SOS - Sick of shingles!

This is really a blog prayer request. Sunday night I went to the emergency room, experiencing pretty awful eye pain. The none-too-interested doctor said I had conjunctivitis (pink eye) and gave a prescription and orders to see an opthamologist in 2 to 4 days in order to start wearing my contacts again. I've had pink eye before; this felt NOTHING like that. Monday I tried toughing it out. By Tuesday I begged the opthamologist for an appointment asap.

New doc, a cool guy, says "Wow, you have SLK. Superior Limbus Keratoconjunctivitis." My most favorite part was the numbing drops he put in my eye. Relief for the first time in 24 hours. New scrip to get filled and I am walking on air at Osco. Until...the numbing meds wear off and I am hurting again! A lot! Imagine the most grit you ever ever had in your eye and you cannot get it out. But I am hopeful that the new drops are going to do the trick. Katie and I look up all kinds of stuff on the internet and I am now concerned because thyroid is often part of the mix in SLK and both my mom and Katie have had problems with their thyroid.

Not a good night last night. Pete has been a dear through all this wishing he could do something to help. At the office this morning I am unable to concentrate for even a few minutes without trying a cold compress, a warm compress, prayers, saline drops. Another call to the eye doc that I am still having a lot of pain. And something new. I now have an eruption of little bumps on my forehead near the hairline that are tender, in fact a lot of my head is sore. What is going on? Back at good ole Dr. Wood's and the blessed numbing drops bring relief. I want to steal the bottle!

He looks deep into my eye and says he sees no improvement, looks worse. Then I tell him about the bumps on my head. Eureka! I have shingles...of the eye and head. The doctor asks if I have much stress in my life. HA! Shingles sometimes emerges with stress. Well, whoop de stinkin doo. So now I am on some oral meds, still have drops, still have pain but I am firm in the knowledge that this will not last forever. At least I hope not. Isn't there a part in the Bible where the apostle Paul talks about his thorn, some undisclosed ailment and how he can bear all things in Him? Praying for that...

Also coveting your prayers (and any shingles stories) that this passes soon; I have too much stuff going on. And as a sidebar, shingles (herpes zoster, yes, I have herpes, just not THAT kind of herpes.) makes me contagious to others who have not had chickenpox. Since the twins are only five months old and not yet innoculated for chickenpox, I am not supposed to come into contact with them for a week. This should be interesting!