I've Got What?!

Friday, 7 September 2007

Today, I missed Miya's debut on the radio as she talked about the great care Taiga received while he was in the ICU for over a month. She expressed how she was "truly grateful" for everything they did for Taiga.

I made a last-minute doctor's appointment for myself, at the urging of Chris and his mom, to check on my very itchy rash I have had all week. It's only on my stomach and part of my back, and although I had to drive there without a license, wait for over an hour to be seen, and I was actually nursing when I was called in (and a nice woman waiting in the lobby helped me by carrying my diaper bag and carseat in), I was SOOOO glad I went. I lifted my shirt up, and one look at the rash, and the doctor said, "Oh honey, you have shingles."

Great. I thought only strange people get that. Or old people, or something like that.

Well, that explains the numbness and pain I had in that area of my back the week before (guess it wasn't from the carrier and from carrying Chase).

She called my pediatrician to make sure that it was okay to give me a medication since I'm breastfeeding. I asked a lot of questions out of concern for baby Chase. My peditrician said there's no need for him to see the baby. As long as I don't open up a sore and then touch his mouth or eyes or nose, he shouldn't catch the virus. And, although the medication will go through the breastmilk, it won't do any harm.

And, I thought I just had another one of my rashes because I have such sensitive skin. But, all my other ones were going away and this was getting worse. Plus, it's excrutiatingly itchy.

I just have to make sure that area is fully covered when I'm breastfeeding, especially since he sits with his legs around that area of my stomach and back. I don't want him to get the chicken pox this early!

I have to take this medication five times a day, but the doctor said not to worry about the middle of the night one...I said, "Hey, I'm used to getting up in the middle of the night anyway!". She just laughed.

It's good to know that I'm not that contagious and don't have to hide in a bubble (though I probably shouldn't go to Bikram yoga, as all that sweat and lying down might aggravate things and get my sores infected)...as long as no one licks my sores or rubs their open cut on my sores, they shouldn't get the virus.

If it's not one thing, it's another with me. Like Miya said, "Makes life interesting, I guess."