The heartbreak of herpes!

Dearest St. Rita,

When I told you I was okay with transformation and change through being pox-ridden you knew that was a joke. Right? I’m kinda getting the feeling that perhaps you didn’t realize I was joking. As the Tuesday morning following my last letter to you, my ass ended up inflamed—quite literally. But let me back up and tell this story from the beginning.

Last weekend after I drafted the letter to you, it seemed the case of shingles I managed to acquire was clearing up and I might luck out with a mild case. Little did I know, it was the calm before the storm—and what a storm it’s been.

When I got up on Monday to ready myself for work, it appeared as if everything was moving along nicely in regard to the healing of my malady. Therefore, I didn’t think anything more of it and headed into the office. Once there, an orgy of sweets ensued. We’ve decreed Monday to be muffin day and each of us in my group takes a turn making a muffin recipe and bringing them into the office. My one coworker had brought in the most delectable apple blueberry muffins and I enjoyed one with a cup of coffee shortly after arriving in the office.

Monday was the birthday of another officemate and we had a small party for her in the afternoon at which I had not only a big o’ hunk of ice cream cake, but a big o’ hunk of red velvet cake in addition. Also we took her out for dinner that evening as well, and for dinner I had a chef’s salad replete with shrimp and crab. When I awoke the next morning, my ass had exploded in a fury of shingles.

I was not pleased.

After freeking freely, I did further research about shingles and what might contribute to their getting worse rather than better. The more and more I read, the more I discovered I was doing everything entirely incorrectly in regard to my diet. There are several foods one needs to avoid to keep shingles from getting worse rather than better. The top four are sugar, coffee, chocolate and shell fish. And on Monday those are exactly all of the things I consumed in nearly mass quantities.

Is it any wonder my ass exploded on Tuesday morning?

In my research, I discovered there are two key amino acids key to shingles—one inhibits their growth, the other contributes to their proliferation. L-arginine the amino acid that is found in nuts, chocolate, seeds and shellfish is one of the building blocks that varicella  zoster needs to replicate. On the other hand L-Lysine the amino acid that is found in fish, cheese, tofu and beans helps prevent the virus from replicating.

One of the other things I read that can be helpful to speed recovery from shingles is adding brewer’s yeast to one’s diet due to the high amounts of B vitamins contained in it. Brewer’s yeast is the by product of brewing beer hence its name. It however has one very unfortunate quality. It tastes like crap!

I discovered this the hard way when I ran next door to the mall adjacent to my office and hit the GNC there to buy can of it. When I returned to my office, I stirred in the recommended two tablespoons into my soup that I’d brought into the office for lunch that day and took a big bite. I nearly spit it out onto my desk when doing so. Imagine the bitter taste of beer times 10 and that’s the taste of brewer’s yeast.

Delightful!

But rather than give up on my new found friend that has been described as a miracle food, I decided to keep at it to discover a palatable way to ingest it and I think that I’ve found the perfect recipe. I decided to create smoothies from it as suggested. So I experimented over the weekend. What seems to taste the best is the following: a mix of frozen berries (about 2 cups), a third of a cup of Greek yogurt (honey), a cup of almond milk, two tablespoons of maple syrup, and two tablespoons of the brewer’s yeast. With this mix I can manage to get the whole smoothie down without retching.

I also had the most interesting experience the first couple of times I made one of these smoothies and drank it. About 10 minutes after taking the first sip I felt the most amazing rush throughout my body. It was as if I could literally feel the nutrients from the shake traveling down the nerve pathways and out to the very tips to tingle on my skin. And with the tingling it also felt as though the shingles themselves were buzzing with an electric shock.

Once I began the regime of the L-Lysine, various herbal anti-virals and the daily shakes with brewer’s yeast I began to notice a change in the fewer shingles that were popping up here and there. Rather than pop up as a huge hive and then divide into clusters of smaller micro-hives. They began to come up much smaller and with less severity which to me was an indication that the virus was beginning to lose the battle it had undertaken with my person. And now four days later it appears they’ve slowed down considerably and the big spots that I have on my hips and thighs have begun to recede.

I have to tell you dear Rita, it’s been a rather unsettling experience watching as my body has waged a war upon itself. It’s an experience I have little desire to repeat anytime soon.

Please pass along my regards to Dr. Reed.