A Team Effort
Today June and I had a date out at the Lewis Pharmacy. We had been talking about it for some time and today was the day for us to get our Shingles shot. We had procrastinated long enough.
I had Shingles the year after I retired . . . 2010. It started like an itch on my left arm. Within 24 hours, I was in pain 24/7. Even with a formidable tolerance for pain, this kicked my butt in my awake hours and in trying to sleep. The open blisters that weep do not feel good with anything touching them. They didn’t feel any too good being naked either. It remains a virus within us during our adult lives that invaded during chicken pox as a child.
It took me back to our Boon Lake farming days when Orlin had Shingles in the dead of winter. Both Carrie and Kevin were small and tried hard to be busy and quiet in their play. I needed that as there were livestock chores to be done. We no longer had milk cows, but we did young stock as well as having sows that were farrowing. Many trips from barns to the house. There had been something akin to clear nail polish that needed to be painted on the Shingles blisters that was to seal them and not let the weeping spread. Believe me, I was thrilled when Raymond and Lena came over to keep the kids busy while Orlin was upstairs in bed. We made it through the worst of the first two weeks. After that it took some time for Orlin to regain overall strength. It was a good thing Orlin had sick leave from the shift work at 3M in Hutchinson.
Shingles effects the nerves in the area of the Shingles outbreak . . . mine was the left arm and left shoulder. Some damage can remain and is called postherpetic neuralgia. I went on to have reverse shoulders in both the right and left. The stroke hit on the left side. All in all the left arm shows resilience in my now . . . day-to-day life.
Our insurance does not cover the vaccine shot for Shingles. WTF! I gladly plunked down the $200 this morning. Within 2 to 6 months the second shot for shingles needs to be administrated for an additional $200. Again, I will willingly do. Dennis has had his given to him at the VA clinic here in town.
Considering how all encompassing Shingles are, I would encourage anyone over 50 to get the shots. It takes one down for several weeks.
When June and I had sat for the 10 minute timeout at Lewis’ we went to her apartment for coffee and banana bread. We, the Shingles team, called it a good day.