Outside Looking In

When I got my second dose of the Moderna vaccine last year at Walgreens in Willmar, I also requested a shingles shot, which I received about a week later.
While the shingles vaccine is highly effective, apparently I am one of the "lucky" ones to get shingles anyway. I thought I remembered only getting one dose of Shingrix, but when I checked with Walgreens, I had been administered both doses, which they say is over 90 percent effective.
And while I was also told that people who get shingles after getting the vaccine usually have milder symptoms, I am also in the minority there, too.
As I was walking in the store a week ago, my shirt kept rubbing against something just under my right pectoral. It wasn't painful, but it was irritating. When I got home, I looked in the mirror and noticed a tiny red mark like the start of a pimple. No big deal, I thought.
A few hours later, that area had become numb. Shortly after that, red marks started popping up from the middle of my back all around to the middle of the front like popcorn on a hot stove.
They weren't painful at first, but they itched.
The next day, the area looked like someone had painted a red streak around the right half of me. The area started to become very painful and small blisters formed in some of the areas. I knew right away what it was.
I didn't go to the doctor because that would be like asking for directions at a gas station; it's something men are too stubborn to do.
I learned online that one out of three people get shingles in their lifetime. If one out of three people win the lottery in their lifetime, you can bet it won't be me. But shingles? Of course.
If you are one of the approximately 99 percent of adults 50 years or older who had chickenpox, the virus that causes shingles is already inside your body. It can reactivate at any time, and your risk increased as your immune system naturally declines with age.
Oh, great. Not only did I get shingles, but I am also being reminded that I am getting older. This has turned out to be a great day!
I also read that shingles may lead to long-term complications such as debilitating pain that lasts for month or even years. In rare cases, serious, long-term eye or hearing issues can occur.
Shingles is not contagious but a person can spread the virus when the rash is in the blister phase, so it's best to keep the rash covered with gauze until the blisters form a crust.
Oh great, since I am one of the rare instances of someone getting shingles after being vaccinated, my chances have probably increased that I will go blind and deaf. Well, at least I won't be able to hear myself screaming in pain.
Since I don't visit the doctor like I should, even though he happens to be a good friend of mine, I usually search online for ways to alleviate any type of discomfort. Sleeping was the biggest discomfort of all because I would roll over in my sleep. When I did, it felt as though I had rolled over onto a cactus.
Surfing the net, I found that those with shingles should keep the rash area clean and dry to reduce the risk of infection, wear loose-fitting clothing and use a cool compress a few times a day, are ways to treat shingles at home.
Taking a hot shower did seem to intensify the pain in that area, so I switched to taking cool showers felt so much better.
Fortunately, almost as quickly as the red rash developed, it started to clear up in a few days. I can still hear and see, too. Maybe my luck is changing.

Laugh about it
For those of you who have had or might get shingles, here's something that might momentarily make you laugh.
Bill, who drove a delivery truck in his spare time, walked into the doctor's office one day. The receptionist asked him what he had and Bill told her that he had shingles. She then wrote down his name, address and insurance number and told him to have a seat.
A few minutes later, a nurse's aide came out and saw Bill sitting in a chair and asked him what he had. Bill said that he had shingles. The nurse then wrote down his height, weight and medical history and told him to wait in the examining room.
A nurse then walked into the examining room, asked Bill what he had and was told he had shingles. So, the nurse gave Bill a blood test, check his blood pressure and temperature and told him to take his clothes off and wait for the doctor.
Fifteen minutes later, the doctor entered the room and found Bill sitting in a chair naked and asked him what he had. Bill replied "shingles." The doctor, not noticing any shingle anywhere on his body, asked where?
"Outside on the truck," Bill said. "Where do you want me to unload them?"