Better, But Still… and Flower Hunt!

So. Tired. Of. Itching.

The rash is SO much better than it was — I no longer look like someone cursed me or put joke “horrible rash makeup” on me. I like to think that it just looks like I’ve been doing a bit of skiing in the mountains and have a nasty case of wind chap. Or possibly a run in with microdermabrasion which would instill hope that at the end I would come out looking radiant (for those of you not familiar with microdermabrasion it is where they shave down your skin with some kind of machine in order to get rid of all sign of wrinkles etc., but somewhere between the original look and radiance you end up looking like a slab of raw meat in a deli case).

But it itches. Itch, itch, itch, itch, try to sleep, wake myself up scratching, itch itch itch ITCH ITCH. I am trying all sorts of interesting remedies — thanks to everyone who sent me suggestions and to Sharee, my neighborhood FG, who dropped off a sample of neem cream this morning. I feel for you all, my sensitive skin sisters (well, and my dad, who recommended A&D ointment which is on the schedule for trial tonight, except that Barrett just informed me he looked for it everywhere and couldn’t find it and possibly they don’t make it anymore?) and all of your rashy pain.

We go through life being SO careful about every single thing that comes into contact with our skin — avoiding things like the sun, jellyfish, and exciting new creams that carry even the slightest hint of aroma, and going out of our way to use only hypo-allergenic unscented laundry detergent and shower gel. Then WHAM! something like this sneaks up on you and you get the worst rash you’ve ever had as though your skin is making up for all of the years of non-rash so that somehow it is both weepy and painfully dry, both inflamed and itchy. Very, very itchy.

To the point that I actually took the narcotics my doctor recommended last week and I absolutely hate narcotics for many reasons such as how they make everything all hazy and soft around the edges, but the minute you go off of them, the world is all sharp elbows and pointy bits and all of those emotions that were soft and floaty before zip to the surface and you find yourself sobbing over an article in Edible Portland on Future Farmers of America.

I’m pretty sure that this is not why I cried through the first ten minutes of the fabulous, fabulous film UP! and then laughed hysterically through most of the rest, I think really the movie would have done that to me anyway, but possibly going off narcotics on Sunday had a smidge to do with it. If you haven’t seen this movie, you must. It’s so brilliant. One of those stories that, if you’re a writer, makes you wish you could come up with something half that good. Go watch it!

As I promised you Fun Times, Sunshine and Rainbows etc. I’m posting pics from a little game we played over the weekend called Flower Hunt. A game with rules so mysterious they really can’t be discussed except to mention how I always seem to be winning (Barrett never stood a chance).

I’m off to try the next skin cream on my list. So far Aveeno has been at the top, but we’ll see how some of these other suggestions go. Fingers crossed!

Love to you all,

Bridget