Friday, October 15, 2010

Cellcept, Shingles and Boils, Oh My!



I had a breakout of thrush and shingles when I started Cellcept – the bone marrow drug – about three years ago. It was the third time in my life to experience the joys of shingles. Oh my.

The first time, I was around 10-years old and was suffering with the blisters on the right side of my body, front to back. I was in the bathtub when my mom peaked in and was shock to see them. I had not said anything.

I was awfully young to get shingles. It was the most painful of all three experiences. I remember not being able to even inhale, as breathing was painful. It took so long to recover but I continued to go to school. I still carry the physical scars from that episode.

The second time, William was six months old. I knew what they were but thought I could get something to help lessen the pain and discomfort. I went to an emergency room and they asked if I had been under a lot of stress. I had a baby! That was stressful! Amazingly, I really don’t remember too much pain and it seemed to pass quickly.

But boils, did I ever have boils. I still get them when I am under a lot of stress. As a child, I would get them on my arms and my legs. When I matured, I got them on the trunk of my body. One bad episode was during a vacation in Minnesota and we had to go to a doctor. I had broken out with several on all four limbs. They gave me a sucker, held me down and cauterized them, one by one. It was horrible. I still have those scars, too! Because I had opened wounds, I could not go swimming in the lake. I was not happy.

I know that to get my lung disease, there must be a genetic predisposition. I am beginning to wonder if these boils and shingles were signs that I did not have the best immune system.  It is rather amazing that I was an extremely healthy adult who never missed a day of work because of an illness. 

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