Well, you probably thought this post would be about roofing shingles, but alas, it is not.  It’s about Varicella Zoster, the Shingles Virus.  Working around here in the woods, I get bit, scratched & itch just about everywhere, so when a new small rash erupted on my lower back, I paid it no special attention.  It was rather large & distrubing, was very hot to touch, but didn’t really itch.  We kept an eye on it, but on Day 4 I started having severe chest & upper back pain.  Not knowing what the rash/bite was, I began to fear the worst!   My DH came home from work early, to help me make my way to one of our local clinics where I could hopefully get some answers.  But by the time we got to the clinic, the pain had progressed from a solid 7 to a solid 9.5!  One look at the rash/bug bite and I was informed of my condition.

The doctor looked at me with pity, and apologized because I have Shingles.   The sinister virus that caused painful pox all over my body & face at age 25, has been lying in wait for one day, when the stress was a little too much, when my body was fighting an infection from one of the many scratches & cuts I obtain, to JUMP OUT & COMPLICATE my week.  Not to mention, bring me to my knees in pain.   The treatment is a week & a half of AntiViral medicine with a little OTC pain medication to help.  Nothing too serious, but regardless, it hurts.

I’ve been on the meds for 4 days now, and things are looking up.  The spasms in my back are far less severe and overall I’m just a bit sore.  I get tired pretty easily and right now I can’t move as freely as I used to because of the muscle pain & tension, but it seems like I’m on my way back.  Tonight I even managed to help put up a tarp over our big dog run, as a few days of rain are headed our way, and since I was down with back pain, we did not yet finish the newest of our coops.  The blue & white orpingtons must spend another week or so in their old run and I hope the tarp will help keep them a bit dryer than before.

I did set some eggs a couple of days ago… more from my GLO Family and a few Black Orpington eggs taken before Miguel moves out & the new Blue Rooster moves in.  This is my 2nd to last hatch for the year I suspect.  I will gather some Black/Blue/Splash eggs after combining the new Blues with our old Blacks, and they will likely be my last hatch for the year.

That’s what I’ve been doing lately, how about you?  My new blog allows you to post comments easily, so why not do just that, and tell me what you’ve been up to!  Hows the progress on your hobby farm going?