Gone Viral

Two months is all the break I got.  Yesterday morning I noticed something in the corners of my mouth.  Cold sores!  Frick!  I hopped up off the floor from where I was sitting with Theo and looked in the mirror to confirm. 

Five minutes later I noticed a tingle on my bottom lip and something on my chin.  More cold sores. 

By this point I had already taken my first dose of Valtrex (an antiviral) and applied Zovorax ointment topically.  Nothing new cropped up all day so I didn't sweat it.  Then I went out to eat with a friend last night and when I went into the rest room I scratched a bug bite.  Or so I thought. 

I lifted my shirt to take a better look and what did I spy with my little eye?

Shingles. 

Yes.  Shingles.  The thing that strikes 70 year old people. 

OR me, for the THIRD time in 10 years. 

I saw a doctor this morning.  I was seen almost a full hour after my appointment was scheduled so I was super annoyed and ready to leave because I had to get back to Jessica as she has another job to get to after she leaves our house. 

The doctor took one look at my face and got down to business. 

Cold sores and staph infection.  No big surprise there.  I told him about the shingles.  He was very skeptical and kind of didn't believe me.  Then he saw.  Then he believed.  Then he asked a million questions to try and figure out why I have the hostile take over on my face and patch o' ugliness on my torso. 

He seemed very concerned and wanted to know if I was prone to infections.  Not so much.  So he gave me a slip to take to the lab.  Plus some strict orders to come back if in a week I'm not 100%.  Oh, and to go to the ER this weekend if it gets worse to change the course of antibiotics.

Then Gavin was complaining his lip was hurting.  I saw a teeny, tiny spot that could have been a lesion so I called to get an appointment for him.  We had to go to Northgate to be seen that day so we loaded up and were seen before his appointment time.  Ah.  That was so nice.

The doctor looked at Gavin then spent most of his time talking to crusty old me.  Gavin didn't have anything.  I, however, have impetigo.  Add another antibiotic cream to the bag of tricks.

Now I can't breastfeed Theo because if he touches the shingles blisters he can get chicken pox and he is a bit young.

I'm also a little scared.  Why does this keep happening?  Why can't my body fend off the normal bacteria?  Why do the viruses keep cropping up?  I hope it's just sleep deprivation.  We'll see.