Shingles

wolf · 07-23-2009, 01:59 PM

momwolf has shingles.

Actualy, she has real bad shingles.

They actually popped out (which is what they literally do, rather like chicken pox) last weekend.

If you haven't had shingles, it sucks.

You can get shingles if you have had chicken pox, which lurks in your nervous system and waits until you're immunocompromised, or under stress, or they just want to fuck with you, and wham.

You feel miserable for a day, and then you look like you have plague.

They find a handy nerve root and emerge and make your life a living hell for a couple of weeks.

I know this, because I had them two years ago, related to stress from momwolf's summer of hospitalization, surgery, and eventual nursing home discharge. I probably wrote about them at the time.

I took her to her PCP on Monday, got a couple of prescriptions and an emergency eye doctor visit because the nerve root they picked crosses her eye. I stayed home from work to make sure that she was getting the meds (Valtrex and Prednisone) into her and to keep an eye on her. All went well, except that she was screaming every couple of minutes from the pain.

Tuesday, she seemed a little wobbly, but overall was okay. I went to work.

Bad idea.

I had to leave work after about two hours, because when I checked up on her she has slid through wobbly right into loopy. Disoriented, hallucinating ... figured it was probably the Prednisone. The ambulance guys noticed I looked a little distressed and offered to follow me home and check her out for me.

They loaded her straight into the ambulance and off to the ER we went.

It was a pretty good ER visit, competent nurse, nervous medical student, and good doctor ... they worked her up including labs, chest x-ray and a CT scan. Oh, and we were back home in UNDER THREE HOURS. I've never seen that. Ever.

They figured it was the prednisone, but suggested adding a second med my mother has never had to try to control the side effects rather than just discontinuing it. Screw that. No more prednisone.

Well, now it's two days later and she's still delirious. Could be the prednisone, or it could be a reaction to the dilaudid they shot her up with in the ER. It's some major good stuff, and they only gave her 0.5 mg, and she did sleep quite well ... but it could have contributed to the goofiness.

I haven't been able to go back to work. She's not safe alone.

I pretty much know I'm not going anywhere when I she wakes up screaming my name at 0800 hrs.

I'm getting frustrated, and running out of reasons not to kill her.

That's a joke. I will not injure or kill momwolf.

I will hook the PS2 up and bash some monsters before I get there.

My biggest fear at this point is that I will not be able to have my actual vacation (Disneyworld, already paid for), since the time I'm taking off to care for her comes out of my vacation days. I need to talk to HR to see if I can have this charged off out of my sick time? Anybody know the regulations on that?

Anyway, shingles sucks.

Particularly since the stress could send me into a reoccurance.

Griff · 07-23-2009, 02:02 PM

bummer.

wolf · 07-23-2009, 02:05 PM

I did regale everyone with the tale of my shingles outbreak.

glatt · 07-23-2009, 02:22 PM

sorry wolf!

I'm been seeing print ads lately for the shingles vaccine or something. Haven't read them too closely, so I don't know the deal, but the pictures of the shingles look absolutely horrific.

I had chickenpox as a kid, hope I don't get shingles later.

sugarpop · 07-23-2009, 02:29 PM

Damn wolf! So sorry momwolf is going through this and in so much pain!

Shawnee123 · 07-23-2009, 02:39 PM

I've heard it's quite painful. Sorry wolf.

Eeek, I had chickenpox too!

Pensive Monkey · 07-23-2009, 02:51 PM

Wow. How terrible. My grandma thought she had a heart attack a few years ago and it wound up being shingles on the inside. Awful.

I would check into FMLA through your work. I would think you'd be able to take a leave of absence for this, but not sure if it would be paid. Good luck!

jinx · 07-23-2009, 07:26 PM

I'll be thinking about her Wolf... shingles are friggin brutal, I had them at 12. Worst thing ever.

TheMercenary · 07-23-2009, 08:34 PM

Yep. Sorry to hear that.

wolf · 07-23-2009, 11:28 PM

Brief moment of lucidity this afternoon, however, she slid back down the tubes by dinnertime.

She's been sleeping a lot today, though, I'm hoping that represents the last bits of awful sliding their way out of her system.

xoxoxoBruce · 07-23-2009, 11:33 PM

Definitely a FMLA case. Do it.

DanaC · 07-24-2009, 03:52 AM

Ack. How awful

Poor MomWolf.

barefoot serpent · 07-24-2009, 12:51 PM

There is now a vaccine for shingles but it comes with some caveats...

Cloud · 08-01-2009, 10:26 AM

I saw that ad for the shingles vaccine. I'm sure it does come with warnings--all drugs do. But it suggests that people should be vaccinated at age 60.

How is Momwolf doing?

richlevy · 08-01-2009, 10:35 AM

I hope your mom is better, Wolf.

07-23-2009, 01:59 PM	#1
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Shingles momwolf has shingles. Actualy, she has real bad shingles. They actually popped out (which is what they literally do, rather like chicken pox) last weekend. If you haven't had shingles, it sucks. You can get shingles if you have had chicken pox, which lurks in your nervous system and waits until you're immunocompromised, or under stress, or they just want to fuck with you, and wham. You feel miserable for a day, and then you look like you have plague. They find a handy nerve root and emerge and make your life a living hell for a couple of weeks. I know this, because I had them two years ago, related to stress from momwolf's summer of hospitalization, surgery, and eventual nursing home discharge. I probably wrote about them at the time. I took her to her PCP on Monday, got a couple of prescriptions and an emergency eye doctor visit because the nerve root they picked crosses her eye. I stayed home from work to make sure that she was getting the meds (Valtrex and Prednisone) into her and to keep an eye on her. All went well, except that she was screaming every couple of minutes from the pain. Tuesday, she seemed a little wobbly, but overall was okay. I went to work. Bad idea. I had to leave work after about two hours, because when I checked up on her she has slid through wobbly right into loopy. Disoriented, hallucinating ... figured it was probably the Prednisone. The ambulance guys noticed I looked a little distressed and offered to follow me home and check her out for me. They loaded her straight into the ambulance and off to the ER we went. It was a pretty good ER visit, competent nurse, nervous medical student, and good doctor ... they worked her up including labs, chest x-ray and a CT scan. Oh, and we were back home in UNDER THREE HOURS. I've never seen that. Ever. They figured it was the prednisone, but suggested adding a second med my mother has never had to try to control the side effects rather than just discontinuing it. Screw that. No more prednisone. Well, now it's two days later and she's still delirious. Could be the prednisone, or it could be a reaction to the dilaudid they shot her up with in the ER. It's some major good stuff, and they only gave her 0.5 mg, and she did sleep quite well ... but it could have contributed to the goofiness. I haven't been able to go back to work. She's not safe alone. I pretty much know I'm not going anywhere when I she wakes up screaming my name at 0800 hrs. I'm getting frustrated, and running out of reasons not to kill her. That's a joke. I will not injure or kill momwolf. I will hook the PS2 up and bash some monsters before I get there. My biggest fear at this point is that I will not be able to have my actual vacation (Disneyworld, already paid for), since the time I'm taking off to care for her comes out of my vacation days. I need to talk to HR to see if I can have this charged off out of my sick time? Anybody know the regulations on that? Anyway, shingles sucks. Particularly since the stress could send me into a reoccurance. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

07-23-2009, 02:02 PM	#2
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	bummer. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

07-23-2009, 02:05 PM	#3
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	I did regale everyone with the tale of my shingles outbreak. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

07-23-2009, 02:39 PM	#6
Shawnee123 Why, you're a regular Alfred E Einstein, ain't ya? Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 21,206	I've heard it's quite painful. Sorry wolf. Eeek, I had chickenpox too! __________________ A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones who need the advice. --Bill Cosby

07-23-2009, 02:51 PM	#7
Pensive Monkey Purveyor of Brilliance Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: The dimpled chin of Illinois. Posts: 72	Wow. How terrible. My grandma thought she had a heart attack a few years ago and it wound up being shingles on the inside. Awful. I would check into FMLA through your work. I would think you'd be able to take a leave of absence for this, but not sure if it would be paid. Good luck! __________________ *Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginitive.* ~ Oscar Wilde

07-23-2009, 02:22 PM	#4
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	sorry wolf! I'm been seeing print ads lately for the shingles vaccine or something. Haven't read them too closely, so I don't know the deal, but the pictures of the shingles look absolutely horrific. I had chickenpox as a kid, hope I don't get shingles later.

07-23-2009, 02:29 PM	#5
sugarpop Professor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: the edge of the abyss Posts: 1,947	Damn wolf! So sorry momwolf is going through this and in so much pain!

07-23-2009, 07:26 PM	#8
jinx Come on, cat. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: general vicinity of Philadelphia area Posts: 7,013	I'll be thinking about her Wolf... shingles are friggin brutal, I had them at 12. Worst thing ever. __________________ Crying won't help you, praying won't do you no good.

07-23-2009, 08:34 PM	#9
TheMercenary “Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo” Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Savannah, Georgia Posts: 21,393	Yep. Sorry to hear that. __________________ Anyone but the this most fuked up President in History in 2012!

07-23-2009, 11:28 PM	#10
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Brief moment of lucidity this afternoon, however, she slid back down the tubes by dinnertime. She's been sleeping a lot today, though, I'm hoping that represents the last bits of awful sliding their way out of her system. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

07-23-2009, 11:33 PM	#11
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Definitely a FMLA case. Do it. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

07-24-2009, 12:51 PM	#13
barefoot serpent go ahead, abbrev. it Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lawrence, KS Posts: 2,623	There is now a vaccine for shingles but it comes with some caveats... __________________ Chooses rowing vs. wading

08-01-2009, 10:26 AM	#14
Cloud ... Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 8,360	I saw that ad for the shingles vaccine. I'm sure it does come with warnings--all drugs do. But it suggests that people should be vaccinated at age 60. How is Momwolf doing? __________________ "Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"

08-01-2009, 10:35 AM	#15
richlevy King Of Wishful Thinking Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Philadelphia Suburbs Posts: 6,669	I hope your mom is better, Wolf. __________________ Exercise your rights and remember your obligations - VOTE! I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. -- Barack Hussein Obama

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