The answer: Shingles.
Please laugh.
Did you know that having chickenpox as a kid does not free you from their wrath for the rest of your life? I used to think that it meant you could never get chickenpox again. In a way it does, since you are immune from the virus. But, what they don't usually tell you is that the virus sort of hides out in your body, along nerve lines, and ponders it revenge for the perfect time. Then, when you least expect it, you get attacked with version 2 of chickenpox - shingles. While it doesn't spread across your whole body, it believe it it more painful than chickenpox. Actually, I know for a fact that it is more painful.
This lovely series of events is why I sat at home for two of the last three weeks, quarantined from the world for fear of contaminating a small child or elderly woman who had never had the chickenpox before. Three weeks ago, on a normal Wednesday, I developed a weird headache. It continued until Thursday and sometime between Thursday and Friday I developed what I assumed was a few large zits on my forehead, explaining the large amount of pain I was in.
By Saturday, the now growing zit on my face started to blister and look like a bad burn. The pain was worse and changed into sharp, pins and needles pain all over the top of my head. I also discovered many other spots all over my head, which was fun. By Sunday, "the thing on my forehead" (as we lovingly called it) had grown even more in size and grossness. We went to an Urgent Care and they quickly diagnosed me as having shingles, which was appearing along my 7th cranial something (the top right of my head).
In the following days, my face and head grew more sores on them, which were both painful and itchy. The slightest movement would really get on my nerves and the pain would shoot through. Over time, they began to "drain" some lovely fluid and changed in color a few times; the large forehead one turned into an all black uniquely shaped scab with white edges. The headache would come and go, thanks to a combination of prayer and vicodin. My face took on a variety of new shapes and characters, sometimes looking like I was about to become Clingon, sometimes like I was Chunk from The Goonies (Tom found it entertaining when I entered the living room saying "Hey you guys!" the other night, in the midst of the worst of the pain). Other days just looked like I had been massively beaten in a fight. I'd post pictures, but they are only on my phone at the moment. However, if you ask Tom for "the slideshow" when you see him, he will gladly show you his beautiful wife. My eyes and the area around them were super swollen in a way that I never imagined possible and the bridge of my nose was twice it's normal size.
In the following days, my face and head grew more sores on them, which were both painful and itchy. The slightest movement would really get on my nerves and the pain would shoot through. Over time, they began to "drain" some lovely fluid and changed in color a few times; the large forehead one turned into an all black uniquely shaped scab with white edges. The headache would come and go, thanks to a combination of prayer and vicodin. My face took on a variety of new shapes and characters, sometimes looking like I was about to become Clingon, sometimes like I was Chunk from The Goonies (Tom found it entertaining when I entered the living room saying "Hey you guys!" the other night, in the midst of the worst of the pain). Other days just looked like I had been massively beaten in a fight. I'd post pictures, but they are only on my phone at the moment. However, if you ask Tom for "the slideshow" when you see him, he will gladly show you his beautiful wife. My eyes and the area around them were super swollen in a way that I never imagined possible and the bridge of my nose was twice it's normal size.
I am feeling a better now and can go about normal life again without fear of my leprous condition affecting others (I can see what it was like for those people to have to spend time outside of the camp for the health and good of the rest of the people). I know have a small crate on my forehead, but now more scab and now more children looking at me in fear.
1 comment:
Ow! I am glad you are feeling better. I have heard that shingles are horribly painful.
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