Strange rashes and skin stuff

Have you ever had a rash or welt pop up out of seemingly nowhere and you can't figure out why or how you may have gotten it? I think some people are more prone to things like that - perhaps the sensitive skin may be more apt to develop a rash or some sort. I don't know - I'm not a dermatologist.

But, I spent the weekend decluttering nine years of accumulation in our house. It was hard, sweaty work that started on Saturday morning. When I woke up on Sunday, I had one big red welt on my abdomen. Nowhere else, just there. It's as itchy as all get out and it doesn't look like a bit. So, I'm left with a puzzle. Today I worked harder than yesterday so, we'll see if anything else pops up.

I do have to admit; ever since I had shingles a few years ago, I get nervous whenever something pops up out of the blue like this. Have you ever had shingles? If not, pray or hope that you never do. It's nasty, nasty, nasty!

Shingles, or herpes zoster, is caused by the virus that causes the chicken pox. If you've never had the chicken pox, you can't get shingles. What happens is after you're infected with the chicken pox, the virus remains dormant in your system - that's why you can't usually get a virus like chicken pox twice. But, when you're older, a stress to the body - either physical or psychological - can trigger the virus and you end up with a string of sore, itchy blisters along a nerve line on your body. It starts in the center of your body and moves outwards, but it doesn't cross over. So, as in my case, it started in the center of my back at the waist line. It then progressed right along the nerve line (along the waist) right around the right side to the center of my abdomen. Some people get it on their neck, some people on their face. But it always follows the nerve line.

It's very painful and itchy at the same time. And, what shocked me the most was how awful I felt all over. I thought it was just a skin problem, but as my doctor explained, it's a virus that really attacked my whole body and that's why I just wanted to sleep all day long.

There is a shingle vaccination that has been developed and if you are on the fence about getting it, if I had it available, I'd take it. I never want to experience something like that again. Ever.

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