Shingles.

I am a self-confessed "Stress head". I'm pretty pessimistic generally and have an overall bleak outlook on life. One of my steps toward "self improvement" involves trying to look at life from a more positive perspective and try to take the joy out of life. I attribute my pessimism and my cynicism to my depression/anxiety, that I have been "suffering" from since I was about 13. I have only just recently become medicated full-time for these things, so I'm slowly getting better. I have days when I can't function properly, and I think the world is going to cave in around me, but those days are becoming further and further between them! Which is good. I find now, that I believe people when they say, if they don't take their anti-D for a day, that they can infact "crash and burn", I never believed this before, I was always under the belief, that it would have to take several days for the lack of medication to have an effect. But I really do notice the difference, even after one day.. It's odd, I don't want to rely on medication, but at the moment, it feels like I HAVE to rely on medication.. But this isn't what I wanted to talk about, I've gone off on a big tangent.

I developed a rash on my back/hip yesterday, after feeling pain there since the day before, I thought I must have a bruise developing, but of course it came out in a lumpy, red rash that kind of resembles a whole heap of blisters. I have been experiencing aches and pains and this morning I woke up with a horrible sore throat! I haven't been able to book a Dr appointment, so I went up to the trusty AMAZING ladies at the Forresters Beach Pharmacy, and asked them what they thought it might be, just to get some insight - and to see if there was anything I could take/put on it to relieve the pain I am feeling. When the pharmacist saw my rash she took a step away from me, as if I was diseased, which did make me giggle a bit, and she told me that she thinks I should go to the Dr ASAP as she thinks it is Shingles, she said she can say it with 95% certainty, from just the appearance & location of the rash and the other symptoms I described to her! Gah! That's ALL I need to have Shingles. Joy (The assistant at the chemist - Who is pretty much the loveliest lady I have EVER met - She brings me clothes every few months for Kaylee Jayde, that her daughters little girl has grown out of! So so nice of them!!!) asked me if I had been stressed lately. I don't know if I have been, how sad is that? I can hardly differentiate between a normal mood for myself and a stressed mood!

I feel like my mind has to be constantly switched on: Banking, BAS, Babies, Clinton, Shopping, Work, Washing, Folding, Cooking, Cleaning, Oh no the back patio is flooded, Oh no the VH hasn't sold, Pruning the Gum Tree, Flour Order hasn't come, BANK took too much money out/didn't put enough in...

The list could go on forever.. I am not complaining, I love our life and I love the hustle and bustle and the fast-paced dynamic of our lives. But sometimes I wish I could just sit down and eat my sandwich, without being asked for something mid-way through. I wish JAYME could come home after work and just sit on the lounge and say "OMG ME THIRSTY" and look at Clinton (I'm not kidding, he actually did this to me last night while I was eating dinner, and TRULY was wanting me to get up and get him a drink -- This is similar to the night before, when I got scolded by him, because I wouldn't get up mid dinner to go get him his seconds!)

I guess that is life, isn't it? So maybe I am stressed, I don't know if I am any more stressed than usual. I don't know why they'd decide to pop up now, instead of last week, or last month. Pesky shingles!