Shingles

When the itchy red spots of childhood chickenpox disappear and life returns to normal, the battle with the virus that causes chickenpox seems won. But for too many of us this triumph of immune system over virus is temporary. The virus has not been destroyed but remains dormant in our nerve cells, ready to strike again later in life. This second eruption of the chickenpox virus is the disease called shingles or herpes-zoster.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
“Shingles: Hope Through Research”

A few days before our trip, Ian mentioned that he'd pulled a back muscle; he couldn't figure out how he'd injured his back while sitting at the computer and writing.

The next day he had a stomach ache; it seemed weird since we'd eaten the same things and I felt fine.

A day later he noticed an itchy, swollen bug bite. Then another popped up right next to it.

On our second day in Salisbury, I convinced a reluctant Ian to stop at Boots pharmacy and ask for advice. A pink tender area surrounded the itchy "bites." At first the pharmacist confirmed my diagnosis: a bad reaction to bug bites. But he wasn't quite sure, so he called over a colleague to give us a second opinion. Ian described his symptoms, shyly showing her his belly. "It's a childhood illness," she said. "I can't think of what it's called. Wait here." She talked with a third pharmacist for a minute or two and returned. "You haves shingles. You should go to the walk-in center."

What?

It took 10 minutes and 30 pounds to confirm the diagnosis.

Itching. Blisters. Severe nerve pain.



Ian's shingles stretched in a band from his belly button to his spine, which is the most common pattern. If you zoom in, you can see the individual fluid-filled blisters. He didn't want me to take this picture for some reason.



Was it cruel of me to sing "Shingle Belt Rock"?