Shingles Doesn't Care

This weekend, Doug and I were going to head down to see my friend in Williamsburg. We've been trying to connect since he moved there for a job in 2020. It's been a challenge, schedule wise, to get in the same place at the same time. This weekend was gonna happen. 

Finally.

I emailed him Thursday afternoon to get his address so we could plot our journey down, and he called me immediately. 

"Rockyyyyyyyy...." he says. He calls me Rock, Doctor Rock, Rocky Rockasaurus, all from a nickname from high school that he gave me, Clifton D. Rocker, or Clifton Duck Rocker, I have no real idea how we got to that name, but my initials were CLF back in the day, which he turned to Cliffy, which turned to Clifton. Which... you get it. 

Anyway, I say back to him "Doctor Bobby, what's uuuuuuuuuuup." He has a Ph.D, and he doesn't go by Bobby, but. Similar. Nicknames evolve. 

"Rocky, I'm at my doctor's," he says. "I think, I got.... da shingles."

"Tha SHINGLES?!" I say. "That Guy? Fuck that guy!"

"I KNOW! FUCK THAT GUY!" he exclaims. 

He tells me the saga, that on Monday he had a bump on his cheek, which turned into 3 bumps, like zits but not zits, and then his face got itchy and swollen. And then, it moved into his eye. 

"YOUR EYE! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUUUUUUUUUUU...." I yell. 

He said he called his mom and started to tell her about it, and she said "Go to the doctor right now. You have shingles."

"When did you go to medical school!" He yells at her.

"She has a Mom MD," I replied. "Just because she's like ... 80 doesn't mean she's a Retired Doctor Emeritus of Mom Medical. She knows." 

He called me back after he was seen by the doctor.

"Rockyyyyyy. It's true. It's da shinglez."

"Uuuuuugggggh,"

They made him an emergency ophthalmologist appointment for first thing in the morning to get his eye checked out. They gave him a prescription for an antiviral. He checks out okay, but. 

We're not going to go visit.

I've never had the chickenpox. And I have not had a shingles vaccine. I'd be in super danger if I go there for a visit. And I'm sure he could clean his house, and the doctor says he isn't contagious but ... no.

Well, let's back up. My mom says I've never had the chickenpox. She said I had an incredibly mild case, like one or two pox on me. She said my sister had it twice. Like the Chickenpox Fairy came to the house, and went to her room instead of mine, twice. Hmmm. 

Anyway, I'd probably die from Shingles. If I got it. So I made an appointment for a vaccination. In October my PCP suggested it, as she gave me my Covid Booster, and then said "not today though. Not both of these at the same time. It'll ruin your weekend." 

On a Tuesday, she says this. Ha.

So I said yeah sure I'll schedule that appointment. And completely forgot.

Cut to TV commercial jokes:
"I am gonna go see my friend Bobbert who I haven't seen for 12 years since Pittsburgh!" 
"Shingles doesn't care."

sigh.

Bobbert, a true inspiration to me. Looking forward to not getting Shingles because ... Aw fer cryin' out loud.

digits:

exercise: Dedicated 10. 12/12 for 250 steps

blood glucose:
9am: 170
5pm:192
9:30pm: 182 (one finger tested 354, which is crap. so I retested. taking the lower reading, with grumpiness)

food:
9:30am: 2 good yogurt
12:30pm: metformin; apple
1:30pm: 4 celery sticks+peanut butter
2:45pm: 2 chocolate chip cookies (aye, i am a weak and hopeless person)
5:45pm: chicken thighs w/1 low carb wrap, and sour cream, cheddar cheese, avocado spread
9pm: 2 babybel cheeses