This is my first shingles breakout since I was pregnant with my daughter over six years ago. I have the stinging pain of the shingles down my left arm from this pinkie to my elbow and also a patch on the left side of my back.
A little background - Almost two years ago I was diagnosed with celiac disease and not too long after that I was diagnosed with lupus. My life has been turned upside down since then.
Gluten-free has become a staple in our home and a constant question on my mind. Eating out, which used to be one of my favorite things to do, is now perilous. I hate having to ask the waitstaff or employee behind the counter whether they know if something contains gluten. Most of the time they don't have a clue! I also feel guilty that family and friends feel the need to adjust recipes and their eating habits because of me.
The lupus diagnosis didn't come too long after the celiac diagnosis. Following some blood tests my doctor sent me to a specialist that determined that I had 10 of the 11 lupus symptoms. Although the doctor did say he couldn't be 100% sure of the diagnosis because the test for celiac and lupus are the same and so either disease would cause it to come back positive.
Being properly diagnosed did help me to know that most of the symptoms that I have had all of my life were not imaginary like many people made me feel. The terrible, stabbing cramps in my intestines that had been diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome when I was in high school were actually likely from the celiac disease. Every time I ate gluten my immune system was attacking my small intestine and destroying the lining making it difficult for my body to absorb the nutrients it needed. Due to malnutrition I often had low vitamin D, vitamin B and iron deficiency anemia. My nails are usually brittle and my hair is very thin.
The rest of my symptoms were explained by the lupus. Muscle and joint pain, reoccurring mouth ulcers, a scaly rash on my hands, allergy to Sulfa, fatigue, flaring of my face with heat and redness across my cheeks and many other symptoms.
Both of these diseases are caused by the immune system attacking itself. In celiac, the immune system attacks the lining of the small intestine. In lupus, the immune system attacks the tissue, including the skin, joints and internal organs. There are no cures for either of these diseases. I can treat the symptoms to lessen the pain, using over-the-counter pain and anti-inflammatory medications, cold packs and hot showers. Lowering my stress and anxiety can also help control symptoms and minimize flare-ups.
That gets me to today. I believe this shingles outbreak (probably my seventh or eighth) is due to the excitement and anxiety of the holidays. Even though it was a happy anxiety, it was still anxiety. Stress and anxiety can do terrible things to the body. During this break between Christmas and New Years, while my husband is home, I am trying to take it easy and rest so that this shingles outbreak will heal quickly rather than spread. There was so much that I planned to do over the holiday but taking care of my physical health is most important. My husband is wonderful and supportive and hopefully, I'll be feeling much better soon!
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