Shingles

You might assume that because this is a blog about how we moved in the the forest and are trying to remodel a house while learning to deal with nature, that when I say "Shingles" I'm referring to the kind that attach to the outside of the house.

You're right.

And you're wrong.

Yes, I'll mention that we are in the long process of putting cedar shingles on the outside of our house. They look great and should protect us from the elements and provide some defence against critters. The process is taking a while because we had to remove the old vinyl siding, which seems to have been put over the even-older wood siding. Then we've had to displace some angry wasps and wood-daubers who called the side of our house "home." We're half-way there. What's been done looks great.

But I'm also talking about the disease called "Shingles." Shingles (otherwise known as Herpes Zoster) is a painful, blistering rash caused by the chickenpox (varicella) virus. That is why my eye has been swollen almost to the point of being swollen shut--I have a rash on my eyelid.

I guess it pays to be an informed consumer of medical services. Since last Saturday (right after getting my Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book) I started to experience itching on my eye. My initial thought was Pink Eye. Then on Monday I spoke to a friend that suggested it was a Stye. I did whatever I could to get rid of the pain and itching. On Tuesday, my eye was nearly swollen shut, so I call an eye doctor.

The doctor checked my vision and my eye and concluded that I had a blocked duct, (which he unblocked) and allergies. He recommended over-the-counter eye drops and sent me on my way.

They did not work. On Thursday my eye was worse, so I called him again.

Once more, he examined my eye and, like many doctors, dismissed my concerns and just went ahead and prescribed an antibiotic.

I insisted he look again. "Didn't you see the leas on or scab on my eyelid almost hidden by the lashes? That wasn't there the other day!"

He looked again, reluctantly. But then he changed his mind. Shingles on my eyelid!

Shingles is the chickenpox virus affecting you a second time. But this time it affects a particular nerve, causing a localised area of pain and tenderness, and blisters on only one side of your body.

Okay, that explains a lot! Like how my hair was hurting (pain on my scalp) on my right side, how my right eye was painful, and a lot of other little symptoms.

So now I'm on the right track to getting though this bout of illness, but it may last a couple of weeks. Most likely, I'll get rid of these singles before the house gains all of its singles!