Well, so did Defender. And I think there was even a game later that was called Smart Bomb. Whatever. Here's the thing: Doc Brown knew exactly what I meant when I used the phrase.
"He's the dermatology specialist that you like so much, right?"
Exactly, and with just cause. When I contacted him be email yesterday morning, by that afternoon his nurse called! I only wish my PCP reacted as quickly.
"Just what seems to be the problem?"
"Holy shiite!"
Oh, but it got worse. Every day, new red welts and itchy little bumps showed up. Every... single... day. That's why I had contacted Doc Brown. The nutritionist had suggested I take photos and email them to him, so he could see how bad it was.
"Good call on her part."
"And what's with the Rambo here?"
That's what I'd said to Elizabeth Carley on Tuesday! She'd laughed and said it was a Jack O'Lantern Stuffed Pepper and gave me a copy of the recipe. It's an original one from her!
Well, first, he reassured me that what I had was not scabies or impetigo, as I had been concerned about those. Nor was it hives, not in the strictest sense of the word. It was poison ivy, with my body having thrown itself into overdrive in combating it. Damn it. I always take a shower after working in the yard, just to offset any chance of this, but, somehow, that one tiny outbreak on my right arm had been overlooked.
"Well, hell's belles. Did you wipe it all over yourself in your sleep?"
No, I don't think so. Those swirls and drip lines on my chest? I feel sure that's from the poison ivy following the sweat down my body. I had dragged some limbs down to the curb and I guess it wasn't just a gnat that got swatted then.
"So what's up with that last photo?"
That's over on the left side of my abdomen and is yet another mysterious patch that's popped up well after the first encounter. It started showing on Tuesday morning.
"Damn. The itching must be fierce."
Nope. Surprisingly not. As I told him, I have largely been able to ignore it. I've been using my Caladryl lotion, alternating that with isopropyl alcohol and the 1% hydrocortisone he gave me the last time I had this shiite. He told me to keep on with that, but he had something to help it all along. Prednisone. The smart bomb to counter my body's over-reaction. I was feeling better by last night. The hour of waiting at the Publix pharmacy was worth it.
"Good for him! And good for you for waiting."
Let me tell you, the pharmacist was a bit concerned, as the instructions are more complex than usual. It's a Regiment of Fours, as I'm calling it. Forty 10-mg tablets, with 4 to be taken for 4 days, followed by 3 for 4 days, then 2 for 4 days, and finishing up with 1 for 4 days. Forty milligrams of the steroid, all told.
"And you're feeling better after only one day's dosage???"
Amazing, right? I hadn't noticed until I was at the musical last night. I was sitting there and realized that undercurrent of jangled nerve endings had quieted. What a relief!
"Is this like a painkiller and you just take it as needed?"
Nope! This is like an antibiotic, so you keep taking it until it's all gone. I've already had all four pills for today, breaking it up as a bitter dessert - ack! - after breakfast and slunch. I'm not going to have a relapse, no way. I'm just hoping that my chest area will all look a bit better by next week.
"You have something special going on then?"
Nope, I'm just tired of seeing it every time I look in the bathroom mirror!
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