Day 5 - Visit from Infectious Diseases - September 11 2011

Since I have shingles breaking through yet again, the doctor and her student from Infectious Disease wanted to get my entire varicella (chickenpox - shingles) history before they decided on any long term treatment. For those of you who have not had the shingles - count your lucky stars each and EVERY day. Shingles are quite painful and for me, can be controlled with Percocet to some degree. Amie Meditz, MD, from the UCH Division of Infectious Diseases and her student, Fellow Marci worked several hours on my issues this afternoon.

Dr. Amie Meditz and Fellow Marci

They had me detail all of the steroids I had received since my multiple myeloma diagnosis and all the calendars that I've kept really helped in that history taking department. I also showed the photos of my first shingles breakout August 9 2009 (before my multiple myeloma diagnosis).

Dr. Meditz thinks my really upset stomach from the melphalan has inhibited my body's ability to absorb the oral acyclovir and/or Valtrex I had been receiving. Hence, she wants to treat me with IV Acyclovir for at least week. She feels like the shingle lesions I have on my left thorax below my breast will quickly dry up. Once that happens, I won't have to be in isolation with the yellow gown rule for visitors and staff and confined to my hospital room only.

Day 4 Afternoon Update September 17 2011

I waited until Jani came in the afternoon to help me shower. I peeled off all of the EKG leads they had on me yesterday. I don't think I reacted to their adhesive, but I felt like I had an irritation below my left breast from that one.

After my shower, it became clear that I had another case of shingles breaking out below my left breast area on my thorax. They don't look that impressive, but they have the all too familiar PAIN associated with them. Interestingly, the night doctor, Dr. Peterson, who came when I thought I was having a heart attack the other night told the night nurse Joan that my pain could be early warning of shingles on the way. Trish, the Nurse Practitioner came to look at them and along with  her consultation with the 11th Floor Pharmacist decided to take me off of Valtrex and put me on IV acyclovir 565 mg every 8 hours. Also had me take a Percocet and all was good after that.

The shingles I had before on my left rear end have dried up and are scabbed over.

My White Blood Cell count is now 1.1, but my hemoglobin is holding at 9.2 (anemic), and my platelets are down to 121(just a tad low).

Just when things were looking up - SHINGLES September 3 2011

I just started to feel more like "normal" after my 4 day hospitalization for VDT-PACE (6 different chemotherapy agents and steroids) 8/23-27. I broke out with the shingles tonight despite being on prophlactic anti-virals (Acyclovir). I called Transplant Coordinator, Dana Godec, RN and she said she'd talk to the doctor and get some more medication ordered for me. Thank you Dana - I can ALWAYS count on her! Took some Percocet because shingles are a painful thing!

Acyclovir - Started June 9 2011

I started Acyclovir 400 mg. last night June 9 2011 (a white pill). I took it with food as recommended. I woke up in the night with an awful gut ache. Couldn't find the Prilosec and I had to wake Jani up to find it. I took the Prilosec and the ache subsided. I also have a bit of headache and left-sided neck pain this morning, but Jani thinks that might be because I fell asleep in the recliner at PET Imaging with my neck in a weird position.

I'm taking the Acyclovir to prevent a recurrence of shingles which I first had in August 2009 even though I had the live shinges vaccine May 2010. Here is a picture of the shingles I had in 2009 on my right lower back about 9 days after they broke out  - very PAINFUL.
Shingles are caused by the chickenpox virus (varicella) that remains in your body after you've had chickenpox (I had them as a child when I lived in Mountain Home, Idaho circa 1956). Then, when your immune system is depressed for any reason, the virus can re-appear as painful shingles (usually demonstrated by skin lesions, but can also be internal).