Assumptions......

So yesterday morning around 10:30 I was at work and the back ear started itching so I did what any person would do and I scratched it. Well, when I scratched it I broke the skin and what seems like tons and tons of water started draining. I was a little concerned so I went to the nurses station and asked them to look at it. They look at it and told me that it looked like a blister that ruptured but didn't see anything else so I went about my business.

I went to lunch and came back and was checking my email and my ear started itching again but in a different spot so I felt back there and felt this huge bump and kinda felt like a tick. So, I trotted back up to the nurses station again and they looked and it and started making faces. They said it looked "gross" and needed to have it seen about. So I was like ok, maybe I will be able to leave tomorrow and go to the dr and they said....like you need to leave NOW! There were several blisters forming on the back of my ear and were following a pattern. So I went back to my office and did a few things and took off to the dr in Puckett. Yes, we have a drs office in Puckett and a Dollar General too! We are moving up in the world! Anyway, on the way there I called Dr. Mullins, our doctor on the building who happens to be psychiatrist and internist and told her about the situation. She replied with...yeah....it's shingles.....and I replied with....but I'm not old! I really value her opinion and know that 99.9 percent of the time she is right but was really hoping that this time she was not.

So, I get there and the nurse does the triage thing and looks at it and puts me in a room. I had to wait a little bit bc there was an emergency that came in and no it wasn't someone who fell off their tractor or got run over by there goat, so the nurse came back in there to look at it and she thought it was shingles too. So the dr finally comes and looks, pokes prods, burst them and says its shingles. But she believes since the symptoms had just started that morning that we caught it early and hopefully it wont be as bad. She wrote me some meds and sent me on my way. I get in the car and look down and she prescribed Valtrex. I was like WHAT????

So when I go to pick it up and the pharmacist rings me up and it was $74.00. I was shocked but by this time I was so tired and was hurting I grabbed the debit card and paid it. Then the pharmacist says, next time you have a breakout ask the dr to prescribe you a medicine that has a generic. All I could say was....huh? so she repeated herself. I was floored and replied with.....I have the shingles....not herpes! She looked at me like...uh oh!

So anyway, the medicines must be working because there have been no new blisters today and the others seem to be drying up and scabbing over. It still hurts but is getting better. Well worth every penny! I couldn't go to work today so I used half of the day to catch up on some rest. For some reason I cant get enough sleep. This time change is kicking my butt!

oh and BTW....when they put those little stickers on the side of your medicine bottles that say "may impair to operate machinery" they aren't kidding. I went over to my parents this afternoon and on my way out of the driveway I side swiped a tree in the front yard. My car is ok. It just was scratched and was covered in pine bark from the back wheel to the bumper.