#25 / Scratchin'
Hi everyone. Here’s what’s going on.
So this is just going to be a quick update, because my skin’s kinda on fire right now. It’s not that I particularly want to write about this; it’s more that having trouble thinking about anything else. (Sorry not sorry!)
At first I thought I was having a flare-up of my chronic hives, but after my dermatologist looked at a couple photos, he thought it might be something new. He’s seeing me Monday, but until then, I don’t have many options. I’ve had this condition—technical name, chronic idiopathic urticaria—for a couple years now: the hives just showed up one day and never disappeared. After six weeks is when they become “officially” chronic, no longer acute. And “idiopathic,” as my allergist cousin informs me, means that my doctors are idiots and don’t know what causes it. (They’re pretty good actually, but science is still figuring out the immune system.)
I’m sitting here trying hard to come up with a way to describe what it feels like to want to scratch so bad, but I’m also trying really hard not to scratch. And that takes priority over wordplay. It’s a little scary, to be honest, because I have no idea if or when it’s going to go away. But I’ve been through stuff like this before. And I have an amazingly thoughtful and helpful partner, who went to Walgreens immediately and brought me everything that she thought might be soothing.
So it could be worse. Hopefully I’ll have some good news and a little more to say next weekend!
Mood
Alex G — “Gretel”
I spent much more time than usual this weekend soaking in an oatmeal bath, with some aromatic candles, listening to downtempo indie rock (highly recommend the undercurrents playlist on Spotify). This song is particularly dope for that purpose.
