Shingles at age 19.....................................

[Guest guest]

When this potato farmer's daughter from SD married into an italian

fun loving family in Boston MA in 1953, the first month of marriage

was pretty bad as I walked into a mess. " Very nieve " , still am to a

point, haven't figured out which point yet. My new mother-in-law was

just the most wonderful person I have ever met, 100% italian, family

came from Agregento in " Scicily in the boot " area. My new husband

was 21 and in the Air Force. He was stationed at Westover AFBin

Springfield MA, western part of the state. Didn't have a car so

thumbed his rides.

His mother had just been released from the hospital 2 days after we

arrived there, which was 3 days after our marriage (rode the train)

after she had really bad surgery on her knees. Couldn't walk or

stand by herself, so I had to do everything for her, her dog, and 2

parakeets. After many years (I was in love and dumb) I realized he

needed a nurse for his mother, not a wife. But blonde and dumb,

there I was in the midst of them. They had a 3 family house, we were

on the 1st floor, my husband's youngest sister on the second floor

and his oldest sister on the 3rd floor. Yikes. They were wonderful

to me but my husband was only home 2 days out of 10 for the 1st

year. It was awful. I had to give his mom total care, with leg

braces, crutches, meals, walk to store to buy groc, etc. and about a

month later I woke up one morning and my whole mid-riff was covered

in the sorest rash I had ever had. She called her Dr, who had to

make housecalls then, we didn't have a car and he was italian too.

He took one look at my belly and above the waistline and said: You've

got SHINGLES " . I said, (do they go on the roof)? When will I

learn? I didn't. He said it was stress, but no one did anything at

all about it for me and I didn't know what to do either, I was just a

kid of 19. Eventually it went away. Don't remember when.

The sisters were so fun to be with and his Mom I felt so so sorry

for, she had rheumatoid arthritis so very very badly. I had to turn

her at night over and over as she couldn't do it herself. I would

lay towels down on her sheets and pull them so she could turn

easier. My Mother-in-law's mother worked in towndown Boston as a

seamstress in a coat factory. Can you imagine????? She was a riot.

Smoked up a storm. Wonderful cook, I learned how to speak the

italian swear words but not the italian language. All the times I

KNEW they were talking about me, I have absolutely no idea what they

said. QUITE A TRIP, I SAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NUFF for now.

I LOVE YOU THIS DAY

MARY LOU RICHMOND VA

IPF - 02