Knock Wood...looks like I'm back in business

I hesitate to get too excited because there always seems to be something that comes along that sets me back, but I think I'm finally on the tail end of this bout with shingles. It felt good to be "back at work" (I work from home, but you know what I mean) today and as far as strength and endurance goes, I'm feeling MUCH better today than I did yesterday so I'm hopeful I'll recover quickly.

I cannot begin to describe how horribly painful shingles are. The fact that they affected my scalp and eye made it worse because all the referred pain was causing migraines on top of the regular pain from the lesions themselves. They are disgusting as well! Tanner treated me like a leper, the brat. When I started feeling better, I might come down for a short while just to get out of my bedroom for a while. I might watch tv with Tanner and Erik or chat while I checked my email on my laptop downstairs. The first time I came down and got on the computer, Tanner yelled to Erik "Oh no dad, mom is on the computer! Now what are we gonna do? We are going to get THE VIRUS" Erik assured him that he would thoroughly disinfect the laptop after my shingle ridden fingers were back where they belonged: the quarantine that was my bedroom. I honestly can't say that I blame him though. I looked HORRIBLE, I had one eye swollen and shut with several lesions all around it, several more up my forehead and many more unseen on my scalp. I didn't even want to touch myself so I'm not going to blame the poor kid for freaking out lol. I'll just make him pay for it the next time he gets sick :P

It does suck though because I was really starting to feel good and could feel my body slowly getting stronger, finally gaining some momentum when I came down with this illness. Now, after a solid week in bed....I seriously only got out of bed to eat something and then take more medication I was so miserable...but I can feel what that week has done to my body. I haven't stepped on the scale so I don't know if I gained or lost. Honestly, my ex was helping take care of me and was pretty stressed out with appointments for our son and ferrying me to and from the doctor that he frequently would just grab something (fast food) for most of our meals :( I know I could have easily have made a sandwich or done something that kept me on plan, but to be quite honest...I was so miserable and in such pain that I didn't care and most likely was doing the typical "comforting" myself with food while I was sick. TOPS lady, I read your comment but did the cyber equivalent of covering my eyes/ears and sang 'lalalalalalala' at the top of my voice so that I could pretend I hadn't read it...I know...bad supersquared.

The good news is that I am very eager to get back to the pool or back on the treadmill ASAP. I'm going to wait until my head and everything is completely ok though as I'm a little paranoid that somehow the sun exposure triggered the shingles even though everything I've read has said it shouldn't have. I absolutely refuse to wear a darn hat or skin cap at the pool. I'm already sporting quite the swimsuit body as it is; I don't need to make my head look like a cue ball as well. I WILL probably resort to using some oil free spray sunscreen on my head or whatever scalp shows through my part just in case. Thanks to everyone who offered some suggestions where this was concerned. I found a Neutrogena sunscreen I think will work.

I am going to be doing lots of laundry and cleaning after I finish this post and believe me...right now, that is still a workout for me, but I hope to actually get on the treadmill tomorrow. Even if its just for a few minutes. My goal right now is to be able to walk the short distance from our house to what will be Tanner's new school by the end of the summer. It is exactly half a mile there and back and while I won't be walking him to and from the school when he starts school, we are going to try to get him used to doing it by himself over the summer. I realize I'm going to have to take it super slow so we'll see how close I get by the time he goes back to school

As far as eating, I've been on program since yesterday and have managed to make it through today on program so everything is looking good so far. Just PLEASE pray that I can manage a good couple of months without getting sick again. I'm really OVER all the illness.

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