Thursday, September 15, 2011

Shingles after three years

Today marks the third anniversary of the shingles attack on my left eye. Every morning I awaken with itching, aching or an unpleasant sensation around the left eye, usually above it, in the eye brow, on the forehead, in the scalp.
My ophthalmologist told me not to expect a quick cure, then that the aftermath of the shingles (postherpetic neuralgia) would continue for a year or two. I assume now that barring a miraculous cure, I will endure this minor plague for the rest of my life.
The round robin of itching, aching or unpleasant sensations continues through all my waking hours. In addition, I get tired easily in doing my daily exercises or heavy household chores. In fact, I take a daily hour-long nap. When I’ve tried cutting out the nap or trimming it to a half hour, I fall asleep watching TV or reading in the evening. So I’ve come to accept the need for that nap. Besides, I enjoy it.
One side effect of my PHN (postherpetic neuralgia) is that many of my relatives have gotten the vaccine, Zostavax, which cuts the odds of getting shingles by 50 percent. My experience shows that is a chance well worth taking.

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