(no subject)
I've been dealing with some health related problems for the past 3-4 months that I haven't shared with anyone outside the household (and work because I had to a bit). Nothing life threatening, I think... just more than horribly inconvenient.
I need to switch my meds again, because I've essentially been on my period almost non-stop since the end of November, to varying degrees. It's been... frustrating. But early in 2015, my doctor went from a tiny clinic with 2 doctors to a big clinic with lots of people. So when I tried to get an appointment a week before Christmas, I'm told I can't see her until Feb 2. (And the first time was a month wait.)
Sadly this hasn't been my biggest worry. The other reason I wanted to see her is because I have some kind of major skin problem on my hands. It started as a small spot on my little finger. It itched, got weird and bumpy, then went away. And came back. And went away and came back.
And suddenly in November it started spreading to my knuckles. Then slowly down my hand and up my fingers and the next thing I knew it was covering the backs of both my hands. It itches so bad that I want to rip my skin off. By Christmas I was almost in tears half the time because the only relief I had was ice packs and somewhat helped by coconut oil. And I had to wait until Feb 2, and my doctor tells me to take cell phone pics so she can see how much it changes in 2 months???
I had one saving grace right before New Years. I thought I had to see my primary doctor before I could see a specialist for insurance purposes. My boss tells me on New Years Eve that is not the case, and I should be able to seek out a dermatologist myself. By the way, at this point everyone at work that was close enough to know of my issue all said "Oh, it's just eczema, no big deal." Weird, but apparently lots of people at work had been dealing with a similar thing?
So the Wednesday after New Years I get to see a dermatologist right away. And they instantly tell me that my skin is infected, and it IS a big deal. And... I'm not sure they know what it is yet. O.o They never gave me a direct answer, never said it was eczema. They tested for a staph infection, but whatever I have isn't contagious from what I can tell. They told me it would be unusual for a 31 year old to suddenly develop allergies out of the blue, but it was definitely possible.
In the meantime, I had to use 2 different prescription creams on my hands for 2 weeks, one that was an antibiotic, and the other for another 2 weeks and see if that fixed it. I wasn't allowed to wash dishes or touch any cleaning chemicals for 2 weeks. I had to buy my own soap and use it instead of the soap they supply at work. I had to buy fragrance-free everything from shampoo and soap to laundry detergent.
.....So far none of these things have worked much. I think the infection is finally gone, because the giant red spots on my hands are less prominent. But the whole time they still itched. They itch almost every moment of the day. Almost every moment I'm not at work, my hands are covered with oil or greasy things, so I barely touch the computer. It invades my thought process, it demoralizes me, it limits the things I can do in my free time. So that's why I haven't been around at all.
My next appointment is on Wednesday, and I'll find out what the next step is from there.
On a much more positive note, I've been doing my DDP Yoga for a week and a half now, and it actually makes me feel really good. I'm sticking to the recommended program for beginners, and the schedule is to do it every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and further in the program you add one extra workout in on the weekend day of your choice. It really makes my back feel good without hurting my knees, and I'm so excited to see where it takes me.
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