Unsolicited Testimony

It is wild how quickly some illnesses can escalate.

On a Tuesday evening, after my civic shenanigans, I came home and noticed he had some red splotches on his hairline and forehead. I asked him what it was, and he said he thought it might be a reaction to Roundup in the driveway. I put it aside, but something about it didn’t look right.

Wednesday went by, and he was asking me for the topical Benadryl for his allergic reaction. I couldn’t find it, of course — I never can when I need it. We went to dinner, where the splotches seemed to be getting worse. They were raised, almost blistering. I asked about them again, asked if they itched or hurt. He said no, but that his forehead was tingling down to his eyebrow.

That struck me as strange, so I prompted Claude:

Has small red splotches along his hairline, forehead and a little under the hair. They are raised and almost look like they are blistering. They showed up yesterday. Today, he is reporting that the upper side of his face is tingling, from about the eyebrows up. What could cause this?

Not only did Claude say it might be shingles, it gave me a serious warning:

This sounds very much like shingles (herpes zoster) on the face/scalp, and your friend should see a doctor today — ideally within 72 hours of when the rash first appeared.

⚠️ This is time-sensitive for two reasons:

1. The 72-hour window matters. Early treatment, ideally within 72 hours of symptom onset, is crucial to reduce the severity and the risk of complications.

2. The location near the eye is serious. If the pain and rash occur near an eye, left untreated this infection may lead to permanent eye damage. If the shingles rash on the scalp travels down the forehead or along the nose, that is considered a medical emergency.

I showed him. At first, he didn’t believe me. He never wants to go to the doctor — I don’t think it’s fear, just the inconvenience, and the way it usually ends in costs for nothing. I pressed and told him to Google it himself.

We went to urgent care straight from dinner that Wednesday evening. The shingles were confirmed. He was given an antiviral and told to see his eye doctor to make sure it hadn’t reached the eye.

Thursday came around, and he told me he had an appointment on Friday at 9:30. I had hoped for an earlier time. Then, later that day, he texted that he was already at the eye doctor; he’d started feeling tingling and pressure behind his eye. The shingles had traveled right up to the cornea. Thankfully, it hadn’t impacted it. Maybe we still had time.

It is strange how something like a rash observed on a Tuesday can potentially lead to blindness within days.

Some days, I am glad that I am a squeaky wheel.