Holy Shingles!

I had a couple days off for a Fall fishing adventure last week. I had the two days planned out and I was geared to hit it hard! On the fourth of September, I woke up with a pain in my left flank. It grew worse as the day went on and by the evening I was popping some over-the-counter pain pills trying to get relief. I just couldn't sleep and spent the night in a recliner. Next day, same pain growing worse. Trying to be the macho man stud (a rumor I started years ago, and a few bought into it), I put up with the constant pain all day and all night again. Regular pain medication just wasn't touching it. Saturday, I started to get scared. I finally checked in at Insta-care and was told it sounded like a kidney stone. An appointment was made for an ultra-sound on Monday. The prescription pain killers helped me make through the weekend.

The ultra-sound came back negative. No stone! What is causing the pain? The next few days the pain stayed in by flank and started to move around my side and into my stomach area. I could actually watch as my stomach muscles (okay, fat gut flab) made painful contractions. Thursday night, I noticed a rash on my skin. I visited WebMD on my computer and decided I had a case of the shingles. A trip back to Insta-care on Friday the 12th of September confirmed it. I'm now on antiviral medication, some crazy steriod and a skin ointment. I have never been through anything this painful for so long before. I still have a few points of pain, but I think the medications are working. I'm just so frustrated at missing out on the days I had planned to fish. This is my favorite time of year to hit the streams. I'm hoping for an Indian summer so I can make up those lost days.