It
was an ordinary day. And, the blisters are starting to pop and the
pain is setting in! Looks really ugly. I wrote a story a couple of
days ago about getting the shingles virus. No idea who I got it from or
how I got it. But, it got so bad that I visited a clinic in Sint
Maarten to see if the doctor had any suggestions to help it go away.
Carol and I stopped in two different pharmacies in the Dutch capital of
Philipsburg on the island of Sint Maarten. Neither pharmacy would give
me anything stronger that a pain medicine to take unless I had seen a
doctor and had a prescription. After stopping at the second pharmacy
and asking for a lotion to use, the pharmacist looked at my left leg and
said she could make an appointment for me if I wanted her to. Asked
her how soon the appointment would be and she said, "Right now. Only
four blocks away. Clinic by the name of Mercuur Medical Clinic." I
agreed and she called. Told me to go over right now and give my name to
the nurse on duty. After a quick walk through the back alleys of the
town, Carol and I found the clinic. One other patient waiting in the
lobby when I arrived. About 30 minutes later a nurse took Carol and me
to an examination room about the size of a closet. Dr. Mercuur came
right in and greeted us, sat down at the small desk, and checked the
form I had filled out a half hour ago. Asked what my problem was and I
told him I think I have shingles. "Let's have a look at them," he
said. I stood, unbuttoned my shorts and lowered them so he could see my
left side. "I'm sorry I don't have underwear on, but it hurts too much
to have it against the rash," I told him. "That's OK, I don't wear
underwear either," was his reply. I looked at Carol and she just rolled
her eyes. We saw no medical diplomas or any sign that Dr. Mercuur was
indeed a physician, but he did have a stethoscope around his neck. He
looked at the rash that was now over my left butt cheek and the entire
distance to my left ankle. "Yep, that's what it looks like to me," he
said. At this time his cell phone rang and he signaled he was going to
answer it. Talked to someone about visiting the prison sometime in the
afternoon, and after about five minutes, he closed his phone and got
back to me. Asked when I first noticed it and I told him about 5 days
ago. "Well, it is too late to give you the oral medicine that would
have helped you. "You need to start that within 48 hours of seeing the
rash," he told me. If only I had known, but why would I have know that
anyway, since I never had shingles before and probably will never get
them again. Riinnngggg, his cell phone goes again. Answers it and sounds
like he is supposed to stop at the store on his way to the prison.
After another 5 minutes he hands up. "How about some kind of cream that
I can rub on the rash to help it heal faster?" I ask him. He told me
that the cream comes in very small tubes and with the amount of blisters
I had it would take 3 or 4 tubes and they are $25 each, and I would
have to use it 3 or 4 times a day for the duration of the rash. "OK,
what can I do?" I asked. "Not much except take some pain pills," he
responded. "I am taking Tramadol periodically now for slight pain that I
get from the back surgery that I had in September," I told him. He
told me, "That will work well for the pain you will have from this."
"And how long will this take to go away?" I asked. "Probably a couple
more weeks," was his answer. So, I know that I really do have shingles
and there is absolutely nothing I can do for them except take the pain
medicine. I know it will eventually go away and I vowed not to let it
ruin the rest of my vacation. But, since it is all over my left butt
cheek and I need to sit when eating and I need to sit in a beach chair
and I need to ............... And when I sit, my weight caused the
blisters to pop and makes my pants look like I wet myself. Really is a
pain in the ass!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an
ordinary guy.
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