Still Here

I really don't know why I haven't posted for so long, probably because things were absolutely ridiculous at work - this past Friday was Members' Night, which happens once a year, and it's a BIG DEAL.  So besides just the usual craziness and having too much to do, there was prep to be done for that. I'd get home and be exhausted.  It all ended with the actual event, which starts at 5 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m.  

Can you say LONG WEEK??

The Tim picked me up after it was over on Friday evening, and we headed directly to Rehoboth Beach, where one of my nieces and her husband had a beach house for the weekend.  It was the perfect way to forget about everything before, and we had a wonderful time.  The weather was fall-ish, but incredibly sunny and it just made you want to be outside.  Dug went with us, and let me tell you, he was one happy Doodle Dog!

The last couple of days though?  Not so great.  Last week, I noticed that the skin on the outside of my left leg really hurt.  Yes, you read that right - my skin hurt!  Then on Sunday morning, I had a few red spots.  Yesterday, even more.  Fortunately, I was able to get a squeeze-in appointment with my dermatologist this morning, and the diagnosis?

Yep, Shingles. Unfortunately, not like the ones above.  The Stay-Home-and-Rest kind, where you have to use your sick time at work and then some of your small amount of vacation time.  

Crap.

Hopefully, This Will Go Smoothly ...

I am a year overdue for a colonoscopy.  This is my fault, as I kept putting it off.  But my father had colon cancer (among other things), and there is no excuse for me putting it off.  However, I have had a difficult time in the past, and that was only to have the first one done - it took several tries, over the period of a year!  If that is not ridiculous, I'm not sure what is, you know?  It's not worth going into details, as it is kinda gross (trust me on that one).

The doctor who was finally able to get it to "work" has of course, since left the area.  I didn't want to return to the guy I originally went to see, and who tried five or six different preps with no success.  Shortly after I decided this, I had an appointment with my dermatologist, who I have been seeing for nearly 20 years, and who I like and trust very much.  She quickly recommended a doctor at another hospital here in town that she said was "the best."  So I decided to give it a try.

When I called to make an appointment, I asked for an office visit before the procedure, so I could discuss past issues with him.  He was a very nice, pleasant man, and to be honest, I kinda felt sorry for him - the more I explained things, the more I could see him looking like "What am I in for?"  But once we went over everything twice, he had a plan he thought would work, and I am now scheduled for a colonoscopy the day after Columbus Day.  Which will work nicely, since we are off work on Columbus Day, so I only need to take the actual day of the procedure as a sick day.

I hope it is successful, and I don't have to go again for another five years.  In my dream world, by then there would be some simpler prep to deal with, and it wouldn't be such a big deal.

First things first though ...

The Burn and The Cure

It's been a long time since I burned myself.  I used to do it all the time, and I don't know if I use fewer items that provide the opportunity, if I've become more careful, or a combination of both.

All of that changed two weeks ago though.  On a Monday morning, I was fixing my breakfast, and reached across the teakettle just as steam was coming out of the spout.  I quickly realized that OUCH that burns, and pulled my arm away.  I could tell I had actually burned myself, as opposed to just a quick warning.  I put ice on the burn while I ate breakfast, and went on with my day.  By the end of the day, I had a huge burn blister.  That evening, it burst, and the open wound started oozing.

It didn't get much better from there.  I put ointment on it and a bandaid during the day so that it wouldn't a) gross people out, or b) keep hitting it on stuff (it was on my left forearm).  I realized that it was actually a much more serious burn than I had originally thought, but since it was slowly healing, I knew it was just a matter of time.

Enter my next-door neighbor, helping her husband unpack the car from their vacation in Maine.  I was taking Dug out for a walk when they got started, and they were telling me about how wonderful the trip was, when she said, "Oh my God, what happened to your arm?!"  I explained what happened, and she said, "Oh I have something for you.  It works for burns, and also avoids scarring."  And she went inside, pulled out something from her cosmetic case, and handed me a sample-sized jar of this:

I've heard of this cream, and how amazing it is supposed to be for your face.  My neighbor told me that it is just the best thing in the world for your face, but also is great if you have a burn or a cut.  It heals it quickly, and leaves no scar.

Well, she was right.  I would put a little bit on a Q-tip, and then pat it on the burn each night before I went to bed, and even after the first night, there was a really noticeable difference!  It looked much less inflamed, and the scab was reduced considerably.  I've kept using it, and now other than a very red blotch on my forearm which will probably be there for a while, there is virtually no sign that anything happened.  And that scab was pretty big and harsh-looking, let me tell you!

I'm guessing that if I had started using the stuff right away, my arm would not have much evidence at all that the burn ever happened.  And after a week, there is still a lot left in the teeny jar, so if something like this happens again, I'm set.

Now you are probably wondering what kind of neighbor I have who can afford to use $200.00 face cream for things besides her face, right?  Well, she is the director of regional public relations for Neiman Marcus.  So she probably gets a pretty good discount on the stuff.

Sadly, I probably wouldn't be able to afford it, even with a discount, which of course I don't have, and they don't offer (of course I checked!).  

But I still have some left in that teeny jar.  :-)