BENT BUT NOT BROKEN

After all the lovely comments and well wishes I have received, I really wish I could say for your sake that I am completely better and fine as wine.   Well I really am a LOT better (thank you ever so much for your caring) but that wine comparison is a bit in the  future yet I fear. 

It will be two weeks this evening since Shingles came to visit and I must say, it has been an Interesting, sometimes Amusing,  sometimes Moral Fiber Testing,  often Heartwarming, and generally a long drawn out adventure.

INTERESTING--in that I now know a lot about Shingles and I do love to learn. This disease has no set expiration date and affects everyone differently. That sneaky little virus can hide, in my case about 60 years, before jumping out and saying  "Gotcha." It really loves old folks but will strike children or anyone in between with equal glee. 

It can attack the trunk, the face or even shoot down a leg.  The face has the most serious consequences as it can cause blindness or deafness. Fortunately  for me, it liked my trunk. As far as I know, no one has ever died of  Shingles. It is most often something miserable some of us have to go through to teach us humility.

SOMETIMES AMUSING  in that there were two instances that gave me the giggles.  With one, I  discovered that my dog can laugh and he has no couth.  

I found to ease the pain around my middle, that if I tuck my shirt under my bra, roll my waist band down and let my belly wave in the breeze, life is a lot better. 

The first time I experimented with that look, I heard snuffling noises out of Mighty.  I turned to see him with one paw over his face making
realistic laughing or perhaps  exaggerated
gagging noises. Hard to tell with a dog.   I informed him he was really on thin ice making fun of the  person who totally controls his food and bladder release.

Sadly not my creation

The other event involved Walmart. I do fear I may have become a "Walmart Person" and might make the next email series if there was someone with a cell phone handy. 

Now I did untuck my blouse from my bra for the trip to Walmart searching for topical relief for the pain.  However I kept my jeans waist rolled down low enough to make me want to bust some hip hop moves.

 The lack of anything around my waist made me realize why some of the "gangsta" look fellows wear their pants so low. It really is freeing if precarious.  However for me, it was hard to keep the jeans at a decent level with the waist rolled down. I don't know how those guys do it.

Fortunately it was a cool day so  I was confident my jacket would cover any accidental plumber's crack I might be sporting. So I hurried through Walmart and it wasn't till I was back at my vehicle and I reached back to adjust my jacket for sitting and discovered that it had hiked up, possibly when I got out of the car to go into the store.  I had been exposed. Yuck.

If  the next batch of Walmart photos that appears in your email inbox shows a white haired lady in a white jacket with a plumber's crack showing--yep, it is me.  That might make me consider agoraphobia.

MORAL FIBER TESTING--yes this stuff hurts. It is relentless and I have been known to groan and moan in the privacy of my own home.  Also in my car as I hit the 86 road imperfections from my house to Walmart that made me squeal. And here I thought Arkansas had really nice roads.

I am the type of person who can take anything, pain or misery,  as long as I know  it has a time limit. It is the whole "iffy" nature of this disease that has worn  on my nerves. It can last a week or it can last for months. I really need a little tighter window of pain but I am not getting it. I have had some really bleak moments. 

What I am getting however, is better. I have longer periods now when the  Tylenol actually works. I could have gotten some stronger pain relief but those drugs just put me to sleep or make me woozy. Tylenol didn't kill the pain but took the edge off for a while.   The doctor has me on another round of antivirals and I feel like I am making progress.  Life is slowly getting better.

Finally last but not least is the HEARTWARMING aspect.  Your amazing  well wishing comments have really lifted my spirits.  They have picked me up when I was the most down and discouraged. You all have a great power and I am so happy you shared it with me.  Thank you, thank you, thank you. This adventure would have been so ugly with out you.

It has taken me a few days to write this as sitting is still uncomfortable and my pain tolerable periods must be spent doing necessary chores that have patiently waited. Sometimes I  squander  these longer pain quiet times by just enjoying the relief and doing nothing but repeating AAAAHHHHH. 

I hope to be back to regular posting and daily visiting  very soon. I do miss visiting with you all a lot.  Thank you for your support and for bearing with me.  Love ya bunches.