Shingles

No, my house is not getting a new roof... I found out Friday that I have Shingles.

Wednesday I had my first symptoms... I thought I was having an allergic reaction to something, perhaps a bug bite. Then I started getting headaches. Then my headaches turned into sharp pains that were completely foreign to me... I could not even blow-dry my hair without it hurting! Let alone brush the area on the top of my head. So I went to work, but the pain was distracting (even with Advil). So I called the doctors office and went in during the afternoon. When she said it was Shingles I almost didn't believe her.

"Don't you have to be like 70 to get Shingles?" That was my first thought. Apparently not only a lowered immune system, but also stress can cause Shingles to flare up at any age after one has had the chickenpox. She asked me "Have you been under any stress lately?" HAHAHA... just a little...

What this means- no clinical rotations until the virus has worked its way through my system and I am no longer contagious. This typically takes 2-4 weeks, but no guarantees. Translation: I am banned from clinical rotations and going to my GSR until the doctor confirms that the blisters are scabbed over, and I am no longer contagious to those who have not had chickenpox/ who are immuno-compromised. Oh and-- no more stressing, just relaxing.

Day 1 of finding this out- I had to determine how to not stress out about missing time. I called a bunch of people. I have been reassured that everything will work out fine, and just to relax and not stress. Do some work, but make sure to focus on getting better quickly.

Soooo.... I started doing more wedding planning. Knowing that I may have to make up rotation time during my breaks, I thought this would be a good time to finish those steps. A florist had recently e-mailed me back about using her services, so I contacted her. She thought I could use some extra help, so she recommended a wedding planner.

Prior to this I had been hestitant towards using a wedding planner. Mostly because my family has been so nice to offer to help with what I may need. And also because I enjoy planning fun events. I am so laid-back that I already don't think much can truly go wrong with the wedding... if Dave is there, and our families can come together to celebrate in our love-- then it will be a success in my mind. BUT, that being said... I graduate 2 weeks before the wedding, and those that actually live in the city we will get married are working more than a full-time amount at their jobs. So this will allow me to get help with the details I haven't taken care of, and take away stress from family members so that they may enjoy the day too! Therefore-- I think it's a go!

Tomorrow- more work for clinical rotations, more time relaxing, and hoping that I heal soon! I miss my family a lot, and know they are enjoying their time together at the beach (even if it isn't as relaxing of a trip as they remember!).