Eh, it's just the chickenpox...

Everyone knows about the chickenpox.  When you are a child you remember the unbearable itch of the red annoying spots that are all over your body.  I have thankfully never had to experience this.  But, in your time Dad, it was the common thing to get.  Parents even took their children over to other homes so they could catch that nasty bug and get it over with.  It was thought to build your immunity.  However, today we are seeing the booming repercussions of that chickenpox case that you had years ago.  It is known is Shingles.  This infection presents as a painful rash, anywhere over the body.  However, it is most common to appear in a stripe of blisters on your torso (Mayo Clinic, 2015). It is a remnant of the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes the chickenpox (Mayo Clinic, 2015).  The virus has hidden in the nerves of your body for all of these years, and it finally decided to strike when you least expected it to.  

http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2013/03/scariest-reason-shingles-vaccine

Even though you experienced Shingles about 3 years ago from today, you are still living with effects today.  Although the condition is not life threatening, the pain can be unbearable (Mayo Clinic, 2015).  I know you have unanswered questions that I will never be able to answer, but someone else may find this blog when they are suffering from shingles in the moment.  I want to talk to you about what the virus is, what it does, who it affects, how to treat it, and how nurses (or soon to be nurses like myself) can help you.  Hopefully one day they will figure out how to help the pain you are experiencing, but until then, we can only help out others from contracting this virus in the first place.

References:

Mayo Clinic. 2015. Diseases and Conditions: Shingles. Retrieved from  http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shingles/basics/definition/con-20019574

Photo:

Goldberg, C. March 8, 2013. Common Health. The Scariest Reason to get the Shingles Vaccine. Retrieved from http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2013/03/scariest-reason-shingles-vaccine