Remember when Playing Doctor meant harmless experimentation away from the burden of consequence — and now it means researching fatal medical conditions on the internet?
Recently Bossy had shingles — and not that recently so Bossy’s friends can stop calculating the last time they saw Bossy and if it was contagious. And lucky thing Bossy got shingles, because shingles are for grandmothers.
The first thing Bossy did was turn to WebMD in order to complete a three-year residency in dermatology. Bossy learned that when you have several clusters of painful blisters on the same side of your body, you may want to make an appointment, instead of thinking it’s because you were caught in a downpour wearing your slimming high-waist polyester trousers. Bossy wrote a shingles poem for her shingles entitled Shingles:
Chicken pox, it never quits
Like the asylum, it commits
It hides in you until it’s time
Divorced and lonely, past your prime
Itchy bumps you can observe
Along one side — oh the nerve!
Appearing in a burning flash
Oh shingles, why are you so rash?
Bossy was nearly finished researching her shingles on WebMD when she noticed a section at the bottom of the post entitled, You Might Like. In Bossy’s case, WebMD suggested she would enjoy Fix Dry Mouth and Symptoms of Foot Drop. Other things recommended by WebMD: Inflammation of the White Part of your Eye and Eating Well with Depression.
Don’t get Bossy wrong — she loves playing a doctor on the internet. But she remembers a time when it was more healing.
Oh, the hurt!!! My roommate in college had shingles (yes, when we were in college, not grandmothers!) I helped put the healing salve on the part of her back she couldn’t reach. If on;y Dr. Google had been around to advise not doing THAT! I ended up in solitary in the infirmary for over a week with chicken pox. Who knew? Hope you are well and truly over the worst of it, Bossy. Despite the catchy poem, this post does not sound as though you are quite back to your usual chipper self yet. (((Bossy)))
Not fun are they? It got them at 17, so they are just for grannies. Fun fact you can gat them again. Thankfully we have acyclovir now.
I got them in my 30’s and they are no joke! You know there’s a vaccine for them now that’s supposed to last for 10 years kind of like a tetanus shot. It’s pretty pricey but I bet it’s worth every cent not to get those again.
I had such a horrible case of chicken pox, back when JFK was President. I am 100% certain that the virus is hiding in my body and I will get a raging car of shingles when I am 65 and have a newborn grandchild and I will be quarantined for 30 days.
Also, never google the side effects of your meds! That’s scary.
Merck makes a vaccine for that, but apparently not enough people are encouraged to take it young enough on life because I know about a half dozens people who have gotten it. Take care and rest.
FYI, a little disappointed this post wasn’t about sex. In my younger days playing doctor might something totally different. Damn we are old.
They run in my family and the cases are quite horrific. When the first vaccine came out about 10 years ago, I demanded a vaccination but insurance wouldn’t cover for anyone younger than 60. My MD ended up giving it to me. A new, more effective vaccination will be available this fall, and I plan to get it.
And I’m with Tracey. Bring on the sex.