Great, just GREAT!!

I just spent a delightful afternoon in the emergency room.

Let me start from the beginning, since you know how much I like to bore you.

Monday night, as I was getting undressed, I realized I had an itch that felt like a bug bite, right under to band of my bra. I felt around, and sure enough, there was a little bump.

Tuesday, it was itchier than the day before. I asked CSJ to take a look, since now the bump felt like it was "spreading." He said, "Oh, yeah, there's something there alright. It's some kind of rash, I think. The center looks kinda like a pimple, that's coming to a head." Lovely, I know. I still thought it was a bite of some kind, possibly a spider bite. Another thought crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.

You may remember that Tuesday was also the day I pulled a bunch of weeds and dead junk from my yard. That night, the pain in my back started. It was in the same area as the bite, but I didn't think they were at all related.

Wednesday, the migraine woke me up, the back pain was WAY worse, and the rash was spreading. You basically know how the rest of the week went. Friday night, as I was trying to distract myself from the agonizing pain by watching TV, a commercial came on for the very ailment that crossed my mind Tuesday night.

So, I Googled it. Sure enough, I was fairly convinced that I had the right self-diagnoses. I couldn't exactly compare the rash to the photos, since I couldn't see mine. However, everything else seemed to be a match, including the mind-numbing pain, and the headache. I was a little scared, ok, terrified, when I read that sometimes the pain can last up to two months. I knew there was NO way I could deal with that.

This morning, the pain was absolutely unbearable. I decided I needed to go see a doctor. I sobbed through my shower, as well as the whole process of getting dressed. I drove to the nearest immediate care center, only to be told they don't accept my insurance. I was trying to decide if should try and find one associated with my insurance, but I just couldn't take the pain. I went straight to the emergency room. Luckily, they recently instituted a "fast track" system, so I was taken back to a room pretty quickly.

After a while, I sent CSJ a text to let him know where I was. He chastised me for going by myself, but I told him to just finish working, and I'd see him at home later. Instead, he left work and rushed to meet me. The big lug. When he got there, the first thing he did was check the rash. When he opened my gown, he couldn't contain his gasp. "Holy shit! It's WAY bigger now!" Gee, thanks, honey!

Ok, let me fast forward a bit. The doctor finally came in, and did his examination. Well, I was right on with my self-diagnoses. Freakin' SHINGLES!!! Holy crap. He gave me a prescription for a pain medication, and another prescription for an anti-viral medication. He also gave me a note saying that I couldn't go to work next week. Ok, that was kinda sweet.

Unfortunately, that also means I'll be sitting home alone tomorrow for Easter. There's NO way I'm going to take a chance of exposing Monkey to the virus. Plus, my brother is still susceptible to chicken pox. He had such a mild case when he was a child (he literally had THREE pox!) that the doctor told my mother he would probably get them again since his body didn't build up an immunity to the virus.

So, there you go. I just pray that it clears up as quickly as the doctor said (a couple weeks) because I don't know how much more I can take. The pain has started to spread around to the front of my body, and I feel like someone kicked me in my ribs. The doctor said the area looked red, so the rash may be spreading. I hope the medication keeps that from happening.

Speaking of medication, CSJ just walked in the door from picking it up for me, so I guess I'll take it and go lie down. Good night!