Shingles..... maybe.

Ever since I started regaining interest in the medical field, I find that more and more often I self-diagnose at the very first sign of anything. It's a sickness I can't control because of a wonderful invention called the internet where you can look up anything and instantly feel like an expert. Also, I want to be knowledgeable since I'm in nursing school and will probably see these things a lot. Later on when my brother says nurses are stupid, ugly, retards whose only purpose in the hospital is to clean up poop (HE REALLY SAID THAT) I can challenge him and make him feel like the jackass he acts like sometimes. Sibling rivalry at it's finest.

Lately I have had these little red bumps appear just below my chest on the left side of my body. They started out as one and soon became 5. I'm guessing by Monday I'm going to have at least 10. Behold:


Ben at first said that he thought it looked a lot like shingles (he got them at age 24), but then tried to take it back because he knows exactly who he's dealing with and what I would do with such information. About 5 seconds later I had pulled up pictures on my iPhone and spent the next half hour scrutinizing myself in the mirror to compare and so far I fit the mold exactly. I love technology.

A few things about shingles for those of you who may be thinking I am sharing something super embarrassing. Shingles is a condition where the nerve endings on one side of your body blister and get inflamed. They are an after effect of the chicken pox and the condition lies dormant in your system most of your life. It pops out when you have suppressed immunity or are under a lot of stress, but in most cases it strikes in your late 70's. Supposedly only 1% of the population gets this at our age. What are the odds that both me and my husband are in that 1%? I'm guessing it's pretty good since I laughed and made fun of Ben for getting a geriatric disease and having to take herpes medicine to cure it.

I suppose scolding my mom for purposefully exposing me to the chicken pox is out of the question. Karma is out for blood.