[mikethedruid]

I had chicken pox as a kid. As I told you all, my move from Providence left me exhausted. It was harder even than boot camp, both physically and mentally. The winter after I moved here I had an attack which I presume was the "shingles." I am not one to go to a doctor, so I just dealt with it myself. It was on my back. There was a rash, and it felt like painful pins and needles. It made sleeping difficult. It lasted about a month, and slowly went away. I have not had such an experience since. My mother used to get the shingles on her face when she had been under a lot of stress. To be honest, when my father was being a particular a**hole. This felt exactly as she described it. I have had a number of severe injuries in my life. While this was bad enough, and lasted longer pain wise, as to intensity it did not approach smashing my left elbow into 16 pieces in a low speed motorcycle accident, which was exquisite; nor even to dislocating my left knee and breaking the kneecap in the process, then having to run and walk on it for three days, which happened in Vietnam.