S is for Shingles

So remember that one time I cut my knee open on a stationary bicycle at the rec and bled everywhere? And I had to ask hottie desk boy for bandages but they didn't have any readily available because people don't usually hurt themselves on indoor machines? This may be as dumb as that.

A few days ago, I noticed an itchy spot on my lower back. I ignored it for a couple days, then discovered it to be a series of raised red bumps. I halfheartedly looked on the internet for a skin condition matching what I had but got distracted by some website and never came back to the search. At the same time, I developed a soreness in my lower abdomen/hip on the same side of the body, but blithely attributed that to the long run I'd had on Saturday. (On a side note, I've become very concerned about my ability to read medical signs. Look for a blog post regarding a ruptured appendix any day now.) In short, when I finally stumbled upon what the problem was and visited the doctor, he told me I was about five days later than I should have been. Oops.

Little known fact: when you get over chicken pox, the pox don't "go away." Instead, they lie dormant in the base of your spine until one day, if you're lucky enough, they reemerge as varicella zoster, or shingles, bursting somehow out of your nerves. You may recognize shingles as an infection your grandma had. It is most common in people over the age of 60, or in cancer patients / organ donors, when the immune system is weakened. The doctor's best guess for my lil' episode was "high psychological stress in the last week" -- soo, thx LSAT! It's not contagious, and it goes away within like 10 days. The best thing about it is that the pill I have to take five times a day to prevent permanent damage to my nerves (yikes) is Valtrex, the same pill taken by genital herpes sufferers. You can imagine the looks I received in the Milaca Pharmacy while picking up my high-dosage prescription.

Anyway, I'm pretty lucky because most people also get a high fever and terrible, terrible pain and some who get the rash on their face become blind or deaf. Plus, shingles usually doesn't resurface, so when y'all suffering from a bout in your nursing homes, I'll be FLYING HIGH.

Here are some pictures! Probably stop now if you get grossed-out easily! (side note - Google Image-searching skin irritations/rashes/infections is a disgusting, disgusting way to spend a morning.)

what mine most actually resembles

it's waaaay grosser close-up!

lol, different kind

Actually, I didn't have the heart (/stomach?) to post the grossest ones here. If you wanna see pics of people who have it way worse than I do (or in way less opportune places of the body), y'all can search it yourself. xoxo!