You have got to be kiddding me!

I am a very strong person. I can handle a lot of stress. In the past 10 years.....

I had a rollover care accident with my then 22 month old son, I had surgery, hospital stay, whirlpool therapy on my arm that was split to the bone. This was followed over the next 5 years with multiple pain procedures such as epidurals and nerve blocks, shoulder surgery, foot surgery, hand surgery. I have had glass coming out of my left arm for 10 years and have pain daily from the nerve damage as well as the 2 herniated disc in my back.

I went back to school to get my BSN while working full time. I went on to finish my MSN/ED while working full time and complete ting my dossier for International Adoption. During that time 2 co-workers went out with cancer, one died, an instructor from another department killed himself and children. I took nursing students to the hospital (that is enough to take 10 years off your life).

I left that job, worked home health going into very interesting places, found out my lawyer from the above car accident took our money, and prepared for a trip to china.

I faced a of my fears at once in China: long air travel, germs, no seat belts, strange foods, and brought back our very busy B. I thought I was getting shingles then, but they never "blossomed".

I handled the unknowns with her medical condition: seizures, test, surgery.

Yet 16 weeks teaching middleschoolers and I have shingles. I diagnossed them Christmas Eve and went to the doctor for meds, they (the NP) told me no way they are not shingles take some Motrin and use ice on my torn cartilage in the ribs.

The pain got worse, the itching got worse. I went back to the doctor's office (12/30). I have shingles and I am started on meds, a little late for it to be effective, but I did get pain meds this time.

My diagnoses are usually right, whether you have appendicitis, a sinus infection, the flu, your septic (my husband during the year of many hurricanes) so when I am not listened to it is very frustrating. I am very grumpy.