Ouch!

Everyone knows that kids get hurt. Some children are clumsier than others and sport more bruises. My boys collect dings and scrapes like they're going out of style. Or maybe like they are the hottest and most lasting style around. Either way, my kids fall down and bump into inanimate objects quite often.

This post isn't about kids being hurt though. It's about when parents are in pain. I went to the doctors over a week ago for an itchy rash on my shoulder. It was misdiagnosed as hives and I was put on a medication that didn't relieve anything. When the medication was finished and there was a significant amount of pain going along with the itching, I went back to the clinic. Turns out I have shingles.

For those who don't know, that's adult chicken pox. Anyone whose ever had the chicken pox is susceptible if their immunity is down, but shingles is far worse than the childhood condition. For one thing, it's painful. I only have a mild case so far (it can be mild, moderate or severe) but it still hurts. Constantly.

Now this is not a complaint post and I'm sorry if it seems like one. I wanted to comment on the effect of a parent being in pain or recovering from something. Bring in pain all the time is making me a bit cranky. I'm on different medication for the pain, but I need to increase it slowly until it becomes effective. Meaning it's not helping right now. Ice packs help for a little while sometimes but the only other thing that helps is sleep, because then I can't feel it. I have to thank my husband, because this weekend he let me take a long nap every day.

There is also the minor inconvenience that I'm afflicted on the side that I carry E. Shingles only shows up on one side of the body and I'm just that lucky. He has dug his little nails into my sore spots numerous times, which is a cause for screaming. I also can't hug J very easily, because nothing can touch my back or shoulder. It's loads of fun around here at the moment.

That is all I'm going to say about my own condition though. I know there are people in far worse situations than mine, and although this sucks, it could be so much worse. I never thought about getting sick much, because as the primary caregiver, who has time for that? But it made me think about other parents who are going through similar things, and how it affects the whole family and even the things we can do with our kids.

What this has taught me is that I need to take better care of myself. I didn't catch shingles from anyone, but if my immunity was better I may not have come down with it. I owe it to my family to be well, at least as much as I can control, because I like being the primary caregiver. I'd started a regular exercise program and was eating healthier because I wanted more energy, but I forgot to look at the long-term reasons for doing so. I don't want to take my health for granted, so when I'm better I am going to revise my health goals and focus on the big picture. Which also means I have to buckle down and quit smoking, which I've been struggling with forever. I have the Zyban, which is a good thing because it's a stop-smoking aid as well as an anti-depressant, and it sometimes helps with shingles pain. I will try to take advantage of this perfect timing, and let everyone know how it goes.