Unpredictable Shingles

Life can sometimes be unpredictable. Just when things were going great, all of a sudden it can change 360° and when you least expect it!

So my sharing today is purely about me. What happened to me?

I had a great time at food reviews etc. I remember my last review was eating Durians, and my mom reminded me to take more cooling drinks before and after because of fear of being too heaty.

Photo from Google Images

Well prior to that, I had some breastfeeding issues as my youngest was teething and bit me a few times, and my eldest refuse to wean off and his latch started to hurt because of his full set of teeth. So this cost me my left breast having a milk bleb. An extra skin tissue grew over the milk duct and blocked it causing discomfort. I either had to poke it with a needle, try and scrub it off or something... I blamed my itchy hands for trying to pry it off. It made a hole and then right after having Durians, I got my body too heaty till the hole will not recover. I stopped breastfeeding on my left side. I only pumped on the left.

1-2 weeks : 29th Jan 2018 onwards

That's when I started to feel weak and tired and aching from my head to toes. And with a hole in the breast that I had to pump on schedule to avoid blocked ducts, engorgements or even worst mastitis; I was worn out and tired!

Photo from Google Images (but I did had this ulcer at the exact same spot and same size but deeper hole)

3rd week :

Then I suddenly had 6 ulcers, 3 big ones in my mouth and 3 small ones on my lips. It was excruciating... I put salt, tried honey, vinegar, it was not helping. Went to see the GP at the Clinic and the GP just gave me medication for my ulcers.

My first visit to the doctor I already showed them this and they thought it's just acne.

Then I fell ill, I had on and off fever for a couple of days. I assumed it was due to the change in my Breastfeeding cos of the engorgements and blocked ducts. I had to massage, hot & cold compress until it started to soften again. Then I suddenly had high fever for 2 days and felt chills! Finished two packets of Panadol Actifast during the times I had fever. Went to see GP again, and gave me another ulcer medication and pills to make me go to the toilet.

4th week :

I was prepared to get my blood checked for dengue but my fever stopped. Then every evening I felt chills at my hands and feet, I would shiver but no fever. My body felt so weak and tired. I called my urut lady to come twice. Manage to get some wind out of my body, manage to reduce the shivers and chills I had during the evenings. But she told me to get a blood check because my body is cold, not hot and in 2 days gap she noticed my back started to have new acnes with pus inside and in batches/clusters, which is odd.

Went to my GP again and this time she said from the first day she saw me I have lost too much weight, I look pale, she said best to get immediate check-up at the hospital and she gave me a letter to a private hospital in Puchong. Went there to the A&E at night (it was a rainy night), the hospital was so freaking cold, your fish would freeze right off the floors!! Had to get extra blanket in the Emergency ward because it was freezing!

They put me on drips, took my blood which they had to squeeze it out (till my hands turned blue) because it was flowing too slow and they also took my urine sample. Waited for an hour plus and they came to tell me that they thought I had chicken pox but it's not, it's like pimples only.

Then said I had urine infection, low blood pressure, my red blood cells were low and my white cells were high. But they said I can stay if I want to, then they can run more tests on me. Or I can go back and if I want to follow up, I can come back after a week. Charged me rm700+! Gave me so many Panadols & Gastric pills which was useless to me. Some sachets to drink for my urine infection and Antibiotics for a week. I finished the sachets and antibiotics but no difference. My urine infection probably gone.

Can't believe the hospital won't give iron pills or something to boost my blood pressure. So I had to get it from the pharmacy, iron supplements. 

So my diet now revolves around pork liver soup, black chicken soup and beetroot juice.

End of 5th week : 3rd March 2018

Finally decided on a weekend to see a Chinese sinsei that my mom frequents. He saw my back and immediately said I had Shingles (in chinese is "sang se" aka Snake disease) gave me Chinese powder herbs for consuming and another mixture for mixing with rice wine and applying all over where there are Shingles on me. He said he has never seen anyone with Shingles this much before. It's going to take 10+ days for recovery.

I'm on the 4th day of my Chinese medication and it seems to be helping so far atleast better than the GP and hospital I went too who failed to diagnose this! They thought it was chicken pox and then corrected themselves saying it's acne. What the hell!

I am thankful for having really high pain-tolerence level! It's not painful for me, I just can feel what's going on and all and it's still bearable for me but for any ordinary people it will be excruciating! Even giving birth without any pain killer etc is painless to me. My gynae stitching me up without any medical intervention right after birth, I can still talk to her asking questions. That's how high my pain-tolerence level is.

So that's how I spent my Chinese New Year 2018!

I am Grateful & Thankful my mom & husband helped around alot and were a great support in my wellbeing! I could literally have bed rest but it was not the kind of rest I am asking for. This is not pleasant at all. Also my Mother-In-Law for helping to get black chicken from the morning market in KL for me, we had been searching around Subang for weeks to no avail!

UPDATED EARLY APRIL 2018
Finally recovered on 1st week of April 2018. The scars dried up. Skin peels and flaking off all those dried shingles. Had to find a good skin and hair product after recovery and was able to find some really good natural ones that soothe my skin and helped in recovery too. Will share in new posts soon.

UPDATED 15th October 2019
My shingles scar finally lightened and back to skin colour thanks to the Ultimate Duo Pack! And this is just 38 days progress! Still have 5 months for the complete repair and overhaul of my entire health. And it is natural.