2007-05-18
more eczema, but I'm starting to win the war
|I don't know why, but I am constantly amazed when I experience the power of medicine. It's like I'm a caveman who thinks these magical potions are mystical and other-worldly. Clearly, I got the message from my parents to suck up the pain and chew on bark if I must.
As I have mentioned in the past, I have eczema that goes nuts in the winter. For some reason this year, I have a couple of spots on my legs that refuse to go quietly into that dark night. My own theory is that the anxiety I am experiencing has to be expressed and, like excess water in a sponge, it has to get wrung out somewhere. Enter my legs.
The itch of eczema should be bottled and given to inmates on death row. It's torture to the nth degree. Anyway, about eight years ago I had a crazy outburst and I got a prescription for a super heavy-duty steroid that came with all kinds of disclaimers on how it might get up in the middle of the night and beat your ass if you're not careful. And let me just say, Lidex delivers, baby. It is like a pit bull with razor-sharp teeth gnawing on eczema's leg. It only takes about two or three days of use to clear up a bad patch.
Now I will admit, as soon as you apply a small amount of Lidex it does heat up that area of your skin. That doesn't seem quite normal, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
And while I'm at it, once again, I have to send a shout-out to internet technology. Henry Ford Health System has firmly entered the 21st Century. They have a secure website that allows you to e-mail your doctor for an e-visit, get test results, ask for prescription refills and renewals and schedule an appointment.
So instead of calling for a prescription and waiting for the doctor to get back to you in a couple of days (and possibly missing the phone call since you have to pick your kid up from school and you gave them your home phone instead of your cell phone), you can e-mail him or her and the response comes back in one business day.
I've said it before and I will say it again. I love the internet.
It's strange. This spot on my leg has been so problematic that I have personalized it and I actually talk to it sometimes. Is that crazy? When I got the Lidex yesterday and I put it on that spot for the first time I said, "Let's see how you like that!
And then when I put some on before bed I told the spot, "You're not so strong now, are you? Yeah, that's what I thought."
That seems a little strange to me.
2007-05-18 at 6:39 a.m.
