It's 9:23am. It's raining. This is mildly irritating to me; I was going to be using a friend of mine as practice for portraits, but the weather is not being cooperative. And it isn't even just sprinkling. It's coming down in sheets, making my house dark. It's weird needing a light on in the light of morning.
Those of you who know and remember me, know that I lived with one of my best friends for about seven years. This past July we went our separate ways. We're still friends! Nothing to worry about! It's just that my boyfriend and I got a house and it was time for us to live together. We already spent most of our free time together to begin with, so it just made sense. Sadly, he's allergic to most dogs, so Chuck (my golden retriever) went to live with my friend. I actually thought I was allergic to Chuck as well for a long time. I learned this year that was not the case.
Earlier this year I had an appointment with an allergist. I had been experiencing random outbreaks of hives, ranging from mild to severe, all over my body. It had been happening on and off for a few years now, but recently started getting more frequent and more severe. After being poked and prodded for several hours, it was determined I have an autoimmune disease called Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria. This is basically my body attacking itself when certain triggers are introduced to my person. Some of the triggers for me (as they differ for each person with this condition) are really stupid. The sun and heat are a major problem for me. If I get too hot, I get hives everywhere. If my skin is too exposed to sun, my arms are red, swollen, and angry. The worse of my triggers is that I can't take any NSAIDs. NSAIDs are non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. So anything that has ibuprofen, for example, will cause my face to swell and give me a botched botox look. It's quite painful when it happens on my face.
When I get stressed out, my feet are the worst. And sometimes hives just happen because they want to. Luckily, there is a medication that helps me manage my condition. The only downside is that my drug plan doesn't cover it yet, as it is a relatively new medication. It could be worse; I could be in a country where healthcare isn't covered and I would have to pay for every doctor visit. I have a lot of visits to the doctor. It's annoying. I also can claim my medication on my taxes. Which is nice, because it's not a cheap medication.
I'm going to try to attach a photo to this entry. Just because. Wish me luck and have a fabulous day.
|
Loading...
