Lipstick peppers

Now what I would have written the whole newsletter on if last night. Off topic but an encouragement or warning. I normally don’t do many vaccines. Don’t do the flu shot. I keep my tetanus current and that is about it. But we did get our shingles vaccines several years ago. I am very glad I did and encourage you to also.

The rash on my face last Tuesday was Shingles. The vaccine doesn’t prevent it but it sure lessens the severity. It started a couple of weeks ago now with intermittent short ear aches and headaches. Thursday a week and a half ago it got so I couldn’t ignore it. I went to 5 Star UrgentCare Saturday morning, and they were very good. I had an ear ache and a canker sore. They diagnosed sinus induced plugged ear tubes and put me on a good antibiotic (sinus is hard to wipe out) and nose drops. WOW – I belly breathe now. But Sunday morning I woke up with really large, bumpy welts on my chin and side of my face. Fortunately they weren’t itchy, but…and my ear was getting crusty. I started putting Young Living Thieves essential oil blend on a q-tip and swabbing my ear, and putting it on my toothpaste, and in coconut oil on my face. The welts went right down and by Tuesday none of the CSA seemed to be grossed out by my face. I ended up with 5 canker sores side by side so my lip stayed swollen. I had my regular osteopathic treatment scheduled for Thursday, so waited for that to do anything. I went in, told Anita what had been going on and she immediately said I had shingles. She also said she would not have diagnosed that with just an ear ache and canker sore, so the UrgentCare was not negligent. With three Shingles meds I started to back off the Thieves, but the ear crusted right back up and I got more rash on my face, so back to the Thieves. I don’t know how much is meds and how much is Thieves, but the sores are not itchy and quickly healing – not what I hear from other folks getting Shingles.

Feeling blessed!