…because I had the perfect costume! My face looked like Two-Face from Batman because of impetigo (*gross*). This is a bacterial skin infection caused by staph or strep and is usually found in children, but with my compromised immune system I’m more susceptible to infection, no matter what kind.
It started out as hives; I had a couple on my forehead Wednesday night/Thursday but I figured they’d go away. Friday they had spread and were itching terribly (so I scratched, of course). Then Saturday the infection set in, as well as new hives on my back. By Sunday morning my left eye was swollen shut and we decided the hives weren’t going away. We went into my doctor’s immediate care center and they determined that my hives had become infected and morphed into impetigo. They gave me an injection of steroids and a script for seven days of Keflex (cephalexin). It is now Tuesday night and most of the swelling in my face is gone (it is nice to look like me again!), and my hives seem to be healing nicely.
A couple positives to this situation: forced vacation. There is suspicion that my recent hive episodes are stress-related. No way to confirm that one except to get stressed out again, which I have no intention of doing! The last two days have been relaxing (despite the pain, itching, and oozing). Another positive is that I’ve been able to spend time in Bible study that I have been pushing aside, ironically, because I’ve been so busy. I finally finished the study on the 15 Psalms of Ascent (Beth Moore’s Stepping Up) – fantastic study! Another positive is a clean house. Because the last few days I’ve been rather infectious, I’ve been washing *all* the bedding, towels, and anything else I’ve come into contact with. Dishes are done immediately and I spray my vinegar-water and hydrogen peroxide solution behind me as I go. The house has never been cleaner.
What I don’t understand is why I have been having hives in the first place. I had them back in June for one week on my back and then they went away. Then I had them in July in Ireland on my right hand, right after the bad sunburn and all the stress from driving on the *wrong* side of the road. Now this. If I’m immune-suppressed, and if hives are an allergic reaction, then how can hives occur in me? It seems like a paradox.
Oh my goodness – I can’t believe how bad this became! I’m glad to hear you’re starting to look/feel better. Also praise God that Ashleigh is at home!!
[...] a skin rash, whether from itchy clothing, an allergic reaction, or pollutants in their environment. Not too many years ago I developed a small rash on the side of my forehead, but thought that maybe hairspray caused it and [...]