to side movement on the dirt road was intolerable.
I considered going home but I decided to help load some equipment instead, you know with one arm, cause that is what you do when you are from Montana, work. Stupid I know.

I was still thinking of going home, but when I approached my boss, a man who has two crushed vertebra and still works daily I wussed out, I mean I could live with this nasty pulled muscle right?
I was the only one who was licensed to drive the dump truck so I was instantly recruited.
Now this truck lacks an air ride seat, which makes life miserable when you are healthy, and even more miserable when you are not. I am here to say if I could have turned around on that crappy two lane highway and drove home, I would have.
I toughed out the rest of the day in some of the worst pain in my life. Again had I been close to civilization I would have thrown in the towel, a bit late now.

The following day I would take the day off and see a doctor and get the "you pulled a muscle" mind you it did not act like any muscle I had pulled, and I kept trying to tell her that I had a couple of bites from flying ants, maybe it was an allergic reaction, she scoffed.
The next day was the same, movement was limited and all I could do would be play video games.
Day three I was better, but I noticed what looked like spider bites on my shoulder, still convinced it was an allergic reaction I thought at this point there was nothing more to do but tough it out.

Saturday morning I woke with the worst pain shooting up the side of my head I have ever felt in my life.
Now mind you, I have lived thru pain. Growing up on a small ranch I had been kicked, stepped on, and bitten by large furry animals. Pain I could deal with, this was worse, every 30 seconds it would shoot up into my head and literally drop me to my knees. I called the doctor after call phone service and her father, also a physician would return my call.
"are their blisters on those bumps" he would ask, yup, it looked like little blisters "you got shingles he replied" I called a friend and told him he would have to drive me over to see the doctor to confirm the diagnosis, which he did. I am glad for this, I doubt I would have been unable to make that 17 mile journey with that shocking pain every few seconds going off. The pain apparently was from the virus attacking nerves, thus the pain shooting up the side of my head, uhggg.
I would be prescribed some anti viral medication, it took away the pain mind you, but it made me all kinds of congested. I coughed and hacked which always helps when you have muscle pain, however it still was better than not.
Day two the crappy stuffy feeling I had was overwhelming, I now felt like I was getting bronchitis as well. I did not take my evening dose and called the doc in the morning, getting the "its something else, just keep taking it"
I tried, but it sucked so I quit again.

I saw another doctor on Wednesday, she was more sympathetic but gave me the "you need to work thru it if you can, the anti viral decreases your odds of getting it again as well as the length of time battling this" She had me stay to monitor my side effects, told me to watch it and off I went.
On the off chance I would stop by later in the day mentioning that I was sweating, apparently that is bad and I was told to cease it immediately.

So there you have it, two weeks to the day I am in extreme discomfort still. I can say that it is tolerable and I could work if I had a desk job, but I do not, I work outside, I use my hands and that is my life.
For a reference to pain, the first week, felt about like when I dislocated my AC Clavicle. From then on the pain has varied.
It sucks, you have trouble doing anything as you are always uncomfortable.
The wife did discover online that people were having luck with a cayenne pepper and vinegar poultice, it has helped me immensely as well.

Good luck, it can last up to six weeks, and I am not looking forward to anymore of this nonsense.







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