WTF (rant)

calindi

Okay, first happy news - my boss finally got fired yesterday!  So I don't have to deal with him anymore.

In other news, I apparently have shingles.  WTF?!  I mentioned yesterday that I had a rash from the cleaning products used on my clothes, but it wasn't getting better, so I went to the doctor today.  I have shingles, not an allergic reaction!  It's chicken pox that has been dormant in my system since I had it as a toddler, and due to lowered immune system, it has come back to haunt me.  Apparently the amount of stress I've been under has seriously made me sick.

I'm really contagious to anyone who has never had chicken pox or the vaccine.  While people can't catch shingles, I can give people chicken pox, which is seriously bad for adults.  Luckily FI has had chicken pox, so he can't get it.  Soooo.... it means the 3 partners who have been in town have to go get chicken pox vaccines today because none of them have had chicken pox and I saw them all last night.  Yep, this is officially the worst timing EVER (okay, the week before my wedding might have been worse, or when pregnant since it can hurt a fetus, but still seriously, this is BAD timing!).  All the partners are in town, we have a huge event tomorrow that I absolutely cannot go to.  I'm stuck at home trying to do work, but I'm miserably itchy and it burns like crazy and super sore!  And apparently the pain will last weeks if not months.  GAH!

Anyone ever had this or know someone who had it?  The doctor wanted me to stay home for 2 weeks, but there's no way that will happen - I'm contageous until Saturday, so I'll go in on Monday. 

BinxRose

Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! I've never had it, but I remember my 9th grade biology teacher telling us about his experience. He said it was pretty painful. And a girl on dance team with me in high school also got it, but she didn't have it too bad. Hope it goes away soon! Sorry it's interrupting your life

crownsuperstar

Oh no!  First let me say sorry about this.  That cannot be fun.  My mom had it years ago when she was totally stressed out by the job she was working.  She just used a lot of benadryl lotion to help with the itching and I know she took a lot of cold showers for the burning.  I think she just had to work it through.  This totally sucks for you.  

Bright side- your boss got fired and your wedding is not this weekend. 

amh04

Oh my goodness Cali!! Thats horrible!! I hope you feel better soon!! FI had shingles when he was like 16/17 but I didn't know him then. Just try and follow the dr's orders as best as you can and take care of yourself.

SamiJoeB

C!!  I know that shingles is totally stress related, and that the longer you disobey Dr.s orders, the longer it takes to get better.  A girl in my squadron had a rash like this and she had me look at it and I was like "Ahhhh go to the doctor! It's the pox!"  Be glad that FI's had it.  Take it easy and get lots of rest and R-E-L-A-X!!! I you!!

divinemsbee

First off: Boss got fired, yay!

But, wow, that's horrible. I've not dealt with shingles, the worst I've had as an adult is a patch of psoriasis on my cheek, and that was horrible, I can't imagine having something a thousand times worse all over my body. I know that Calamine lotion and Eucerin have helped me in the past, for what that's worth. That and trying to stay away from really hot showers because that'll just dry out your skin more. Hope you start feeling a little better, sending vibes your way.

I will admit, I was worried when you said shingles that you had somehow been exposed to one of those anti-vaccine people who send things that a child infected with chicken pox had licked or touched throught the mail and you had been exposed. I was about to be even more pissed off than normal about that.

calindi

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_wtf-rant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:cc64db19-6cb6-4879-991b-4d6ddee9bd68Post:33c25ffa-9fa5-408f-a795-144ab328018a">Re: WTF (rant)</a>:
[QUOTE]I will admit, I was worried when you said shingles that you had somehow been exposed to one of those anti-vaccine people who send things that a child infected with chicken pox had licked or touched throught the mail and you had been exposed. I was about to be even more pissed off than normal about that.
Posted by divinemsbee[/QUOTE]

I never heard of this.  Wouldn't that be the anti-anti-vaccine people?  The ones counter protesting the anti-vaccine trend where people think vaccines cause autism or something?  So by infecting people, they show the need for vaccines.  I don't see how doing that would help the anti-vaccine movement?

Also, doesn't a bug die within 40 hours or something of air (some sooner)?  So that would be pointless.

kyrgyzstan

Boo Cal!

divinemsbee

I heard about it on NPR, I'll see if I can find the article. Basically these parents don't want to vaccinate their children, but they feel if their child gets the disease earlier, they will develope the anitbodies. So, if they can't find local people to get together with and have "pox parties" they use Facebook and such to find like-minded people whose kids have chicken pox, and then get them to rub a small towel on their kids sores or spit on something, or lick a lollipop to put the infection on it. They then pack it  up in plastic and send it through the mail to the parent that wants to infect their kid. Regardless of who else may be exposed through this process.

Basically the anti-vacciners think that if the kid gets infected naturally, then it'll be ok. They are morons.

divinemsbee

Links:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/11/07/142098710/what-not-to-buy-online-lollipops-laced-with-chickenpox

http://www.npr.org/2011/11/08/142106487/family-doc-says-no-to-perilous-chickenpox-pops

freebread03

Sorry that you're sick with such bad timing!  I think the PP was referring to the "Pox Parties" that are popping up in some of the anti-vaccine circles.  Basically, when a kid gets chicken pox moms will have a "party" and invite all the non-sick kids so that they can get chicken pox.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pox_party

Kind of nuts IMO.

Hopefully you can (somehow) relax and rest so you can get over it faster

calindi

Wow, Pox Parties?  That's really sick.  The sending stuff through the mail sounds like it probably wouldn't work and is stupid, but the pox parties are just... sick.  Isn't that child abuse?

SamiJoeB

C! That is exactly my line of thinking, but this is what MIL did with H & BIL.  H was like "What If I had never been exposed at all, and then got it as an adult and then we couldn't have kids or something?"  I don't really think that's a valid argument.  I got it when I was like idk. 4 or 5?  My dad hadn't ever had it, so I had to steer clear of him for a few days, but other than that I lived.  Apparently Pox Parties are all the rage now.  I think they are kind of weird, especially because if I remember correctly, I was miserable and probably didn't really feel like playing with anyone...

calindi

Sami, they now have a chicken pox vaccine which is exactly for that purpose - exposing children WITHOUT them having to suffer the symptoms of the virus.  They now even offer vaccines without preservatives for parents who are concerned about vaccine preservatives causing X, Y, and Z (debunked myths, but still avoidable).

crownsuperstar

OK what in the world.  Pox Parties?!?  That is just sick. 

firemedicrr

cal, I'm so sorry, that sucks It really is stress related, so the longer you stress and don't follow dr's orders, the longer it'll take to get better... so... try to relax? ya know, as possible as that is with the crazy itching/burning.

re: pox parties... that's just nonsense. People kill me with their ignorance. 

SamiJoeB

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_military-brides_wtf-rant?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:13Discussion:cc64db19-6cb6-4879-991b-4d6ddee9bd68Post:8e4cae95-8d97-473f-9476-7a07024c5f39">Re: WTF (rant)</a>:
[QUOTE]Sami, they now have a chicken pox vaccine which is exactly for that purpose - exposing children WITHOUT them having to suffer the symptoms of the virus.  They now even offer vaccines without preservatives for parents who are concerned about vaccine preservatives causing X, Y, and Z (debunked myths, but still avoidable).
Posted by calindi[/QUOTE]

I'm all about some vaccines!!

AmandaSC1988

I don't remember the chicken pox vaccine being so readily available when I was a kid as it is now.  Maybe we were just that poor. Haha. I got chicken pox when my older sister brought it home from school, my poor mother had 3 kids with chicken pox, really not much you can do to avoid it when you have 5 kids. I don't remember it I was only a year old, I don't think it was child abuse...I am thankful I got it then and not when I was in school and could remember it.

Anyway, feel better and take any drugs they offer you! I had a friend who had it last month and she said when she took the meds she never felt itchy at all.

calindi

Amanda, you mis-read.  When a parent intentionally exposes their child to a virus so that they get sick, I think that's child abuse.  The chicken pox vaccine became mainstream in the late 1990's, so most of us missed it but the current generation of children has it readily accessible.  Getting sick the old fashioned way isn't child abuse, and certainly is how I had it, because kids do just pass germs and get sick and it's no one's fault.