The case for hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes
There are a lot of nasty people in the world. People who cough into their hands, people who don't wash after they go to the bathroom, people who scratch their butts with nary a care, people who touch whatever creeping crud they happen to be sporting at the moment and don't think twice about grabbing the nearest grocery cart or door handle.
Thanks to one of these folks, who's identity I shall never know, I now have a prescription for Valtrex.
That's right folks! Anyone who has a TV set these days knows that's fucking HERPES medication. I am so pissed I can't even begin to tell you. Thanks to some asshole who can't be bothered to wash their hands or carry hand sanitizer when they know they have what my doctor described as a very contagious condition, I now have shingles. Remember that rash I was whining about on Saturday? Yeah, that was baby shingles. Now I have full blown, from my spine wrapping almost all the way around to my navel, painful, burning shingles.
And I am MAD.
You reach a point in your life where you say, "Self, you're married. You're almost thirty one. You've been in a monogamous relationship for over eight years now. You're pregnant, and have been tested for STDs, and the doctors found none. You are so in the clear! Give me a high five for making it through the single years without any major damage! WOOT!"
And then one day, you unexpectedly find yourself at the pharmacy filling a prescription for Valtrex.
To be fair, at least it's not genital herpes or oral herpes. Cold sores my FOOT! But those you get from being dirty with other people. My doctor said I could have gotten it from ANYWHERE... children, door handles, shopping carts, you name it. The source of this lovely gift shall forever remain anonymous.
I feel so dirty. And did I mention how pissed I am? There are now two bottles of hand sanitizer in my bag along with a container of antibacterial wipes. I wiped down the entire inside of the car. I wiped down the computer, keyboard, and mouse. I wiped my keys. I wiped the doorknob. I wiped my desk and the puff paint bottles I was using earlier.
Man, if I thought my OCD handwashing was excessive before, I guess I'm in for a real treat now. I better stock up on soap.
Oh, and while I was there, they decided to just go ahead and give me the glucose test. Dude, another reason to stay off the freaking message boards. It was so not as bad as everyone said. We used to make our Koolaid sweeter than that when I was a kid. Now I just have to wait and see if I passed.
****small update****
So, I went on WebMD to read more about this shingles. Turns out, the strain of herpes that causes it causes Chicken Pox too. Because I had chicken pox as a kid, now I have shingles. It will be like having chicken pox, the mini version, complete with fever, aches, and pains. WHEE FUN!!!
Oh, but it gets better. I can give chicken pox to anyone who comes in contact with my rash. Well, that means the folks on the airplane will be safe, seeing as how I wear clothes in public, but guess what I have in my house? That's right, a genuine, bonafide adult who has NEVER had chicken pox OR been vaccinated for them. Please pray/cross your fingers/light a candle or whatever you do for my husband, okay?
Thanks to one of these folks, who's identity I shall never know, I now have a prescription for Valtrex.
That's right folks! Anyone who has a TV set these days knows that's fucking HERPES medication. I am so pissed I can't even begin to tell you. Thanks to some asshole who can't be bothered to wash their hands or carry hand sanitizer when they know they have what my doctor described as a very contagious condition, I now have shingles. Remember that rash I was whining about on Saturday? Yeah, that was baby shingles. Now I have full blown, from my spine wrapping almost all the way around to my navel, painful, burning shingles.
And I am MAD.
You reach a point in your life where you say, "Self, you're married. You're almost thirty one. You've been in a monogamous relationship for over eight years now. You're pregnant, and have been tested for STDs, and the doctors found none. You are so in the clear! Give me a high five for making it through the single years without any major damage! WOOT!"
And then one day, you unexpectedly find yourself at the pharmacy filling a prescription for Valtrex.
To be fair, at least it's not genital herpes or oral herpes. Cold sores my FOOT! But those you get from being dirty with other people. My doctor said I could have gotten it from ANYWHERE... children, door handles, shopping carts, you name it. The source of this lovely gift shall forever remain anonymous.
I feel so dirty. And did I mention how pissed I am? There are now two bottles of hand sanitizer in my bag along with a container of antibacterial wipes. I wiped down the entire inside of the car. I wiped down the computer, keyboard, and mouse. I wiped my keys. I wiped the doorknob. I wiped my desk and the puff paint bottles I was using earlier.
Man, if I thought my OCD handwashing was excessive before, I guess I'm in for a real treat now. I better stock up on soap.
Oh, and while I was there, they decided to just go ahead and give me the glucose test. Dude, another reason to stay off the freaking message boards. It was so not as bad as everyone said. We used to make our Koolaid sweeter than that when I was a kid. Now I just have to wait and see if I passed.
****small update****
So, I went on WebMD to read more about this shingles. Turns out, the strain of herpes that causes it causes Chicken Pox too. Because I had chicken pox as a kid, now I have shingles. It will be like having chicken pox, the mini version, complete with fever, aches, and pains. WHEE FUN!!!
Oh, but it gets better. I can give chicken pox to anyone who comes in contact with my rash. Well, that means the folks on the airplane will be safe, seeing as how I wear clothes in public, but guess what I have in my house? That's right, a genuine, bonafide adult who has NEVER had chicken pox OR been vaccinated for them. Please pray/cross your fingers/light a candle or whatever you do for my husband, okay?
Miss M told you so @ 4:05 PM
9 Comments:
Awww...I feel for you. I had them when I was like 11 (I had CP when I was 5) and they hurt like the devil. I felt like sharp needles were poking me in the back, which is where I had them. However, we can both feel lucky that we aren't like another girl I know who got them in her EYE! Could you imagine?
What did your dr. say about having this while being pregnant? Is there any danger to your baby? That would be so scary. I pray you, baby Sawyer, and your dh are all ok.
Oh my goodness, what a horrible thing to have happen! I see you are pregnant also, you will be in my thoughts, hope everything gets under control for you!
Oh god bless your dear. It is bad enough to be pregnant in the midst of summer but to have that on top of it all. I hope your hubby does not get it because it is tough on Adults to have chicken pox. If he does not get it he should get a variceller titer to see if he has a natural immunity. I had chicken pox then started the series of vaccine and it took a few years show up I was immune. He shoud look into getting the vaccine. Sending Get well wishes to you.
I had shingles last winter, the week of Thanksgiving. It was no fun. I slept a lot. Mine didn't hurt constantly, but when they did, they hurt terribly! My brother also thought it would be funny to slap my shingles. I cried and cried... hurt so damn bad!
From my understanding, Shingles itself isn't contagious (you are right about giving someone else chicken pox though). It's just dormant chicken pox that's been hiding out in your system. It becomes active again (with a vengeance) during times of illness, stress, or in my case.... for no reason at all.
I heard a news report that there are more and more cases of shingles because of the chicken pox vaccine. I can't remember the exact relationship, but I do remember thinking, "Why did no one see that one coming?"
They decided it was mandatory (at least here in TX) to give children a vaccine which they DIDN'T know how long it would last for a disease that is generally not fatal or debilitating in children. They do know the disease can have very serious complications for adults. They don't know how long the vaccine lasts/whether people will eventually need a booster shot. They don't know if the children to whom they are giving the vaccine will get the booster anyway, even if it IS found to be needed, because they will be presumably out of high school when it is no longer mandatory.
So they're giving a bunch of vaccines that MAY run out exactly when the disease has dire consequences instead of figuring out how long it will last OR not making it mandatory. So potentially bunch of young adults will have no immunity sometime in the near future. That to me has trouble written all over it & yet, here it is mandatory in our state.
Anyway, I'm sorry your doctor didn't explain shingles to you more fully when it was diagnosed. That stinks that you had to go through that. :-( :-( :-( In reality I don't think all the hand washing in the world will ever get rid of chicken pox, but it would be nice if people were more thoughtful of others when sick.
hey, keep your DH down and quiet until he knows that the period is over where he can't get it. berto and i got it when we were in our
20's and it sucked. men who get it bad enough can go sterile. my mom's first husband lost a testicle. if you want more kids....
Shingles are horrible. My grandmother had them. You've been under stress with your job. Was your case of chicken pox mild (as a child)?
I know of a 14 year old boy who last summer had to deal with the shingles. Can you believe that?!
HANG IN THERE!
Oh man, that sucks. I'm so sorry you are going through that! I've got my fingers crossed that your hubby doesn't catch it. And hope everything continues to go well with Sawyer!
Oh girly, I'm so sorry to hear this. Geeze Luise, you just can't catch a break! Like Emily said I have know people who have had this and I have only known it to be brought on by stress, you've had more than your share of that lately. UGH! Hope your feeling better now!
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