Straight and Narrow

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Well I have shingles. I woke up this morning (at 4pm actually) with a rash to accompany the chest pains I was having all week and so with mummy not around to hold my hand I did the grown up thing and drove myself to the Doctor. And spent 30 quid to find out I've got Shingles, which was worth it since I was thinking cancer or something terrible on the way. So apparently this has been caused by "eh stress perhaps, depression maybe, or you say your parents are away Ronan, have you been burning the candle at both ends?" When I realised that wasnt slang for me being a bisexual I had to agree that yes I have been burning the candle at both ends. I've been throwing the feckin candle into the fire. So now I have to stay in and waste valuable parent free time. I'm starting college on wednesday. This is very very shit. I also have to get a multi vitamin or something I dont know, and he would have given me an anti-biotic but I'm allergic to all the feckin things. Aaaaaaaah, I want to break something, staying in sucks.

― Ronan, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I thought you were perfect. Now I find out you've got some revolting disease. I bet the real Ronan hasn't.

― Nick, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The real Ronan you knew is no more, we the shingles now control the horizontal and the vertical. The horizontal will become larger if our host has to stay in any longer too.

― Ronan, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I should just add. I dont have that swish Statoil address for the next month or so until I go back part time so send your hate mail to the above.

― Ronan, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

and of course just to ruin my day even further it comes up below.

― Ronan, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I don't even know what shingles is; hope you're doing ok.

Sometimes I wonder when I'm going to get my comeuppance--considering my often extreme indulgences in sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll, as well as being an overall tense and wound-up person, my health is perfect, and I look amazingly young and fit. Of course, there's a painting of me hidden away somewhere that's looking a little rough...

― Sean, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Anyway, does your condition mean it's gonna be the "straight and narrow" from now on for young Ronan?

― Sean, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'd give myself two days. One to sleep the other to get ready for the next one when I go out all night. I'm pissed off cos I woke up at 4 and I had stuff to do today, my eyebrow is pierced and it needs to be re done or something, and I wanted to buy stuff for dinner, but then I saw that scary rash. Ah well, chinese take away again.

― Ronan, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

But is it the Shingles of the Year? (Collective ILE Groan #4)

― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Seriously, though, Ronan- sorry to hear about it, my brother once had shingles and it was apparently quite dreadful. Get better.

― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah its a bit of a bitch not being able to tie my feckin shoelace without excruciating pain. I had to ask my friend to do it a while ago, she had just called to get a cd I had, and I was like HELP ME..........PLEASE HELP ME.

― Ronan, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My mum had shingles at Xmas and then my dad — age 70 — got CHICKENPOX!! Next it will be measles, then mumps, then they will need their tonsils out grumble mumble! Anyway, hard luck Ronan as I know from my moany ma that it can sometimes be VERY uncomfortable (but bettah now than in 40 yrs time, as yr children will one day surely agree). GET WELL SOON!

― mark s, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Shingles sucks, my Aunt had it a couple of years ago and it was very painful. The doctor prescribed very large pills difficult to swallow. You must not have had chicken pox when you were a kid, I think shingles is grown-ups chicken pox. Get well soon!

― Lesley Higgins, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

shingles = grown-up chickpox = myth, it seems, as both my mam and my da HAD CP when small (eg dad got it TWICE for goodness sake!!)

― mark s, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No no its true. Heres what he told me today. When you have Chickenpox it stays in the nerves (around your ribs and lower back) and then in some cases it manifests itself as Shingles again when you're older. So in fact you HAVE to have had chickenpox to get shingles or so I believe. Also the rash is a lot more manky looking. Hence the reason I'm scared to look at my back in the mirror.

― Ronan, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Exactly right, Ronan, which is why you don't have to worry about blaming it on your lifestyle. I suppose it represents a brief failure of the immune system in terms of keeping that virus locked away at the base of the spine, but a wee bit of stress can do that to anyone. Good luck taking care of it ... hopefully you can have things receeding at least a slight bit before heading off to college.

On the other hand, you could always wander around campus shirtless and laugh at all the people who flee ... You'd be an eternal collegiate legend!

― Nitsuh, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My fat beer belly would do that anyway. I mean I'm about 5 ft 9 or 10 with an out of proportion gut. Thats enough to scare anyone

― Ronan, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sounds horrid. I hope you feel better fast!

― Maria, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh, MAN!!!! shingles suxOrs!!! My sincere condolences. We had to miss ATP because Paul got The Pox, I mean shingles. It was really really bad, very painful. But P's doctor did prescribe Morphine for it, so maybe you can get some of that, and float the hours away.

And oh my god, Mark S wrong on something shock horror! Shingles very much = The Pox. My faith is shaken to the core. ;-)

― Kate the Saint, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Myth I was alluding to = if you had CP as a child you DON'T get shingles as an adult, which was a. proved untrue because of my mum, and b. exactly what ronan's doctor said. So kate you may bask in my wisdom again haha.

Puzzling extra factor = my dad, who had CP as a child then all over again this spring. (My mum of course simply says that my dad's family are too incompetent and idiotic to recognise and/or remember WHICH ailments they had as children...)

― mark s, Monday, 24 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

In fact, you HAVE to have had chicken pox as a child to get shingles as an adult, since it's the dormant virus becoming active again. If you have shingles, you can give people who've never had chicken pox chicken pox. So there.

Anyway, I had shingles back in April thanks to a nasty immune system breakdown (caused by exhaustion, I think), and it was horrible. Searing pain and a nasty rash. Try and get some voltarol retard to deal with the rash, and if your doctor is like mine you'll be prescribed morphine for a short period to help with the pain. It really was agony, because the damn virus attacks nerve endings.

― Paul Strange, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You're all scaring me now, my Doc said in a young person its fine and it should only be sore for a few days. He didnt give me anything for it either. Got loads of phone calls this morning, its like "yes I'd be a lot better Mum if you didnt wake me up at 7".

― Ronan, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Voltarol retard is going to be another one of my band aliases.

Hope it clears up soon Ronan, even if you are a bit of a BIG GAY on the side - lumme. I suggest vitamins too, I'm a big fan of chewable vitamin C. I've never known "burning the candle at both ends" to be slang for "are you a big queer" tho.

― Sarah, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It was the way he said it. I mean I was sitting there with no shirt on. I'm stopping myself from getting dressed now because if I do I'll go into town and do all that stuff I have to do.

― Ronan, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What do you have to do today?

― Sarah, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Well the only thing I actually have to do is get my eyebrow looked at. The things I want to do are numerous, books to buy, shopping to do, find the new Hot Press somewhere to check on my progress, I also wanted to go out. But I wont be doing that, Spiritualized tomorrow night aswell, I've to buy my ticket off a tout or something. I'm going to be dead in Uni tomorrow. Why this week? Why? Any other week of the whole summer I miss work and just let the time waste away and probably get paid when they fuck up, but this week. I'm not going to let it kill my buzz though. I *will* be in the Kitchen on Thursday night as always. I also will be cheerful and smile, er, as always.

― Ronan, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

How come getting a letter in Hot Press saying how shit it is has led to you becoming a regular reader Ronan? I think Hot Press may have won this particular battle of wits.

― Tom, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think Ronan's plan to go out and about whilst sickly is part of an evil plot to spread BIOLOGICAL WARFARE round Ireland and he must be stopped.

― Emma, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I was always a regular reader. Their gig guide is second to none. (I mean how hard can that be but still). Emma if you want to stop me by curing me of my horrible disease then that would be great. Hey if I still have it in about 4 weeks I can bring it to London.

― Ronan, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"I buy it for the gig guide" is the music-press equivalent of Playboy "I buy it for the articles".

― Tom, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I dont have the patience to reclaim my indie cred with you Tom, but rest assured its still there in my youthful step and my painful back.

― Ronan, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I could have started a more general thread about this but I thought not. The Doctor yesterday was a nice guy, exactly what you want, discreet and tactful. However the Pharmacist today was absolutely the opposite, patronising, and nosy, practically telling the whole fucking shop how disgusting the rash you get when you have shingles is. I was like do you want to take a photo, and took my medicine and ran for the door. So have you all had bad experiences with Doctors etc?

― Ronan, Tuesday, 25 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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