Shingles - and I Don't Mean the Kind for Your Roof!

Well, you gotta love the things we are experiencing this year! Ro's colds and ear infections, then measles, and now my shingles. Shingles is a skin rash caused by the same virus as the chickenpox. The virus responsible for these conditions is called the Varicella zoster virus. After an individual has chickenpox, this virus lives in the nervous system and is never fully cleared from the body. Under certain conditions, like stress, the virus reactiviates causing shingles. In most cases, however, a cause for the reactiviation is never found. Anyone who has ever had chickenpox is at risk for the development of shingles, although it occurs most commonly in people over the age of 60. 

Um, hello! I'm only 33! Ben asked me if I've been under a lot of stress lately, to which my response was no. Who knows why shingles has come to visit me now. My blisters are on 2 dermatomal patterns (individual paths of nerves out from the spinal cord) - starting on my right cheek, to my right ear, down my neck. Then I have them on my right upper arm, across my right upper chest. This makes my case rare as shingles normally only develops on 1 dermatomal pattern. The blisters are big, oozy, ugly, itchy at times, and very uncomfortable. 

The best part of this is that shingles is contagious to those who haven't had chickenpox. Who in our family hasn't had them yet? You're right if you yelled, "Rowyn"! We'll see if her immune system can battle the chickenpox, or if the chickenpox will win. Perhaps it will be a good thing if she gets them at such a young age (again another rare occurrence). The winner will be announced in a couple of weeks.

I would post a picture, but I don't want to turn stomachs. Some things are best left not shared. :) Here's to beautiful sunshine, the start of fall, and pain-free days!