By Rosie Preston
There are times I wish I could have known fate was going to change my plans.
Over the past few years, I came to understand that life is a game that we play whenever changes affect our lives or the lives of family members or good friends.
Choosing to share this with my readers is important to me. I recently received a diagnosis of a shingles virus. Within hours of my doctor’s diagnosis I was in such a state of pain that I could never describe it. Had I known how contagious and serious shingles could be, I may have jumped into Noccalula Falls!
I was prescribed pain medication, but and two days later the pain was increasing with no relief. The right side of my back was covered with huge red spots and was accompanied by shooting pain.
It will be three weeks today (March 5) since I was diagnosed. Sleep has been impossible unless I took two painkillers and two Tylenol. This is a very contagious condition that I would not wish on an enemy.
I’ve done a lot of praying to ask forgiveness for everything I felt I’d done wrong in my life, and last Wednesday I woke up and saw the sun shining and heard the birds chirping. I did not have to have the burning and itching.
The truth is that I’m very allergic to several medications. The doctor called it an “adverse reaction.” Helping with the burning and itching of shingles can be as simple as using a cotton sock and filling it with regular oatmeal. Get a bowl of warm water and dip the sock in it squeezing several times. This worked better than any prescription for itching and pain. Hopefully, you have someone you can ask to help you if you don’t feel like getting in the bathtub or have someone dab it on your skin tenderly.
I wish for you a healthy body. Life sometimes throws you a curve and everything around you feels different, sometimes good, and sometimes bad. But with strength from above and with love from family and friends, you will get through any crisis.
Keep smiling, Rosie
Contact Rosie Preston at rosie.preston@yahoo.com.