I’m going to slowly pickup my running again next week, starting on a slower pace to begin with, since I still have scabbing on my shingles which may take a while to get rid off. However, most of the scabbing is dry, and should flake off soon anyway.
http://www.endomondo.com/training/plan/2918479
Went to see my GP today and the short of it is he agrees with the Shingles diagnosis, and even gave me a quick 5-minute lesson in it. He was surprised that it WASN’T hurting or itching – although it does when I try to sleep on it, and that I suspect is because the blisters are starting to scab up and as a result, my skin gets pulled as I roll over in my sleep).
I have one more day’s worth of anti-viral, and my GP says I should leave it alone to clear up by itself afterwards, and if it doesn’t clear after a while, then come back. I actually had to push him for a suggested duration to decide how long before seeing him again. We decided if it doesn’t clear after 4 weeks to come back.
It’s been a couple of days since getting diagnosed with Shingles, and they’ve now gone red. Some have burst, presumably during sleeping, but I haven’t seen any blood on my bed, so I suspect the fluid inside them is clear as opposed to actual blood.
This is good news – partially, as it also means they are progressing to the next stage, which means they should start to clear. In fact, the earliest clumps of rash are now starting to fade. My only concern now is lasting nerve and/or skin damage.
I’ve pulled the plug on my running for now whilst I try to deal with my shingles breakout. I’ve been on the medication for just over 24 hours now, and apart from the side effects, it seems to be working. The first blisters appear to be scabbing over and they are not as red as before. There’s a couple of large ones which will cause a mess when they eventually burst (and they will.)
The shingles have spread into my left wrist and have started appearing on the palm of my hand, right on the callus-prone area, which causes a very pin-prick-like sensation when trying to pick up objects.
The medication is making me sleep a HELL of a lot more. Normally I sleep 8-10 hours. Last night, after getting the tiredness and fatigue caused by the medication, I slept 12 hours. Not often I do that…
This medication is pretty crazy….
Side Effects:
Common (1/10 Users):
Uncommon (1/100):
Rare (1/1000):
Very Rare (< 1/10,000)
So far I’ve had nausea, headaches, dizziness and tiredness — within 24 hours of starting to take the medication.
You may remember my post from yesterday with a mystery skin ailment. Well, after spending 3 hours waiting at a walk-in clinic, I have my answer.
Shingles. Caused by the same virus as Chicken Pox. Still a mystery where and how I picked it up. I suspect the virus been dormant since I caught and recovered from Chicken Pox when I was young, but the blood test must have triggered its release.
Now, I have a week’s worth of medication where I have to take it every 4 hours.
Blender Fox 
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