Dio, that’s a point I raised as well, so we now know that it is valid:D;) Seriously, though, at this point I think all that needs to be raised (and which I have said before and you now point out as well) is that there is insufficient evidence to say with any useful certainty (let alone medical) that Fuel suffered from Herpes Zoster. The symptoms are not consistent and the diagnosis over the phone is insufficiently rigorous.
Some people get chicken pox more than once. Having it doesn’t grant 100% immunity.
You are right about the “for sure” thing. Boy, I had better think more before posting here… you live and learn. Geez, I don’t remember being so frivilous with a post ever. Sorry to everyone.
So, what do you have to say about my nanny getting the HZ?
- I come down with this crap, whatever it was, for two weeks and then it leaves without a sign left. My ear was infected or something, rashes formed on inside and out. I can personally attest to the immediate disappearance of the illness and earache (but not the blisters or swelling because I was asleep) because I woke up feeling sluggish, but perfect otherwise. So, I personally know something happened, and quickly. A healing of some sort, physical or spiritual.
- The doctor thought, for whatever reason (granted I am sure with some doubt) that I had HZ. It was his medical, over-the-phone opinion and he expressed his concern over my eye possibly becoming blind.
- My nanny did not come close enough to me at the time of the blisters to catch HZ even if I did have it (I think I will double check this, but for now i’ll say it), but…
- she comes down with it a week later and the virus ran it’s course of 3 whole months. Doctor certified HZ.
I would like to know an expert opinion on these events… If I were anybody else hearing this crap, I would NOT believe it… so I don’t expect for anyone else to believe these four points. But, assuming they are true for my own curious sake here, what should I make of these occurrences??? Any doctors out there???
I guess either these events were recounted incorrectly, or this was a very unlikely medical anomally? The two extremes? Crazy, just crazy.
I apologize for parroting your point, Punha. I admit that I’ve skimmed a lot of this thread. i guess I missed it…hell I even missed the phone call diagnosis the first time around. 
It sounds like Fuel is sincerely open to re-evaluating his opinion as to what happened so I think that speaks well for him. Even if he ends up still deciding it was a miracle he has at least been willing to consider another possibility. I give him credit for that. We’ve all seen the fundies who refuse to open their minds even a crack. Fuel is about ten steps up on them. (Good on you, Fuel.)
D/C dog check it
Fuel said: "It is fact that my doctor (i’ll be back with his name later), said he thought that it was for sure Herpes Zoster (maybe he didn’t say for sure, but my mom described him being confident in his diagnosis so I added the “for sure”, sorry about that, it was an honest overlooking mistake to add those words). " bolding mine
That was IIRC his first recantation. 
BTW not bad credentials…esp. for a Cynic 
IANA doctor so I’m not equipped to even try and hazard a medical opinion. We do have doctors on the board but they don’t seem to have discovered this thread. Maybe a GQ thread asking for factual info about HZ and linking to this thread would get some doctors in on the discussion.
Oh, none needed:) In fact, it was good to know I wasn’t the only one who took up on that and thought it was a bit incomplete:)
True. I have been impressed by his couth and staying power, so to speak, in this thread. I can think of many other instances where an OPer has become flustered and/or claimed that we aren’t looking at the evidence (NDEs, anyone?) from his/her perspective. I am glad, Fuel, that you have taken our questions and criticisms as they were meant; scrutinizing the information and trying to make a valid assessment. Saying “Yes, this was a miracle” is not anything I am about to say lightly, especially based on the fact that we are, all of us, relying on only one sense: our ability to comprehend language. It would be a strikingly different task had we witnessed it. I rather think most of the mess we have now would be significantly lessened:)
I do as well. Whatever his conclusion, his ability to take what has been given him in stride shows maturity that is often absent in others who post similar things.
Re: a doctor looking into this thread, I’d say it’d be easier to just refer one of them in here than try to rehash it all in GQ (which would be extremely difficult to do given the religious nature and direction of this whole thing). Qadgop or DoctorJ (or KarlGrenze, too, who IIRC is a medical professional), if either of you have a thought it’d be much appreciated:)
Let’s hope one of them does vanity searches:)
t-keela, the physical and visual element to Herpes Zoster, combined with the OP’s mother’s lack of medical schooling (which I have posted about a few times now and which has yet to be addressed by the OP, indicating to me that I am correct in this), tells me that any diagnosis of Zoster over the phone is suspect at best. Too, that the events described by Fuel do not echo, in key and specific places (though for that bit I am relying on the FAQ), the information presented in the cite Fuel included in his OP. And the lack of scarring afterward, while it may indeed point to a miracle, also point to the possibility that it was a reaction caused by some other agent (hives or an allergic reaction, to cite two examples from this thread) and the offending party does not customarily leave any (useful, or such as would especially point to any culprit) physical remnant upon its “Exit stage right”, so to speak:)
Those three facts lead me to believe that while it is certainly possible that it was Zoster, I would not assign any useful certainty to that possibility.
Fuel hang in there kid…you’ve got the hunger for knowledge and the ability to analyze information. Just try to be a little more objective when you observe the variables. I’m not saying, “lose your religion” just don’t blindly follow paths set by others.
I assure you that most of the folks here (at least the ones that I’m familiar with) have a mind of their own and some even admit to their mistakes once in awhile
You’ll do allright here…just chill a bit and stick to the OP’s in which you participate, answer the questions asked and try not to get into the long off topic debates.
BTW for future reference, these appeals to authority as proof or fact won’t work around here…unless it’s Unca Cec…of course
Sorry 'bout the hijack, but I wanted to give him some credit for sticking to his guns and not just completely going on a tear. He’s taken some damned hard shots in the past few days on this and another thread <no link>
Anyway…good luck Fuel see ya round the boards!
Peace
Damn talk about simulposts
iampunha Yeah, I caught that waaay back there. I was thinking allergic reaction to the antibio’s prescribed for the ear infection myself.
Well, hell I missed that one too, and here I was thinking I had made this great catch.
I’ve got to concur with the allergic med reaction. It’s boring, and the most boring explanation is usually the true one.
Thanks for the props on the credentials, t-k. It’s nice to have one subject that I can really sound off on without talking out of my ass. There are enough other topics that make me feel like a slack-jawed rube (those math threads in GQ, for instance).
No vanity search, but I did happen by. All standard disclaimers about medical information apply, particularly since it’s late and I’m post-call.
The varicella zoster virus causes two distinct syndromes–the generalized infection of chickenpox, and the later local reactivation of shingles. Typically, the second follows the first by many years. It is possible to have a subclinical infection the first time and then develop chickenpox; it is also possible to get chickenpox more than once, especially if the first infection was mild and limited.
Shingles happen when the virus lies dormant in a nerve root after the first infection and “reactivates”. The clincher is that the lesions are in the pattern of a particular nerve root, or dermatome. They are thus usually on one side of the body, and in a fairly limited area. They are most commonly in the mid to lower back. It is also far more common in older folks; one cite I looked up said that less than 5% were in patients less than 14 years of age.
Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome is a zoster reactivation in the facial region that includes facial paralysis, ear pain, and lesions in the ear canal. Since this represents about 0.2% of zoster reinfections, and folks under 14 represent 5%, this would be rare indeed.
One of the biggest principles of medicine is that an uncommon presentation of a common condition is more likely that a common presentation of an uncommon condition. Based on what you describe, I can’t hazard a guess as to what you had. (Were the lesions just on your face, or were they all over? Were they on both sides of your face? You may have said, but I wasn’t paying much attention.)
As for your nanny, chicken pox is almost always much more serious in adults (increasingly so with age) than in children. It is usually allowed to run its course in kids (or at least it used to be–I don’t do peds, so I’m not sure), but adults almost always get antiviral therapy for it, and can develop a pretty serious pneumonia.
More promised when I’m feeling more coherent.
Dr. J
Since you expressed interest in the possibility that it could be hives or a rash, Fuel, you might want to read a few of the links herein on Ramsay-Hunt: cite. If nothing else it’s education, and that never hurt nobody:)
The lesions were on my face and neck, evenly distributed on both sides of my face, with high concentrations on my right eye and near my right ear. The majority of the swelling was on the right side, but some on the left. My mom has always pointed out that there were three distinct blisters around my eye, and as the swelling got worse, they converged to be one larger blister. My mom has also always pointed out that the right side of my face was HUGE! As in, grotesquely huge. Picture Egore on a bad day, or that guy in Fight Club… only worse!
Keep in mind that I had what docs thought was an ear infection (right ear) for 2 weeks before this happened. I don’t know if you gathered that much from my other million posts… and also take into consideration my nanny’s HZ and how that fits into this puzzle.
Don’t forget either about my curious non-immunity to chicken pox right now, even though I had a generous does of them when I was a kid, before this. How does this fit into the puzzle.
Thanks Doctor!
DoctorJ: Just for the purpose of being thorough: I’ve had a constant ringing in my ears for as long as I can remember (which is probably around 12 years old). I noticed a mention of tinnitus in reading about the Ramsey thing, so I thought I would throw this out there.
Otherwise, I am completely healthy and apparently have no lasting effects from this illness or any other illness.
Fuel, not to try and badger you, but if you’d go back and look at what I said re: 3 hours/30 minutes (in re: the time it took for your face condition to develop), I’d be most grateful (I answered your question, now you answer mine;)).
FWIW, a cousin of mine had chicken pox as a child and all four of his kids had it. I do not remember the specific conditions but he got it again. Not everyone develops an immunity to it.
Ok: Many of the responses I’ve read here are describable in this way. I have seen similar threads proceed in this manner. It is my feeling that this board will give you a certain kind of response. Be aware that this may be true.
This reminds me of a story of Dennis The Menace. He had a plate of cookies, and his little friend came up to him and said something like, ‘wow, you must have been a really good person’ to which Dennis said ‘no, it’s just that Mrs. Wilson is such a good person.’ So just because someone receives a miracle, doesn’t mean they’ve elevated themselves up. That said, why are you asking for spiritual insight from people if you don’t believe they ascribe to the same spiritual principles as you do? You know it’s a miracle, be thankful for it. I too experienced a few miracles, the effects of which are still apparent today, even though they were six years ago. I don’t need to validate them, as those who know me know what I’m saying to be true. But I wouldn’t expect all to receive it. Can you scientifically explain away what happened to me? Oh, some have tried, but I don’t really care, as I know the truth of what happened, and it was amazing.
iampunha, I have already addressed this issue/mistake. This is my post where I addressed it the second time I believe, in #2. I explained before that I made a frivilous mistake by saying that they came and went that quickly. I am truly sorry to send everyone into a tailpsin with this mistake, but hey, I have been writing so much on this site lately that my brain is starting to protest and my eyes are starting to get a little permanent light spot on them from my CR monitor! (Hey, but it’s all worth it because my post count is getting closer and closer to the 1k mark!!) I have already vowed to be more careful when posting, for my own good, and for you guys’ sake.
Again, my apologies, it was an honest mistake and I don’t usually make these types of ignorant errors…