I am contagious

Yeah you read it right. My short-lived elation has vanished.

I have shingles.

I first consulted our house doctor on Tuesday. I noticed these clustered vesicles on my left lower back and my anterior left thigh last Saturday and I suspected shingles already. There was no clinic on weekends and I was on leave last Monday ergo, I had the chance to consult on Tuesday. The physician gave me antiviral agents good until I could report back for work on Friday (Tuesday and Wednesdays are my restdays for the week) and consult the specialist who’ll be on duty then.

Also on Tuesday, I got a very short notice from my team leader that I was tapped to be an on call trainer for our program and that on Wednesday I, along with the lot of team leaders in our program and a few agents will be making a demo before the company trainers. The trainers will be choosing only nine out of I dunno.

In short I was also in the office on Wednesday.

I thought that the presentation just went well but I did not impress the trainers so I went home right after and then went straight to the church.

When I got home, I got a gazillion missed calls and a text from my team leader that I got into the program and my training will start Thursday, which is also my restday.

I was in the office before 9:00 a.m. and I was able to join the training but there’s something in me that told me to check if the dermatologist was in. So I went to the clinic after lunch and she was there. She sent me home immediately giving me a 7-day sick leave.

I told the trainer about my condition and the doctor’s order.

In short, I am already cut off the program. I know they felt bad but honestly, I just felt a little bad. For one, I went on with the demo just to get it over with because this was my second time I was recommended to other departments. The first one I declined. But for the record, I felt good that I was considered in the Train the Trainer program.

So seven good days of being free from office work. I don’t have to call in sick because my schedule for the next seven days has been blocked. I am free! Physically, I don’t feel bad although there are occasional discomforts caused by the affected nerve pathways. But generally I am A-ok.

Thing is I can’t stay at home. I have a niece who has not gotten a chicken pox vaccine yet and my sister is pregnant. Although she’s in the latter part of her pregnancy past the organogenesis (vital organ forming stage) the virus might still cross the placental barrier and who knows what might be the effect.

In short again, I need to be out of the house during the day.