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Mark and whatshername at CoD

2 (2.7%)

The Tai Inquisition

25 (33.8%)

A week of Pintsize and Winslow

0 (0%)

Clairepoclypse

15 (20.3%)

Swing Girl at CoD

5 (6.8%)

Marten and Steve go buy Cereal

7 (9.5%)

Butts

7 (9.5%)

Purple Monkey Dishwasher

2 (2.7%)

Jeph surprises us

11 (14.9%)

Total Members Voted: 69

[pwhodges]

Chicken pox as an adult is or can be shingles, which is more serious - that's why it's best to get it as a child and build up immunity.

Wrong - shingles results from the dormant chickenpox virus from an earlier infection reactivating in later life.  If you've not had chickenpox you won't get shingles.

I think my uncle got shingles despite having had chicken pox as a kid though, so it's not foolproof.

That's exactly how it works.

[Lubricus]

And here I thought "shingles" very just drunk singles... 

[greywolfe]

Poor Marbear, she's committed now! At least she's not running away...

[Lubricus]

...Yet. We'll see.

[Schwungrad]

And here I thought "shingles" very just drunk singles... 

And I thought it were wooden rooftiles.

Well, that answers the question about the nature of Marigold's skin condition. Freckles and moles usually don't multiply under stress, not even in art forms that like to exaggerate for comedic effect.

[techkid]

The moment you say that Nothing Can Go Wrong, is the moment that everything that can go wrong, does.

[NilsO]

Ah. At first, I thought she was sweating. But reading Forum comments, followed by a closer study (and bigger screen) indicates some kind of rash. Probably nothing serious, but the date has to be postponed. Ordinarily, this could be resolved with a phone call to Dale, explaining the situation, saying she is very sorry, and ask for a new date. But nothing is easy with this relationship. As for a new date, Dale is probably busy at work for the foreseeable future. Any progression in this relationship has to be put on indefinite hold.

[Redball]

It's just hives. Jeph more or less said so, pointing out she needs some Benadryl. I had hives during some work-related stress in my 20s, and it seemed to take a godawful amount of time before a doctor suggested Benadryl, which worked immediately. Before that I was told to check for allergies -- had I changed detergents? Use calamine lotion, or even calodryl lotion -- useless. I don't remember spots so much as itchy rashes. If I scratched a small itch on, say, a forearm, it turned into a rash the length of the scratch, and the other forearm was likely to start to itch. Strange stuff.

[GarandMarine]

Or you can just be vaccinated.

[anahata]

I don't remember spots so much as itchy rashes

Yes, large pink areas, not small round spots as Jeph has drawn. I'm surprised he didn't get that detail right, if it's supposed to be hives.

[NilsO]

It's just hives.

Nah, that would be too easy, and could be cured before the date. The rash is introduced for a reason, and I suspect it will either cause the date to be cancelled, or transformed into something else. Perhaps Dale is also getting sick, one could have infected the other when they kissed.

[Barmymoo]

How bizarre, I have spent the last two decades believing that I could not get shingles because I had had chickenpox. Is it an outdated belief? I'm sure I recall reading about "chickenpox parties" where parents would get their children to spend time with the child who had chickenpox, to get it over with before it was more risky.

[Carl-E]

Barmy, that's exactly right.  Catching chickenpox for the first time as an adult is more dangerous than catching it as a child, and can often lead to serious complications including pneumonia.  The scarring is much worse, as well, and the fever that comes with it is likely to be much higher, possibly dangerous in and of itself. 

This is why people would willingly give it to their kids - a few days of misery and rash with a slight fever, and you're protected for life. 

However, the virus stays with you for life, usually living in your nervous system.  If there are times when your immune system becomes compromised for some reason - age, or great stress, or another illness - the virus manifests itself in the form of shingles, named for the horizontally striped rash that develops, usually on your sides, though it can show up in other places (it happened to my wife when she was pregnant and having gall bladder issues and still trying to work, STRESS!!). 

Since some kids also develop serious complications, they went and developed a vaccine, which put an end to those pox parties.  If you're an adult who's never had it, you should get vaccinated - if you don't know whether you had it, they can test for the antibodies to see if you really need it. 

Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor, just a Ph.D. who's had to deal with vicarious shitloads of medical issues. 

[pwhodges]

Pox parties were just to get it over with because the earlier the better (and less painful, generally), or in the hope that the exposure would be sufficient to create immunity without the disease taking hold, and without the danger (mistakenly believed in) of vaccines; but current preference is not to give your children a disease on purpose!  People used to have the same practice with measles - but that's a genuinely serious disease, so should be actively avoided (hence the MMR vaccines, of course).

As far as I'm aware, shingles has always been known to be a follow-up to chickenpox, not an alternative.

[Zebediah]

I can speak from personal experience about the dangers of chicken pox as an adult. I got it at 26, and wound up with a fever of 105°F.

But that's not what Marigold has here, so no need to hospitalize her.

[Barmymoo]

Interesting, thanks for enlightening me

I don't think the date will be cancelled - I suspect Marigold will freak out, Momo will reason with her and possibly buy some industrial-strength concealer to placate Marigold's fears that Dale will go off her if she has red spots on her face, and the date will be fine.

[FunkyTuba]

maybe they're hives?

I guess so, from the title.

I always miss the title text because I'm too eager to read the comic itself

[Redball]

Nobody thinks they'll follow Jeph's explicit suggestion? "Time for some Benadryl, Mar-Bear."

[Smallest]

Me too, Tuba.

I've had panic-attack hives/stress breakouts/something like that before, they suck Now poor Marigold. Mine did look pretty much like that. I think whatever they are, it'll be non serious and she'll make the date, just really nervously, but I could be wrong.

At least this means I probably am not crazy for noticing her skin yesterday, even if I was dumb

[Pilchard123]

I know someone that's had chickenpox six times - twice while I've known him - so it doesn't give a guaranteed immunity.

[Kugai]

Mellow out Marigold, mellow out.

[NilsO]

I guess the Momo/Marigold companionship has been discussed before. Perhaps the best background information can be found here. Momo usually acts as mentor, boss, or facilitator, trying to improve Marigold's life. What is unclear, is how this companionship came to be. Marigold has possibly been mentally ill, and a robot companion would have been a recommendation from her psychiatrist.

The question then becomes if Momo was aware of Marigold's problems when they signed the companionship agreement. Do human and robot have a trial period before signing? They have obviously bonded, but does Momo sometimes regret? Does she stay because a breakup would be devastating to Marigold? Or is it her mission to take care of Marigold?

[Carl-E]

Mellow out Marigold, mellow out.

[Storel]

I got chicken pox for the first time at the age of 33. I'm 52 now, and that time is still the most miserable two weeks of my life, before OR since. And by the time I could go back to work, the scars were still so bright red and so prolific that people at work were afraid to come near me for quite a while. Definitely not fun to get it as an adult. 

(I did have one week that was more miserable, when I got pneumonia last year, but since it was only for a week the chicken pox episode is still the most miserable two-week period.)

[Smallest]

I guess the Momo/Marigold companionship has been discussed before. Perhaps the best background information can be found here. Momo usually acts as mentor, boss, or facilitator, trying to improve Marigold's life. What is unclear, is how this companionship came to be. Marigold has possibly been mentally ill, and a robot companion would have been a recommendation from her psychiatrist.

The question then becomes if Momo was aware of Marigold's problems when they signed the companionship agreement. Do human and robot have a trial period before signing? They have obviously bonded, but does Momo sometimes regret? Does she stay because a breakup would be devastating to Marigold? Or is it her mission to take care of Marigold?

I find this really interesting to consider even if an archive dig tells us that they did have a trial. Although even if there was, even if there's not a legal obligation there's probably a bit of an emotional obligation to keep going, if you know what I mean?

ETA- Like, what if you see someone's emotionally bad off and needs friends and has bonded onto you (an AI), and then you 'reject' them? They might not bother getting an AI or attempting to make a friend again.

[KOK]

I guess the Momo/Marigold companionship has been discussed before. Perhaps the best background information can be found here.

I find it very strange that Momo would be so insecure. It is not like her.

[Is it cold in here?]

The adoption agencies are supposed to check for a good fit before pairing off a human and a robot. Maybe this relationship meets Momo's needs.

It may also be that Momo accepts dealing with Marigold as part of her duty to model good human-AI relations.

She may simply like Marigold enough to accept Marigold's problems. She did say early on that Marigold was good to her, and that was before Marigold went into debt for a premium body for Momo.

[Schmorgluck]

I know someone that's had chickenpox six times - twice while I've known him - so it doesn't give a guaranteed immunity.

Wow, that's impressive. My older sister got chickenpox twice, she seems to have a slight immunity defect reguarding it. Unsurprisingly, it's been the first disease her son got, at a very early age, even though she breastfed him.
I got it as a kid, myself (from my sister), and I had shingles about ten years ago, and there's something I'd like to mention about shingles: IT HURTS! Like, sand tilefish venom level of pain.

[jwhouk]

I don't like thinking about chicken pox, because it makes my feet start to itch again.

I got it when I was 18-19 and working at Six Flags. I noticed one night before we were closing up that my feet were itching. When I got back to the dressing room, I noticed my back was itchy. I asked one of my co-workers if there was anything on my back. His response: "Get away from me! You have chicken pox!" I suspect some kid came to the park, was contagious, and with me never getting it as a little kid (I got measles instead - ugh), I got a full-blown case. My dad took me to the doctor that night, and I ended up passing out while they were drawing blood - because, back in the day before AIDS and needle paranoia, they could stick you several times to try and find a vein. 

I do occasionally get concerned about shingles, but chicken pox seems to be a thing of the past here in Wisconsin (thankfully).

[celticgeek]

I had chicken pox when I was little, but I have also taken the shingles shots. 


And, ah yes, Benadryl, the date drug. 

But it did clear up the hives.

[jwhouk]

Too bad Benadryl has that nasty side effect of causing drowsiness.

"yoUr SHoEs loOk nIce" = classic.

[mustang6172]

Dale's next line is "You mean these old things?"

[cesariojpn]

Okay, dumb question that isn't implying anything: Is Momo considered a "competent witness" in a court of law?

[KOK]

I know someone that's had chickenpox six times - twice while I've known him - so it doesn't give a guaranteed immunity.

Wow, that's impressive. My older sister got chickenpox twice, she seems to have a slight immunity defect reguarding it. Unsurprisingly, it's been the first disease her son got, at a very early age, even though she breastfed him.
I got it as a kid, myself (from my sister), and I had shingles about ten years ago, and there's something I'd like to mention about shingles: IT HURTS! Like, sand tilefish venom level of pain.

In my native Danish, shingles is called helvedesild. Litteral translation: hellfire.

[Is it cold in here?]

Okay, dumb question that isn't implying anything: Is Momo considered a "competent witness" in a court of law?

AnthroPCs have equal civil rights to humans so they should be able to testify on an equal footing.

If they can deliberately edit their own memories there could be some real problems though.

[St.Clair]

Mellow out Marigold, mellow out.

Well... she's mellow.

[Lubricus]

I know someone that's had chickenpox six times - twice while I've known him - so it doesn't give a guaranteed immunity.

Wow, that's impressive. My older sister got chickenpox twice, she seems to have a slight immunity defect reguarding it. Unsurprisingly, it's been the first disease her son got, at a very early age, even though she breastfed him.
I got it as a kid, myself (from my sister), and I had shingles about ten years ago, and there's something I'd like to mention about shingles: IT HURTS! Like, sand tilefish venom level of pain.

In my native Danish, shingles is called helvedesild. Litteral translation: hellfire.

Que a drunken demon stating "I've shingled you out for shome hellfire!" 

[Thrillho]

I know someone that's had chickenpox six times - twice while I've known him - so it doesn't give a guaranteed immunity.

Wow, that's impressive. My older sister got chickenpox twice, she seems to have a slight immunity defect reguarding it. Unsurprisingly, it's been the first disease her son got, at a very early age, even though she breastfed him.
I got it as a kid, myself (from my sister), and I had shingles about ten years ago, and there's something I'd like to mention about shingles: IT HURTS! Like, sand tilefish venom level of pain.

In my native Danish, shingles is called helvedesild. Litteral translation: hellfire.

[Akima]

Too bad Benadryl has that nasty side effect of causing drowsiness.

There are antihistamines specifically formulated to reduce that side effect. But they would not be as funny.

[Mr_Rose]

Yes but "specially formulated" mostly means "with added caffeine" and I'm not sure Marigold really needs stimulants on top of everything else… 

[Is it cold in here?]

>date drug

Reminds me of a friend who was stuck on an airplane next to a loud drunk. He wasn't the sort who gets pleasure being around loud drunks. When his fellow passenger wanted to know if what he'd heard about American women was true, my friend said absolutely, but that they are so demanding that anyone expecting to get together with one must take the "special pink American aphrodisiac" and with a kindly-looking smile offered the drunk some of his own stash of Benadryl.

Quiet flight thereafter.

[ZoeB]

Shingles is no worse than having a branding iron (or similar hot object) applied to the affected area.
Usually only minor nerve damage when the quiescent virus that colonises the nerve goes on a rampage.

Rarely, it hits the face and optic nerve. That's doubleplus ungood. A friend of mine is blind in one eye from that.

Herpes Zoster though can be zonked with a not-so-new-antiviral drug, aciclovir (eg Zovirax). Apply within 24 hrs of first symptoms to stop nearly all the damage. After 24 hrs though the effect is more limited, though still useful up to 72 hrs after symptoms start.

It's very rare to get more than 3 recurrences. I've had 2, the second considerably less severe than the first. It was really interesting the second time, I could trace the nerve pathways and dendrites to the skin by the damage, very localised, almost like a welt from a lash.

Now getting back to Marigold...

Stress is one of the known triggers of hives, an outbreak of raised, red spots (or welts) on the skin that often itch. Hives are usually indicative of an allergic reaction, but they can also occur as a result of sun or cold exposure, infections, excessive perspiration, and emotional stress. It is not known exactly why stress may precipitate an outbreak of hives, but it is likely related to the known effects of stress on the immune system. The medical term for hives is urticaria.
...
There are a number of ways to ease the symptoms of hives, including taking over-the-counter antihistamines...

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=79117

I was a bit nonplussed at the "Benadryl" comment. But this explains it:

In the United States and Canada, Benadryl products contain the first-generation antihistamine diphenhydramine. In the United Kingdom, Benadryl products contain either the second-generation non-sedating antihistamine acrivastine (marketed as Benadryl Allergy Relief, with a suggested efficacy duration of eight hours) or the long acting antihistamine cetirizine (marketed as Benadryl One a Day Relief). Benadryl products are marketed in Australia and New Zealand by Johnson & Johnson Pacific. They are marketed as cough medicines and do not contain any antihistamine. Each 5 mL of Benadryl Chesty Cough & Nasal Congestion contains 100 mg of Guaifenesin (an expectorant) and 30 mg of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride as the active ingredients

So some UK "Benadryl One a Day Relief" is best, but Australian "Benadryl Chesty Cough & Nasal Congestion" would be useless, as well as containing pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, a restricted substance in both Australia and the US as it's a common precursor to Methamphetamine. The US version would not be as good as the UK one, but still effective... though possibly with some side effects.

UPDATE - just seen the comic. Ah. Yes. Side effects like that. Oopsie.

[aldonius]

I know someone that's had chickenpox six times - twice while I've known him - so it doesn't give a guaranteed immunity.

Wow, that's impressive. My older sister got chickenpox twice, she seems to have a slight immunity defect reguarding it. Unsurprisingly, it's been the first disease her son got, at a very early age, even though she breastfed him.
I got it as a kid, myself (from my sister), and I had shingles about ten years ago, and there's something I'd like to mention about shingles: IT HURTS! Like, sand tilefish venom level of pain.

In my native Danish, shingles is called helvedesild. Litteral translation: hellfire.

Que a drunken demon stating "I've shingled you out for shome hellfire!" 

That would be a Bilingual Bonus (standard warning: TVTropes), then?

[ZoeB]

Okay, dumb question that isn't implying anything: Is Momo considered a "competent witness" in a court of law?

Probably depends on the jurisdiction, if the QCverse is anything like this one. For example, Australia (which is otherwise a pretty civilised place), doesn't allow Intersex people to marry.

[Barmymoo]

I stand corrected - something has gone wrong with the date already!

I was a bit confused too, all I could think of was Benadryl cold and flu remedy, and I didn't see how that would help with red spots.

[Storel]

Yes but "specially formulated" mostly means "with added caffeine" and I'm not sure Marigold really needs stimulants on top of everything else…

No, none of the non-drowsy antihistamines I'm aware of have any caffeine in them. However, the general trade-off is that the less drowsy-making it is, the less it helps your allergies. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl in the US) is still the gold standard in hospitals if you're having a life-threatening allergic reaction, according to my wife the nurse, but it is pretty much the most drowsifying.

However, everyone's biochemistry is a little different, so none of this is carved in stone. Antihistamines that make one person drowsy can make someone else much less drowsy, and one that doesn't help one person's allergies much can be great for someone else. I never felt drowsy after taking chlorpheniramine (US brand name: Chlor-Trimeton) until I had to take one during a nice dinner, during which I also had a glass of wine. One glass of wine doesn't normally make me drowsy either, but the two of them together really hit me hard. So ask an allergist for a recommendation for your needs, but experiment with others as well until you find what works best for you.

For a skin reaction like hives, I would have thought topical Benadryl would be better -- a Benadryl (diphenhydramine) creme that you rub on your skin instead of taking orally. Still clears up the skin problem, but doesn't make the rest of you drowsy. I have no personal experience with hives, however, so I can't say for certain whether topical or oral antihistamines would clear up the hives more quickly.

I don't know why stimulants would be a problem for Marigold; I'd say she could use some strong coffee right now. Hmm, I wonder where you could get any of that in the neighborhood?

[Lubricus]

Okay, dumb question that isn't implying anything: Is Momo considered a "competent witness" in a court of law?

Probably depends on the jurisdiction, if the QCverse is anything like this one. For example, Australia (which is otherwise a pretty civilised place), doesn't allow Intersex people to marry.

 
Really? Colour me shocked!

[Mr_Rose]

Yes but "specially formulated" mostly means "with added caffeine" and I'm not sure Marigold really needs stimulants on top of everything else…

No, none of the non-drowsy antihistamines I'm aware of have any caffeine in them. However, the general trade-off is that the less drowsy-making it is, the less it helps your allergies. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl in the US) is still the gold standard in hospitals if you're having a life-threatening allergic reaction, according to my wife the nurse, but it is pretty much the most drowsifying.

However, everyone's biochemistry is a little different, so none of this is carved in stone. Antihistamines that make one person drowsy can make someone else much less drowsy, and one that doesn't help one person's allergies much can be great for someone else. I never felt drowsy after taking chlorpheniramine (US brand name: Chlor-Trimeton) until I had to take one during a nice dinner, during which I also had a glass of wine. One glass of wine doesn't normally make me drowsy either, but the two of them together really hit me hard. So ask an allergist for a recommendation for your needs, but experiment with others as well until you find what works best for you.

For a skin reaction like hives, I would have thought topical Benadryl would be better -- a Benadryl (diphenhydramine) creme that you rub on your skin instead of taking orally. Still clears up the skin problem, but doesn't make the rest of you drowsy. I have no personal experience with hives, however, so I can't say for certain whether topical or oral antihistamines would clear up the hives more quickly.

I don't know why stimulants would be a problem for Marigold; I'd say she could use some strong coffee right now. Hmm, I wonder where you could get any of that in the neighborhood?

Ah, yes, it seems I was thinking of "non-drowsy" cold&flu relief pills.
On the other topic, stimulants can exaggerate stress responses in a lot of people and since Mari's hives are a stress response….

[Toe]

For making me drowsy, diphenhydramine ain't got nothing on citirizine, especially if I haven't been taking it on a regular basis. But citirizine's also pretty much the most effective for me, so...

As for antihistamine + caffeine, the closest thing I'm aware of is dimenhydrinate, a nausea & motion sickness drug sold as Dramamine in the US. That's basically a combination of diphenhydramine and theophylline, which is pretty similar to caffeine.

[Redball]

I don't recall such severe drowsification from benadryl. It was easier to get to sleep, to be sure.