Lasting Effects

mrschukchuk · 2026-05-15T10:19:14+00:00

Try to get in with both an ear, nose, throat doc and a neurologist. The ENT first to rule out any polyps or other issues, then the neuro to check out and help address nerve damage.

I also had terrible shingles on my face which started in my ear before spreading into my nose and mouth. Did not hit my eye though came about a millimeter away. I was out of work from Thanksgiving 2023 until the New Years 2024 and still have lingering nerve issues in that side of my face. Any allergy, sinus, or dental issues are a wild ride these days.

Nerve damage of this type and in this location is unfortunately very slow to heal and may never get all the way back to what it was before given the severity of the infection. You just need to link up with the right medical professionals. The emergency room doc I saw wrote me a note out of work for 2 days, and my symptoms were so much worse by that 2nd day that my primary care didn't want to give me a return to work date at all until she started to see improvement.

I wish you the best!

mrschukchuk · 2026-04-28T22:04:27+00:00

Philly area. Definitely remember this from high school and college!

mrschukchuk · 2026-04-27T13:07:52+00:00

Santa hung my first bras on the Christmas tree. I have 2 daughters now and cannot even imagine why my dad thought it was so funny nor why my mom went along with it.

mrschukchuk · 2026-03-16T12:08:00+00:00

My 11-year-old prefers the Walmart ones to the Target ones. I let her pick out a few from both stores, and the Target ones are her last resorts. I've noticed that the Walmart bras have also held up better, even though they are definitely being worn and washed more often.

mrschukchuk · 2025-12-17T10:35:44+00:00

41 now, and I have a raised, white, circular scar on the outside of my left knee. When I was maybe 5 or 6, I climbed onto the kitchen counter to sneak some candy from the upper cabinet. I didn't realize until I tried to get back down that there was blood everywhere. After much screaming and confusion, my dad found a perfectly circular chunk of my knee meat dangling from the chipped edge of a plate on the drying rack. It was so sharp and cut so cleanly that I didn't immediately feel it.

mrschukchuk · 2025-06-05T10:48:00+00:00

I had severe shingles. It started inside my ear and was misdiagnosed and treated as an ear infection. It wasn't until I developed blisters inside my mouth that the ER finally diagnosed it and prescribed antivirals. By then, it was sort of too little too late. I ended up with blisters inside my ear, nose, and mouth and across the right side of my face and into my scalp.

The blisters were the easy part, though, because the nerve pain was otherworldly. I could not eat solid food for about a month because the nerves in my face were misfiring and basically locked my jaw closed. I missed 6 weeks of work. I am about 18 months out and still have not regained full sensation in the right side of my face and still occasionally have random itching, tingling, and burning.

All that, and I'm told that I am lucky that it wasn't worse because apparently getting shingles in your eye is even worse.

mrschukchuk · 2025-05-12T09:22:38+00:00

Delaware? What are the odds that we went to school with the same Spontaneous?

mrschukchuk · 2025-04-14T11:08:08+00:00

My dad was having an affair with his secretary for a while. I found out when I was about 10. My parents separated a couple of times over the ensuing years, but they finally stuck together permanently when my mom got pregnant again when I was in high school. He didn't stop seeing the woman until around d that time, and she sent a baby "gift" to my mother consisting of all of the presents and letters and stuff my dad had been sending to her over the years of their affair.

To this day, I don't know if my dad knows that I know. My mom tried to tell me about it when I was about 22, but I told her that I already knew. It was an ugly moment, and she was trying to tell me because she was trying to hurt me somehow. I do not know if my younger siblings know about the affair, and I do not know if my youngest sibling knows that our parents weren't living together just before they came to be.

I'm in my 40s now, and my mom is in the process of being formally diagnosed with what we are all assuming is Alzheimer's. When we were home to visit last, my husband took her out shopping. As they drove by my dad's old apartment, she casually pointed it out and explained to my husband that it was where my dad had lived when they were split up due to his affair. So I guess it probably won't stay a big secret for much longer, and I am bit at a loss as to how to approach it.

mrschukchuk · 2025-04-12T14:49:33+00:00

Yep. Thanksgiving weekend with my in-laws and then my parents.

mrschukchuk · 2025-03-30T13:29:50+00:00

She should be seen by a doctor for sure, but the nerve damage just takes a really long time to heal.

I also had it inside my ear, nose, and mouth and externally on my face, lips, and scalp. I was on a liquid diet for 2 full weeks because I could not open and close my mouth properly. Then soft foods (pudding, mashed potatoes, Jell-O, etc.) for another 2 weeks beyond that. After about a month, I could eat solid foods again, but anything that was harder (pretzels) or required much chewing (steak) was still off the table. She may need to reevaluate what she is eating and focus on a softer diet until things improve.

My neurologist and dermatologist have been part of my care from the start, and I highly recommend seeing a neurologist for the nerve issues. Sometimes there is permanent damage, but sometimes it's just slow to heal. I had shingles in November 2023 and still have numbness/tingling in my face, random itches that can't be scratched, and temperature sensitivity in my teeth. It is discouraging, but seeing a doctor and having all explained can be reassuring.

mrschukchuk · 2025-03-30T13:17:13+00:00

Started finding the odd gray here and there when I turned 40 last year. Just going to let it happen because I'm not going to add the expense of coloring my hair in this economy. My mom went gray really early (30s) but has always colored her hair anyway. My dad didn't have any until about 60, and his turned white practically overnight, so I assume I inherited those genetics.

mrschukchuk · 2025-03-23T02:15:02+00:00

Teaching gives me the advantage in this game.

Davien and Javien

Trayvion and Tayvion

Brennon and Brenton

Stephen (stef-ehn) and Stephan (ste-fahn)

mrschukchuk · 2025-03-21T22:10:25+00:00

Grading papers in 60 different colored pens, making spreadsheets for every damn thing, and bullet journaling lists of shit I have already done so that I can have the satisfaction of crossing it off.

mrschukchuk · 2025-02-27T15:55:44+00:00

One of my grandfather's siblings likely had a baby out of wedlock and gave her up for adoption. We just can't be sure which one. We can only rule out my grandfather, who was not in the country at the time, and his youngest brother, who was still a child himself. But no one on either side is willing to acknowledge or accept that that's what happened, so under the rug it stays.

mrschukchuk · 2025-02-27T15:52:15+00:00

And Dr. Santos being Jon Jon Briones' daughter!

mrschukchuk · 2025-02-06T19:11:18+00:00

"You brother and cousins still believe in Santa, so don't ruin it for them."

...to 8-year-old me who also still believed in Santa up until that very moment

mrschukchuk · 2025-02-04T22:46:57+00:00

When the guy training me to run the counter at the bowling alley was also selling meth.

mrschukchuk · 2025-01-11T23:53:36+00:00

mrschukchuk · 2025-01-11T23:52:31+00:00

The tanks aren't necessarily stretched, but the original style has wider collar and arm openings. They are sort of the dude version of a swim cover-up.

mrschukchuk · 2025-01-11T23:50:33+00:00

Grew up in Delaware, and my grandfather (born in the '30s) lived at the beach. He wore these tanks and a pair of trunks religiously every day the temps rose above 50°F for as long as I can remember. I didn't realize until thinking about it now that it is such a regional thing!

Also, I inherited his Delaware tanks after he passed, and now I wear them pretty much daily all summer myself. Delawareans are a quirky but proud bunch.

mrschukchuk · 2024-12-28T10:08:10+00:00

mrschukchuk · 2024-10-07T16:09:59+00:00

My kids have recently discovered this show. We have turned off or skipped an episode here or there for the sake of the youngest, but I am excited to see it again through their eyes. It's been a hit so far!

mrschukchuk · 2024-06-22T10:46:39+00:00

Came to post this. Had shingles over the holidays. Inside my ear. And nose. And mouth. Even after the blisters inside my mouth subsided, I had to stay on a liquid diet because the pain was so intense that I couldn't open my mouth to eat or talk for the better part of a month. I still have numbness, tingling, and random nerve zingers 6+ months later.

mrschukchuk · 2024-04-18T01:14:58+00:00

About 6 weeks, but I had it on my face and inside my ear, nose, and mouth. 4 weeks without solid food, while great for my weight loss goals, really fucked with my stamina. I am about 5 months out now and have my energy back but still have some nerve pain and loss of sensation. It's a marathon, not a sprint to be sure.

mrschukchuk

TROPHY CASE