I watch a lot of TV. Mostly documentaries, a little news (most of that local) and I see/hear a LOT of ads and commercials. Ads are not really commercials. They are more in the order of telling you some useful information and what you can do about it. For example...and the true subject of today's blog.....the ad about shingles.
I'm sure you are sick of seeing those. They always have some well-known individual that has had it and they tell you all about how painful it was and why you should talk to your doctor or your druggist about getting vaccinated against it. The most prevalent personality lately is Terry Bradshaw. He's had it and says it was painful. I'm not a well-known personality but I have to tell you. All that they tell you is true. I know. I've had it. You get it on one side of your body at a time. It can affect you from your waist up and can even affect you on your face. You can get it at any time in your life if you have had chicken pox and most of us have had it at one time or another in our lives. The vaccine against it isn't all that old.
When it showed up on me, I was puzzled because it started off as a lot of small blisters on my left side, from front to back. It got progressively worse and I finally went into the doctor to get the bad news....shingles! I know my brother had had shingles and said it was nasty and painful but he had never told me much other than that. He just said he never hoped to have them ever again! More about that later.
There isn't much that you can do once you get them except treat the symptoms. Lots of calamine lotion to try to soothe and dry out the nasty postules when they burst. I was lucky that my sister helped me by draining them out (where I couldn't reach them on my back), then putting the lotion on the areas and covering them with gauze. I did the ones on my front. I never got any on my face, neck or head, thankfully. Although I know that some people do/have. It took me about 3 weeks or so to finally be over it but it was painful if I lay down on my back or front. I spent the whole time sleeping on my right side. It would wake me up if I accidentally lay on my back. Trust me, Terry Bradshaw is 100% correct. It's very painful.
They now have a vaccine that prevents this from happening. And don't think if you've already had them that you can 't get them again. You can! You can be affected on EACH side, separately. It's well worth whatever amount of money it may cost you that your insurance does not pay to have the vaccine. Having shingles once does not make you immune to another attack. You would think it should but it doesn't. I gather it's the same reason that having chicken pox doesn't prevent it from happening. Your body doesn't recognize it as anything other than a dormant remnant of the pox. But it's something else entirely if you get stressed out. At least, that's what brought mine on at the time it hit me. At least I was able to hide mine fairly well, with the help of my sister, bless her heart. It wasn't fun for her, I know. Draining the huge postules I had was not fun and didn't get done in a hurry. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Cee. I love you for that...still.
My brother got shingles twice so I know it's possible. He was taken totally by surprise since his doctor didn't tell him that. So, even if you have had shingles, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the vaccine so you won't have to go through it all again. It might actually be worse the second time. The ad is a real public service and needs to be taken seriously.
Commercials I can do without...LOL. And that's all I am going to say on the matter.
The Beast got a raging phone call from Dennis today that left him just blown away. Dennis was livid over the fact that he was sure that Baron was shitting on HIS lawn! Now, first of all, Baron does NOT go across the street to poop. Whether it's because he likes Dennis and Di or the fact that they have no dog and there's no good smells over there, I have no idea. But the Beast and I both have always kept Baron from crossing the street anyway so there's that. When the Beast takes Baron for a run, Baron runs into the empty lot (the Beast has made a trail through the high weeds for him) at the corner on our side of the street, to do his business. If he's let out front, which we do let him go out on occasion, he usually heads for the back of the lot (that's ours) next to us or to the next-door neighbors house on the far side by that empty lot. We watch so we know.
Dennis was raving like we have the only dog in the neighborhood, which is untrue. We also do NOT let him run around all day like many of the neighbors that have dogs let their dogs do. It's like Dennis is blind to anything else that goes on around here except for what annoys him. The dogs that wander around here are a bit on the timid side and they bolt when they hear people coming near them. I guess Dennis has never observed any of them although the Beast and I sure have.
The Beast told Dennis that it was NOT Baron since we DO watch him and know where he relieves himself. But I gather that Dennis was an unbeliever. How do I know this? When I went out to throw my computer room garbage out in the bin that is out front for collection tomorrow, what did I see but a pile of doggie doo that was thrown directly in front of OUR mailbox. It was dark when the Beast came home from his church meeting tonight and I knew he wouldn't see it. When I told him, he was incredulous. I mean, how dumb and petty can you be?
The Beast said that Dennis has this vision of how HE wants to live his life and have his neighbors be also. But, if he wanted to live his life like he was living in a rich, upscale neighborhood, he shouldn't have built his house in Alabama where most dog owners don't believe a dog should be indoors. Either that, or he should have fenced off his yard completely so no animals can enter it. And, trust me, within the year, I'll bet you he does just that! Watch and see.
I can't believe that he just didn't throw the stuff into his garbage bin (or even ours if he felt it) but, noooooo. He had to act like trailer trash and toss it in front of our mailbox. I can't believe he would threaten a 30+ year friendship over something that really and truly is trivial.
Oh, and the Beast decided today that he is going to make the trip down to Florida to spend a couple days with his cousin, Butch. But he's going to take Baron with him because of Dennis' attitude. That way, if they are gone a week and he finds a pile of crap on his lawn, he'll know it's NOT from Baron. But that means I will be here without him for probably a whole week. *Grin* It may be as little as five days but no less than that. If he drives down there non-stop, it will take him two days just to get over it. He wants to leave probably on Wednesday next week. He may stop for the night, it all depends on how he's feeling. There are plenty of motels that accept animals so that won't be a problem if he does. I told him go fishing, go shrimping...whatever keeps the two of them occupied. It will be fun for him since he hasn't fished in the ocean in forever and I know he misses it. I'm just glad he's going. For many different reasons.
Well, time to get this posted and get back to bed. The room is dark so no hints tonight. Two tomorrow, I promise.
Love you all. Be good and I wish you all a great Hump Day, as usual. ***Hugs***
You never really know people until they have real shit to deal with.
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