Modern Miracle

Melissa Chandler

Conference Sunday, I was wrestling Luke for the best seat in the family room to watch General Conference.  He eventually let me have it (with some encouragement from James) (He had already had it for two hours in the morning, and I was getting sleepy and wanted to lay down for the 2nd session.)  :)  The next day on Monday afternoon I noticed that I was feeling a lot of soreness on my side and back and thought I must have a huge bruise on my back - maybe Luke elbowed me during our "rough-housing."  Later that night, it was so sore that I tried to find the bruise on my side in the mirror.  I couldn't find anything, but saw about a 2 inch diameter rash on my back, towards the side.  I called to James to look at it, and I immediately had the impression, "It's shingles."  Shingles?  What in the world is shingles?  I really had no clue.  I thought it was some kind of skin disease of the legs, but that it also made you shake all over.  ???  I had James take a picture of it with my phone so I could see it more clearly.  Then I "googled" shingles and pictures of shingles to see if my picture was comparable.  There were many pictures that were way more severe than my picture, but I did find a few that looked similar to mine.  I read all about it and found out about the treatment.  All the sites said that early treatment was key.  I discovered that one of the medicines that treated shingles, was some medicine I had on hand to treat cold sores.  I thought "What's it going to hurt?"  So I took some medicine that night and then in the morning.  Later that morning, I was feeling slightly guilty that I had self-diagnosed myself with shingles and started the treatment when I wasn't for sure that was what I had.  So, I made an appointment with my doctor who I haven't seen in years.  When I went to the appointment, she looked at the rash and wasn't convinced it was shingles.  She asked me if I had bed bugs....(I certainly hope not!).  After I showed her the picture from my camera of what it looked like the night before, she immediately said, "Yes.  That's shingles."  She gave me more medicine and confirmed what I had read online - that with medicine the rash would likely go away in a week, but the soreness and pain could be around for months and she said even years!  Ug.

I woke up the first morning and thought that it was a tender mercy where it was on my body.  It was not on the side I sleep on so I slept through the night and ended up sleeping through every night this week.  The biggest deal for me was the headaches I had every day, but enough ibuprofen eventually took care of those.

What a tender mercy from God to have that impression come to my mind when I really had no idea what shingles was.  It is so painful in some that they miss months of church and work, and it really didn't cramp my style this week at all.  I have had an itchy, sore back that has moved to my frontside (not the rash, just the soreness and itchiness), but it is manageable.  I did not have to miss any work because the rash was covered by clothes and I caught it so early that the blisters/sores never opened.  I was never contagious.  I am thankful that He spared me the intense pain this could have caused me and the effect it would have had on me caring for my family.  God lives and He is aware of each of His children.  I am thankful for the modern miracle in my life this week!