When We Were Immortal

It was holiday here on Monday, a MLK Day. As usual I woke up with giddiness when I knew I had an extra day to be at home. After some stretches and meditation, I brew a small pot of coffee, jotted something in my journal and got into a shower.

While slathering my back with a coconut body oil I felt something different under my fingers on the back of my waits. I looked at the mirror and I noticed a reddish spot the size of a quarter. Then I noticed three smaller spots scattered around the big spot. My first thought was a rash. I had them once a while. I applied Bernadryl and went to the gym.

On the stair master, the itch on the back of my knees and elbows was unbearable. I scratched and scratched.  Boyyyyyyyyy, that was good. Two hours later when I was changing my clothes in a locker room I noticed the rash had spread wider behind my knees. I was still convinced it was just a rash. I stopped at CVS to get Extra Strength Benadryl.

Later in the evening, after I had my dinner, I put on a pair of clean cotton gloves. I was hoping by wearing the gloves, the severity of getting my skin scratched would be reduced. If you ever had a rash before, you know how wonderful it was when you scratched and scratched the itchy parts. It was not as wonderful as having an orgasm, but it was wonderful nevertheless.

The next morning when I woke up, I was shocked to see big red patches on my arms, waits, thighs and legs. I felt funny on my left ear. And I got my left ear bigger than my right ear.

I stripped naked, stood in front of the mirror and looked at my body in horror. I cried right there because the patches have multiplied within few minutes. It was like watching some gred D low budget movies where some sort of globs invaded the city. And it was not a pretty sight when a naked grown woman with red patches all over her body cried.

I called The Director on her cell to let her know I won't be in for work at least for a couple of days. Then I called the community health center and asked for Deb a liaison at Breasts Health Dept. Deb has been very supportive for the past three months. When I told her my situation, she squeezed me into one of the slots that gave me 20 minutes to get there.

"Deb, I live about 15 minutes walk from the center. I'll be there as soon as I can. Deb, thank you so much."

While waiting for the doctor, my mind started to wander about my health for the past months.  I seldom get sick, l don't even get a headache. When I hear people say they get a headache and need an aspirin, or tylenol, or ibuprofen, I couldn't comprehended at all. The only time I get a headache when my head bumps into something solid.

And there I was sitting in the examination room waiting for a doctor. I have no idea how many times I've had appointments with doctor since September 2006 right before I had a biopsy for my cervical.

I was more than grateful, I was more than thankful for the healthy life I've been blessed all these years, but it didn't stop me from wondering.

The doctor said it was hive when he saw red patches scattered all over my body. They looked more like a lost map, little islands here and there, peninsula and a little lakes on my back. Five or six continents spread from my abs and connected to the lake to the ponds on my waist.  He asked me the food that I had consumed, the dishwasher, the detergents, the bleach, the softener. Same, same, same, same and same.

I was exhausted then to ask him anymore questions. He gave me the prescription and adviced me to take the rest of the week off from work if possible. "Änd try not to take a hot shower for now, perhaps every other day."

"Every other day? I cannot do that. I have to take a shower everyday."

"Hot shower will make it worse."

He also said there were two possibilities after I applied the cream. The present patches would be thinned out by tomorrow and the new ones would come out or the present patches would thinned out.

I stopped at the pharmacy at Shaw's Supermarket. A big tube of 2.8 oz. cream to apply every 4 hours, 60 capsules (3x/day) that would make me sleepy.

I called the work place and requested for the rest of the week off.

And the next morning, the old patches were almost gone and the new ones appeared, but they were pretty small and mild.

I changed into running gear and went out for a walk along Charles River. It was sunny and chilly afternoon, but I enjoyed the walk.

Comments

[jo]

I don't know what is more frustrating - the rash - or the fact that sometimes they can't figure out wy or what caused it.
Hope it disappears soon.

[Gurindam Jiwa]

Is this the first time? If you are allergic to something, and everything else all same, same, same, same, and same, it should have happened before.

Sometimes, it could be “nothing.” And what is life without “something.”

Oh btw,

“It was not as wonderful as having an orgasm, but it was wonderful nevertheless.”

Must be that itch that wants to get that sentence in.

Oh, you’ll be fine. Insya‘Allah.

[Sandra]

That has happened to me a few times, too, and I didn't find out what caused it. You might be allergic to something like a food or medicine. But a virus can also cause hives all over the body, and they tend to return day after day until the virus is gone. Good luck, I hope the hives will be gone soon.