Once or twice a year since I was 19 years old I come down with shingles, which is the adult chicken pox virus. I get shingles when I have a low immune system from a lack of sleep or poor diet; or from extreme changes in weather conditions. Yesterday at work I have been feeling a little tired, but nothing unusual and got invited to go to a pro tennis match after work. I've been wanting to go to one of these matches especially because I played tennis in college I feel like I can really appreciate going to a match.
Right after work I was riding the metro from work to home and it was EXTREMELY hot and crowded, but I had to take it to get my wallet before the match. It was rush hour and there was no AC in any of the trains or at the station. Talk about hot. Then, I started feeling the symptoms that I usually get when I get shingles. I felt light- headed, clammy, exhausted; all of those feelings you normally get when you’re coming down with something. I actually felt like I would faint being in that hot metro car, but I pushed through it. I thought “I do Bikram yoga all the time, I can get through this.”
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| mmm sweat. |
Once home, I was rushing around to get a quick bite, change out of my sweaty perfectly normal clothes and of course grab my wallet. I was meeting up with my friend at a restaurant/bar right across the street from my gym (near my office) so I thought “I’ll just go to the gym and fix my hair and make up there, because whatever I do now will probably not last through another metro trip”. At this point I was really wishing my car was not in the shop so I could just drive back, even if it meant facing traffic or paying for parking; it would have been worth it, but I didn’t have the choice.
Got back on the metro to head back into the city. Again, another hot, crowded ride. There must have been a school/camp function going on because there were middle schoolers EVERYWHERE. And I’m not sure what this whole no-AC in July thing metro is doing, but it’s not working well for anybody. Again, those shingles symptoms started creeping up, but I didn’t really think it was shingles. Usually when I get shingles it’s more aggressive and obvious. I finally made it back into the city and walked towards my gym. I was dying of thirst and couldn’t wait to splash cold water on my face. I got to the gym’s locker room and I took one look at myself and could tell- I was definitely getting shingles. It was in the really early stages, but there was no doubt about it, it was coming whether I liked it or not. I immediately called my pharmacy to fill a prescription of Acyclovir. There are no “real” treatments for shingles, but some anti-virals can help suppress the virus from spreading or getting worse. I looked at myself in the mirror one more time, because I just rushed back and forth between home and work and now I will be canceling on my friend at the last minute for the match which I REALLY want to go to… but with shingles, I know sitting in the sun in 97 degree weather would only aggravate my symptoms, make the shingles worse, which would take longer for me to heal from it and therefore: not worth it.
I was extremely bummed out and having to take ANOTHER metro ride home was seriously the last thing I wanted to do. It didn’t let me down- it was a miserable, hot, disgusting metro ride home. I picked up my medication, chugged a huge glass of water and collapsed into bed for 2 hours. When I awoke I showered, ate dinner and sent my office an email letting them know I will be in late tomorrow, because the more sleep I get the faster I can get over shingles.
I don’t think it was just the metro rides that caused the shingles, I had a really stressful week especially the day before, but I think the metro rides pushed me over the edge. But who knows if without that trip home I took to get my wallet if the shingles wouldn’t have started up at the tennis match? When it comes to health no one can avoid getting sick, but it’s how well you take care of yourself and prevent the sickness from continuing that makes the difference. I know there will be more opportunities to go to a tennis match, so I don’t mind saying “I’m going to sit this one out because I’m not feeling so hot”, it will make the time I actually DO go to a match so much better and actually enjoyable! So lesson of the day is: know your body and your health, if you need to slow down or take a break to let your body recover- do it!
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| Going to do a lot of this later. |
