A Tale of OWWWW!

So, last week- I had a headache. Not a normal headache but a never ending, throbbing, headache that left me holding my head for 6 days. I actually went to the doctor!! I never go to the doctor. But this 6 day headache was weird and really painful, so off I trotted. Doc said sinus infection! I pointed out that I had had sinus infections and they never felt like this. She said, "sinus infection". I pointed out that my right eye looked funny. She said, "nope. sinus infection." I pointed out that it really, really hurt. "sinus infection". And she gave me my antibiotics and told me to hit the road. Which I did, literally- as the kids, Ripley and me left for the Hamptons the next morning. The headache came, too. Only now- my eye was redder and I had some weird bump/rash like spots along my hair line. (driving not my best choice but hey...)

By Saturday- I had convinced myself that I had a sinus infection (as told), a stye in my eye and poison ivy. I know, I know. Poison ivy on your head?! But I had just read an article about how dogs can roll in poison plants and not be affected but transfer it and since I was holding my own head a lot due to the sinus infection pain- I had convinced myself it was the ivy! I told the woman at the walk-in clinic in the Hamptons that on Saturday. She said, "hmmmm... it may be shingles." SHINGLES?!?! Who the hell gets shingles? Didn't that go the way of scurvy? The doc wasn't sure, however, so she sent me home with a warning to keep a watch on it and if there was any change- go to the ER. She actually pulled out a dermatology textbook and said... "if you wake up looking like this, go to the ER." (I didn't put the pic cuz it's gross- but click and you will see why I thought that if I was to wake up like that, the kids could kill me!)

Sunday morning- I woke up in such pain. Headache even worse, eye on fire, pain, pain, pain. And so I called Dr. Eunice who pointed out that I would race Ripley to the vet under the same circumstances. With that point made, I took myself to the ER. It's shingles. I have shingles. Did you know shingles on your eye can cause blindness? Me neither. Luckily, I have them on my eyelid but not on the cornea. I have seen more doctors in the last week than I have in the last year. I am still supposed to go to the neurologist. I have to go back to the eye specialist in a couple weeks to double check my vision wasn't affected. In the meantime- this is the most painful experience ever. It feels like my brain is trying to birth something big through my ear. The heat hurts. My hair touching my head hurts. The pup's barking hurts. IT ALL HURTS!! And it turns out- that's the way it is going to be for a couple of weeks. A COUPLE OF WEEKS.

As I understand it, anyone who has had chicken pox can get shingles. It's the same virus. It's been chilling in your system waiting for a weakness in your immune system to wake up and kick your ass. It attacks a nerve of it's choice and follows that nerve to it's end- where it kicks out a blister-y rash that is really pretty and really painful. But the pain continues to fire the nerve up. Chicken Pox with a Vengeance. And it normally lasts three to five weeks. THREE TO FIVE WEEKS. But there can be complications that last for months or even years. Swell.

So, that's my tale. I know that dogs often resemble their owners in look or behavior... but in immune system issues? Insane. Insane in the membrane. In pain in the brain. OWWWWW.