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I Caught It From Fman

themetfairy Jul 22 2013 08:39 AM

Well, not exactly. I don't think that shingles is contagious, and it's certainly not transmitted on the Internet. On Wednesday I noticed a rash on my arm. I chalked it up to being a heat rash after several very busy days. But by Friday I noticed that it wasn't getting any better, and that it wasn't responding to hydrocortisone. Then I thought of Fman and considered that it could be shingles. Of course, my doctor's office was closed for the weekend when I made this realization, so I took myself to the mini clinic at CVS. There I saw a sweet but frazzled nurse practitioner, who was confused because the rash was in a line so she thought that meant it was poison ivy. However, I was nowhere near poison ivy, and I have since learned that a rash in the shape of a stripe is indeed consistent with shingles. In any event, the nurse practitioner agreed that there was no harm in treating this as shingles, so I started taking Valacyclovir that evening. I've learned that one of the keys to treating shingles is to get on the antiviral medication within 72 hours of the initial outbreak. A friend of mine who is a doctor told me to thank my friend for alerting me to the possibility of shingles, because by getting on the meds when I did I probably saved myself a lifetime of chronic pain. The good news is that I'm basically feeling well, save for the ugly rash, and that I got onto the meds at the right time. I realize that this could have been a whole lot worse, and I'm grateful that it isn't. So thank you Fman - because of you I'm able to manage an inconvenience as opposed to suffering with a chronic illness.

Kong76 Jul 22 2013 09:09 AM Re: I Caught It From Fman

POW! You've been Fmanned!

Edgy MD Jul 22 2013 09:15 AM Re: I Caught It From Fman

Sorry. Take it easy and do what they tell you. The initial presentation is lousy, but it can reassert itself later. Good on you for treating it right away. That lifetime-of-chronic-pain thing is real.

Kong76 Jul 22 2013 09:41 AM Re: I Caught It From Fman

Sorry, in my rush to be silly I forgot my 'bedside manners!' Yes, take good care. Friend had 'em earlier this year and was just miserable for weeks.

themetfairy Jul 22 2013 09:48 AM Re: I Caught It From Fman

No worries guys. Honestly, I'm feeling fine. But I thought it was worth a post for awareness sake. I wouldn't have thought shingles but for Fman, and that led to the early treatment. It would have been much worse if I had waited for my primary care physician's office to re-open this morning before getting this taken care of.

Fman99 Jul 22 2013 10:25 AM Re: I Caught It From Fman

NO WAY! I washed it off in the sink first before we even got the Astroglide out! Wait, what?

cooby Jul 22 2013 10:28 AM Re: I Caught It From Fman

Good grief! I hope you continue to feel better!

themetfairy Jul 22 2013 10:31 AM Re: I Caught It From Fman

LOL! And thanks cooby. I think that if I'm feeling ok at this point then I'll be fine. Right now it's just about the care and feeding of the rash, which thankfully is subsiding.

Mets – Willets Point Jul 22 2013 10:38 AM Re: I Caught It From Fman

I Caught It From Fman Surely this is not the first time this sentence has been uttered. Feel better soon, metfairy.

Fman99 Jul 22 2013 10:42 AM Re: I Caught It From Fman

In all seriousness, I'm glad to have been of assistance in getting you the medical attention you needed. I was also glad to have had my wife researching the issue when the second instance of a rash appeared, both on the same side of my body (another common manifestation of shingles). Aside from the rashes being slow to heal/fade, and the occasional stiff neck, I have not had much in the way of side effects from my bout with this. The irritation as well as general fatigue and achiness are a thing of the past. I was able to get on the medication before it became pervasive, luckily.

themetfairy Jul 22 2013 11:38 AM Re: I Caught It From Fman

Mets – Willets Point wrote: I Caught It From Fman Surely this is not the first time this sentence has been uttered. Feel better soon, metfairy. Yes - I figured this wasn't an original title ;) And I am feeling well - thanks. In retrospect I was fatigued last week, but at the time I chalked it up to having a particularly busy week. In retrospect it was probably a first sign of shingles, but nobody is going to diagnose that based on feeling tired. Fman - please thank your wife for the research and let her know that it was a tremendous help.

MFS62 Jul 23 2013 08:55 AM Re: I Caught It From Fman

MF - glad you caught it in time. If not treated promptly, it can be painful to the point of being debilitating. Later

Frayed Knot Jul 23 2013 09:10 AM Re: I Caught It From Fman

MFS62 wrote: If not treated promptly, it can be painful to the point of being debilitating. The same could be said about FMan.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 23 2013 09:35 AM Re: I Caught It From Fman

Good Lord. Glad to hear you're on the running-path to Wellsville.

themetfairy Jul 23 2013 10:18 AM Re: I Caught It From Fman

Thanks guys!