Shingles, Porch Roofs, etc.

 Some of you are aware that I, Howard, have been diagnosed to have shingles. Shingles is a disease that comes from a "resurfacing' of the varicella-zoster virus (vzv), the virus that causes chickenpox. When one gets over chickenpox the virus doesn't go away. It remains in one's body. In some people, mostly older folk, the virus will cause an episode of shingles. 

Normally a shingles outbreak is extremely painful.

I have been working on a construction project, here at PIU. On May 1, we will dedicate the main building on the PIU campus in honor of my friend and predecessor, Dr. David Owen. You can read/hear more here. We have been working to get as much of the refurbishing of the building done as possible before then. I've been rebuilding five "porch roofs" over the entrances on the front of the building.

I pretty consistently wear safety glasses on such projects, but my adherence to this safety rule is not perfect, and the glasses don't do a complete job of keeping sawdust, etc. out, so when my left eye became irritated I figured it was from some crud in my eye. Further irritation, led me to believe I had an inflamed tear duct or some such. The sores that appeared around the eye concerned me enough that I went to an urgent care. The nurse-practitioner said almost immediately, "I think you have shingles." An ophthalmologist confirmed the diagnosis. He put me on an anti-viral med. 

The good news--I've known enough people who have had shingles that I can say very good news--is that I have been mostly pain-free. When I woke up this morning the lesions were not even particularly tender when I touched them. I'm thankful. I know the course of this disease is not predictable, so I ask for continued prayer.

On a more important note, please pray for our finishing-up. The events of May1, graduation, and the dedication will be my last official presidential duties. We fly back to Virginia on May 5. We want to leave things in as good an order as possible. We want to be a blessing. The "Good Byes" have already begun. Kathy has a long list of things to get done before we leave.

Under the heading of "Nothing is ever as easy as it should be." our Board has been working hard to have my successor in place. They are working through complications as I write. Please pray for them.

If you scroll down on this blog, you will find Kathy and my latest newsletter. If you would like a copy of the "Tide's Currents," PIU's quarterly newsletter, write me at hmerrell@piu.edu, and I'll send you one. If you want a printed copy, be sure to include your mailing address.

(BTW, after May 5, we'll be using our old email addresses, Howard - covbchm@gmail.com, and Kathy - kmusiq@gmail.com. These addresses work now. Our postal address in Covington is 2106 S Carpenter Drive, Covington VA 24426. We'll let you know our phone number as soon as we get one.)

Thanks for partnering with us in this adventure.

H&K