the onset

I've been fielding calls from family over the past two days, assuring them that yes, yes, yes, I will be at the farm for Christmas. Shingles won't get in my way. I spoke to John at length about what this disease is all about and how I may not be out of the woods yet. The rash, the skin pain, etc -- that's all pretty awful but the bad part -- the part that kept Dave Letterman off TV for a month when he got shingles -- is something called postherpetic neuralgia. Since shingles is an attack on the nerves, it can leave nerve endings very damaged and cause some excruciating pain as a result -- and its pain that can not be treated with standard pain killers.

On the bright side, it is a complication that only affects about 20% of people who have shingles, and that generally skews older.

On the far dimmer side, I seem to be one of those rare exceptions. Tonight, I was back at work, trying to be normal. As I lifted some frozen yogurt back into the freezer, my back tensed up. I stopped what I was doing. It tensed some more. I tried to relax it, it tensed further... until, eventually, I was on the floor, tears streaming from my eyes and unable to stand up. What was worse was that it was after closing -- I was the only one left. I called my roommate and through wails of pain asked him to pick me up. I then called my boss, explained exactly what happened and that it was not likely I'd be able to come into work tomorrow... all while still on the floor. I have never been this immobile in my life, and the pain is terrible.

I am back home now with a great deal of assistance from my roommate. I once again have to re-evaluate whether or not going home for Christmas is a good idea. I really would love to see my family but a 4-6 hour drive each way could quite possibly be a terrifically painful experience... plus I'd basically be confined to a couch the entire time I'm there. Not a lot of fun for anyone involved.